JEREMY GUSCOTT
OUTSPOKEN AND UNMISSABLE... EVERY WEEK
IT’S been a chalk and cheese Six Nations for England, with the first three games going from not much improvement to error-riddled, and then the last two against Ireland and France raising the bar to a totally different level.
Let’s be honest, no-one saw those performances coming. They were transformational in the way England played, showing an intensity and skill that we have not seen since the 2019 World Cup.
It was great to see, and this team have given the game in England a much-needed boost. My only concern is the way that some in the England camp almost turned a positive into a negative by harping on about what people thought of the team, and wanting to prove them wrong.
It should have been more about the positives of the hard work that went into turning around the team’s mindset, and utilising the skills and strengths which brought the change against Ireland, and the continuation against the French in Lyon. What we didn’t want to hear was, “that we did it because everyone thought we were crap”.
I thought the game had moved on. The underdog mentality will only get you so far. You have to see that it is the standards you set as a team, and as individuals, which drive it forward.
New Zealand will not suddenly attempt to adopt the role of underdogs in their two home Tests against England this summer – and there is no way that England should rely on what other people think of them as their main motivation.
If England were ordinary in the wins over Italy and Wales, and let the error count get out-of-control in the loss to Scotland, against Ireland they played as if they were the best team in the world.
Their ability to win the collisions in defence and attack, and to score more tries than the opposition, as well as have the fitness to keep their foot down until the final whistle, led to the game-changing last-minute win over the Irish at Twickenham.
Then they did more of the same against France and, although they came up just short in another last-minute finish, it showed that England are a truly fit side, because, if you are not, you cannot play like that without blowing up in the last 15 minutes.
Against Ireland it was about execution, in terms of quality and precision in attack, and that is the lifeblood of this England team going forward.
The tight-rope for me is England’s defence. Blitz defence is nothing new, and has been with us for 30 to 40 years. Even when I played it was a blend of up-and-out and rush defence.
This England version of the blitz appears to have come from NFL, with its focus on front line defence, secondary defence, and then scramble defence. New Zealand will test it to the full, in the same way Ireland did. The All Blacks are as fit as Ireland, and their attacking skill and shape i
