Talking Sport with James Shield

IT'S A funny old game isn't it?

And not just because of the odd shaped balls.

A month ago England's hopes of becoming the first team to retain the rugby union World Cup appeared to be in tatters following their 36-0 mauling at the hands of South Africa.

Now, four weeks on, Brian Ashton's side are contemplating a final against the same opposition revitalised and reborn.

A bit like Sebastian Chabal's metrosexual credentials following that emotional hug with Lawrence Dallaglio during the immediate aftermath of Saturday's win in Paris.

The reaction to events inside the Stade de France has been predictably feverish but it has also revealed plenty about our strange attitude towards team sports.

Fifteen men took to the field at the weekend but, according to some of the more hysterical sections of the media, only one man - Johnny Wilkinson - was responsible for the outcome.

Wilkinson is a fine player, probably one of the finest when fully fit, and his experience came to the fore at crucial times against the French.

But at that level of competition his contribution would have been rendered irrelevant if his colleagues had failed to perform. For some reason we always feel the need to single out a hero and a villain.

It wasn't so long ago that columnists whose rugby knowledge you could fit onto the back of a timbre were picking apart Ashton's coaching ability and calling for him to be kicked into touch.

Lack of perspective is one of the reasons why our best chance of sporting success usually comes in disciplines only BBC TV chiefs seem to get excited about. Which brings me to Frank Lampard.

The midfielder joined that not-so-exclusive club of footballers who have been booed on international duty when he appeared as a substitute against Estonia.

Peter Crouch has been singled-out for being tall, Phil Neville for being unselfish and David Beckham for committing the heinous crime of being sent off after falling victim to an Argentine actor.

Quite what Lampard has done to deserve such treatment isn't clear but the conduct of those numpties who decided he was worthy of abuse before he'd even kicked a ball says more about their brain power than it does his ability as a footballer.