England rugby team's win on Saturday won't just please Andy Robinson

I bumped into the general manager of the Crowne Plaza hotel at Marlow-on-Thames last week and while chatting he said that for the last month he had had the England rugby team staying at his hotel. Of course, up until recently the team have resided down the road at Pennyhill Park hotel in Surrey. During England's time at Pennyhill Park, England won the world cup (note: on Wednesday 22 November it will be exactly three years to the date from this great event) and since they changed hotel, England rugby fortunes have been, well, how can we put it nicely, in freefall.

One can hardly blame Alan Thomas, the hotel manager at their new base in Marlow for the England team's shocking run of late, although I suspect he may be Welsh with a surname like that. Anyway he assured me the team's preparations at his hotel had been nothing but perfect and that it was wonderful to have them staying there. Even so, I guess Alan had a big smile on his face when England won on Saturday and avoided the longest losing streak of any England rugby team ever .... a happy Andy Robinson the beleagured England manager probably makes for a happy hotel in this instance!