The England flanker Chris Robshaw says he and his team-mates will be motivated by an intense desire to silence their mocking Australian critics when they seek to clinch an historic series win over the Wallabies in the second Test on Saturday.
The touring squad have not forgotten the promotional film released by the host broadcaster, Fox Sports, before the three-Test series in which several former Australia players poured scorn on England’s chances and gloated over footage of English dejection following their premature World Cup pool exit last year.
Now that the visitors are 1-0 up in the series and go to Melbourne’s AAMI Park pressing for an unbeatable 2-0 lead the promo looks even less smart. Robshaw, who captained England at the World Cup, made no attempt to hide his determination to have the last laugh. “It hurts to see a thing like that,” said Robshaw, normally the most phlegmatic of sportsmen. “For us it’s just been used as motivation.”
It provides an additional dimension to a game England are already desperate to win, regardless of what people are saying in television studios. The former Wallabies forward Stephen Hoiles has already been forced to apologise for directing a vulgar press-conference question at Eddie Jones following the first Test in Brisbane, but Robshaw insists that atoning for World Cup disappointment has never been this squad’s priority.
“Coming down here it was never about the World Cup and what happened. It was about doing something special and trying to make a bit of history. For us now it’s about creating a good piece of history and doing something special together. The series is everything. That’s been the mindset from when we first met up. Like anything in sport and life you go through peaks and troughs but if we don’t win the series, it’s all for nothing. It’s great to win one Test but we need to win two.”
Robshaw is not about to start publicly comparing the current coaching regime with its predecessor but he does concede that Jones has made the squad feel better about itself. “He’s just given us a lot of confidence to go out there and back each other.”
The 30-year-old Harlequins forward is one of the players with a spring in their step at the end of a tough season, and he was among England’s standout performers in their 39-28 victory at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium. “For me it was my first win in the southern hemisphere,” he said. “That is pretty special in its own right. It is now about kicking on. It has been a long season but I still feel pretty good. Myself and the guys are going to be right up for the challenge. The intensity we’ve started this week with is only going to grow and grow. If you can fix things while you’re winning, it’s a nice place to be.”
Having already secured a Six Nations grand slam, England remain unbeaten in seven outings under Jones but there is every reason to suspect this Saturday will be the toughest of the lot. The Wallabies have a good record of bouncing back after an initial loss and Robshaw says his team are prepared for a brutal encounter. “When you look at history and how many series have been won down here, it shows how tough it is. We are under no illusions.
“I don’t think the Australians have lost the second Test of a three-Test series so we know how tough that’s going to be. We need to make sure we don’t go 10-0 down in the first 15 minutes this time, because we might not be able to claw it back. You don’t want to be going into the last game in Sydney with it all on the line. You want to go in having won it this weekend.”
Both teams will unveil their starting lineups on Thursday, with the Wallabies weighing up their best-available options at both No8 and inside-centre. Christian Lealiifano, who landed the winning kick when Australia beat the Lions in the second Test in Melbourne in 2013, is a contender to fill the No12 jersey and believes the home side can still capture the series. “That is the Wallaby psyche, the Wallaby attitude; to never give up and always look to fight back,” Lealiifano said. “When you are down in the dumps it gives you extra motivation.”
