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Character and Team Spirit See Us Through
With so many new faces in the England squad for the 2012 6 Nations campaign (making the average age of the players 25) plus a new coaching team in place led by Stuart Lancaster, it was no surprise to us all that the approach to preparation for the first game at Murrayfield was different to [...]
Not Doing Ourselves Justice
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Believe me, we are well aware of just how badly we have failed to live up to the expectations of our supporters. Don’t let anyone tell you that criticism from the media has no effect on professional sportsmen and women. You would have to be a robot, a Trappist monk or possess [...]
Onwards and Upwards
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What a week of mixed emotions!
I heard that I was not to be in the starting XV for the crucial match against Scotland on Tuesday morning even though I had been in the team that trained on the Monday – a sign I took to mean that I had secured my place for the [...]
The Competition is hotting up nicely!
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We are now approaching the knock out stages of the Rugby World Cup and I hope our supporters are in better heart after our performance against Romania. Although we are not going to allow any complacency to sneak in and there is still room for improvement, it was good to see so many [...]
England V Georgia
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After a week in which we were subjected to all kinds
of unwanted publicity from the media there was no doubting
the resolve in the England camp in preparation for the game
against Georgia – a side not unlike Argentina in the way they
demand you to match them for physical intensity
and commitment.
So much of the outcome of [...]
What an introduction to World Cup rugby!
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We always knew the threat that Argentina could pose and I was very aware of the quality players they had – four of them play with me at Stade Francais.
Some pundits were suggesting that the Pumas were an ageing
team and lacked regular international fixtures. I was not taking
that line. No team at this [...]
Thoughts on New Zealand
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Unless you have visited New Zealand it is very difficult to appreciate just how high a priority rugby is in the nation’s entire way of life. In England football dominates the media. In New Zealand, football is irrelevant. The biggest challenge to Rugby Union in New Zealand is Rugby League!
In [...]
The World Cup Squad announcement Dinner at Twickenham on August 22
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There was noticeable tension amongst all the squad prior to the announcement of the final 30 names to head off to NZ. I had been in the original England squad of 45 for the last World Cup in 2007.
I survived the first cut and made it to the 36 man squad for the warm [...]
Ireland V England in Dublin
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Quite a frantic few days in Dublin as injuries to squad members meant that almost as soon as I had settled down on the subs bench I was on the field to replace flanker Hendre Fourie. This meant a change in our usual formation with Courtney Lawes moving to the flank and [...]
