Will Carling interview: If England are serious about winning, questions should be asked

That Carling has been there himself gives him an understanding of Genge's reaction. He says he also has a bond with the many of the current players from his time working as a leadership coach with England under Eddie Jones, between 2018 to 2022. But Carling insists that Genge is wrong to dismiss out of hand the sense of frustration that England supporters and retired players have felt during this campaign.
'I am very fond and have huge respect for the England players,' Carling told Telegraph Sport. 'I had been quite reticent of going back in [as leadership coach] because I didn't think that they would be the same kind of animal, but they were and I loved it.
'As Gengey has said, a lot of ex-players criticise and you want to walk the tightrope between being supportive but also being honest. It is a very hard tightrope to walk. I understand the sensitivity of the players. But when Gengey says the ex-players are all out of touch he is wrong. He is just hurting. There are some highly intelligent ex-players who make comments and sometimes, no matter how much it hurts for some of the players, it is better to take on board what is being said. It is just hard because I think there is so much noise with social media. I want to see them win games more than anything.'
Carling, who recalls stories from his era in a new podcast called Who Gives a Ruck with Jonathan Davies and Dean Richards, was not at Twickenham to see England's narrow defeat of Scotland. There were boos from the crowd at one point because of England's limited, kicking game plan. The 59-year-old says the reaction of the crowd was hard to take.
'It makes me sad actually,' he added. 'The one thing you want to do when you play in that shirt – and I know they do – is make people proud and therefore it must be hard to deal with. Fans want to be watching them play well. There is a lot of frustration in the players and fans. After that Scotland game, I don't think it was a massively happy stadium. That is the bit that you want as a player, to walk off and feel that you have delivered and people walk away and say: 'I loved it, they played well.''
'Questions need to be asked of team's hierarchy'
Carling, in an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday, suggested the lack of experience in England's coaching ticket has contributed to several players, including scrum-half Alex Mitchell, performing below their club potential.
'My frustration comes out in the resources that England have and the quality of players,' he said. 'We have had one Grand Slam since 2003 and that's my frustration with English rugby. A lot of it is not focused on players, it is focused on how it is being run and coached. I am not absolving the players of everything, but if we are serious about winning, there are a lot of questions that should be asked, that aren't. And that goes right to the top.
'France are exceptional, Ireland are incredibly strong and also South Africa, but England should be in that bracket, and I think we have players who have the talent to be performing a lot more successfully than we are. That's the general frustration of England rugby fans. I am aware there is a huge difference between club and international level, but we have players with real ability and it is not being translated into an England shirt.'

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