Ronaldo has a better La Liga goalscoring record than Messi - even though he has played for an inferior team during much of his time with Real - with his goals-per-game tally (171 in 159 appearances) significantly stronger than Messi's total of 233 goals in 267 outings. Ronaldo is also the Ballon d'Or holder. Not bad for a showpony.

For me, the scrum is union's achilles heel so to speak. How is the spectator supposed to know what is going on when he cannot see the ball, sometimes for 5 minutes or more, let alone know why a referee has blown the whistle for yet another technical infringement ? League is dull because it is so formulaic... six tackles then give the ball to the opposition for them to do the same. There must be a way to combine the best of both codes.

Isn't that the point though ? England v Ireland was exciting because the teams were evenly matched and it became a test of strength and resolve and who would flinch first and make a mistake. It was so tense at the end I felt drained - I've rarely felt that about league because the scoring is so free.

Is it sad or just the march of progress ? League and union players have often expressed the desire for there to be just one game known as rugby. If league is in terminal decline in this country (which it appears to be judging from research on the internet and the post above) would it not be better for the two sports to merge as soon as possible ? From an England point of view it would be most welcome.

Ahhh....the old league v union rivalry. I watched the England game and found it an absorbing contest between two very tough teams. Both defences were excellent. Union has a much higher profile now than league and more money too. Will league be irrelevant soon ? From England rugby union's point of view I hope so.

That is a very good question, and I'm surprised that the international cricket authorities have not investigated him. Do they do drugs tests? Before this winter Johnson was regarded as a joke bowler - especially in England - and his total transformation at this stage in his career in just a few short months has been nothing short of remarkable. Sportsmen do not make such vast improvements in such a short space of time without "help" - I cannot think of any athlete who has overturned his or her career in the same way. Australia also have form in this respect - Warne failed a drugs test at the World Cup in 2003 so if Johnson were taking substances it would not be a surprise.

Yes, the bowlers have come to our rescue many times recently but they can only paper over the failures of the batsmen so many times. Priority for the new coach must be the batting - which as I have said has been poor for a long time.

I disagree about England's failings, which have been about the batting and very little else. We have failed to make a decent first innings total in goodness knows how long, certainly not this winter and not last summer either. I cannot remember the last time we posted a total of 350 plus never mind more than 400. You cannot win Test matches unless you make good scores, and our batsmen have consistently failed. Trott was a big loss but he is not the only one who has failed. On another note, Kirsten has ruled himself out of the England reckoning because of family ties which makes Giles more or less a shoe-in for the coaching job. A poor choice in my view.

There's nothing wrong with his action but he's done nothing for years before this winter and certainly not in this country where he's regarded as a joke. Morkel and Steyn are probably still the world's best fast bowlers and have done it consistently for years. Flower has done well which I've acknowledged but England haven't looked "right" for a while and this tour has been a disaster from the beginning when England looked under-prepared and disinterested from the start. All that is down to Flower. I don't want Giles either - I would rather see an outsider come in and shake up the whole setup.

England have suffered an epic failure this winter so it's only right that heads have rolled. The previous regime had done well but something has obviously been seriously amiss because England have not played well for some time - certainly not last summer despite the 3-0 win. Looking at it from the outside I would say there seems to have been a power battle behind the scenes with Cook has emerging as the winner. The comparison with Allardyce etc doesn't make any sense to me - the circumstances are totally different.

The quality of banter and chants at football has become worse over the years, and much of it is now decidedly crude and sometimes plain embarrassing. I suspect social forces are at work here - much of the humour in the old days came from the factory floor and production lines and of course our manufacturing capacity has been decimated over the past 30 years.

I'm pleased Flower has gone but why they have retained him in another capacity and why he would want to stay is a mystery. Ashley Giles is favourite apparently to replace Flower but I would suggest he is too close to the present squad and the ECB should look to someone from outside the camp, perhaps from overseas. The whole organisation needs a good shake-up.

Hello everyone Recently moved back here after many years away and would like to hear from anyone who lives in the area or regulars at the Bonny Inn! Supported Rovers since the age of 7 and clocked up my half century of watching the famous blue and white halves last year. Wilpshire Blue

You're English. Loyalty and you are distant cousins. There's nothing worse in my book. Support Australia at anything you want but never against England. As I say, contemptible. Oh and FYI Murdoch was a great supporter of Tony Blair. He bends with the national political wind and switches his politics for commercial expediency. No doubt he'll be backing Ukip at the next election.

Would agree with that. Would also explain their chip on the shoulder. This is a wonderful country and if you open your eyes and look at the opportunities on offer. . Punishment for me has been England's performances which I've acknowledged have been pathetic. I still cannot understand why the ECB is apparently going to stick with Flower. Something is seriously amiss in the dressing room (and has been for some time) and these problems usually stem from the top.

Dear Lord H-H, As an Englishman why would you be celebrating this ? Also look at your pathetic signature. You're like a Rover supporter who switches sides to Burnley and then comes on here to crow about it. Contemptible.

Loved playing it but I'm not a great watcher because the basic errors of many players annoys me. England have been a case in point this winter - some of the bits I've seen wouldn't be tolerated in club cricket. Cricket's also a bit like golf - a wonderful game when you're playing well and in form but frustrating and deeply depressing when you cannot do a thing right. Cook probably feels like that at the moment.

It's been going on for alot longer than that. Blackburn boulevard in the 1960s was packed with fans in red and white scarves waiting for buses for Manchester. I hate disloyalty to town, club and country. Made my blood boil then and still does now.

Living down there in that climate would drive anyone to the brink... Anyhoo, back to the cricket. At least England's women are holding their ends up, so to speak.

This is like blaming the unions and the workers for the demise of manufacturing when the real culprits were the incompetent and confrontational buffoons in the boardroom who were unable and unwilling to manage labour relations properly. The failure of any enterprise in business or sport stems from the top and Flower and his assistants have been found wanting.

Pietersen's the best batsman in the side and is still a significant asset if he is properly handled. Flower was in charge of this debacle and should be the one to depart.

Just to remind ourselves that this is an Englishman posting here. "Sledging" is an Australian word in the cricketing context as far as I know, because they invented it and have perfected it. My view on "sledging" or abuse is fine along as it's witty and amusing. Most of the time it's just puerile.

Haddin appealed for a non-existent snick off Root in the previous Test that was given out and then gave Root dog's abuse when it was quite rightly overturned on appeal. One of many examples of his behaviour. He's not competitive - he's a cheat and a scumbag.

The England players have let themselves and the country down. Good players do not become bad players to that extent overnight, and something is seriously amiss. To my eyes they looked in the wrong frame of mind from the start. Questions have to be asked over how they prepared for this tour in the 3 or 4 months from the end of last season. What were the coaches doing, and how did they get is so wrong ? Was it complacency, did they work hard enough ? Failure in sport is no different to any other walk of life and starts at the top. Flower and Cook must account to the ECB for their actions and justify their continued employment in their respective jobs. In football they would have been given the boot some time ago. On a positive note I am pleased with how England have conducted themselves on this tour. In contrast to the feral opposition, England have been competitive without being over-aggressive. I would never want England to sink to the depths of childish and pathetic behaviour shown by the opposition players. In addition, his failings with the bat notwithstanding Cook is a class act off the pitch as captain and would make an excellent diplomat when he retires from the game. I do think however the captaincy has affected his form this tour, and he and England would benefit if he stepped down. If there any tough Ray Illingworth types coming through the ranks at Yorkshire, would they please put their names forward ?

The batting is the main problem and has been for 2 years or more. England have not scored enough runs. Having said that as with any failing enterprise the problem starts at the top, Flower and Cook have said today they want to stay and build a new England team but there have to be question marks over both of them and Gooch, the batting coach.