He probably doesn’t know it, but a black Affenpinscher called Rico has this week assumed a key supporting role in the sporting life of a nation. For it is while walking his beloved dog around the park with friends and family that England’s captain Chris Robshaw has attempted to make sense of all that has already slipped by in this World Cup and what could still transpire.
“I’m sure for everyone in this room you do something different to relax, don’t you,” said Robshaw of his stress-relieving tactics. “Richie McCaw flies gliders, Tom Wood likes shooting his bow and arrow, Tom Youngs likes to go farming. Everyone has got something. It doesn’t have to be something extravagant and whatever it is, use it.”
During those solitary moments, Robshaw has also sought to disperse whatever demons linger from that fateful decision not to kick for goal in the dying embers of last Saturday’s clash with Wales and clear his mind for the do-or-die battle with Australia to come.
“It is on your mind a lot but that is when you use the experience from the past about what has worked well. It is just trying to not play the game in your mind too early,” says Robshaw, who will lead his team out for the 41st time at Twickenham on Saturday.
“Of course you need to fuel the fire but I think everyone is pretty chilled at the moment and preparing nicely. We are building and building, and come Saturday we will be ready.”
From players to management and support staff, the entire England camp is trying – and largely failing – to convey the impression that it is business as usual. Both the coach, Stuart Lancaster, and Robshaw harked back to the way the side bounced back from defeat against South Africa in 2012 to overcome the All Blacks. But the stakes here are so much higher.
As well as his decision making and leadership abilities, there is also intense focus on Robshaw’s ability. Japan’s coach, Eddie Jones – not, it has to be said, an altogether impartial observer – damned Robshaw with exceedingly faint praise this week.
The former Australia coach said Robshaw was “an outstanding club player but at international level he just doesn’t have that point of difference”, a “good workmanlike player” who is “not outstandingly good in any area”. All of which criticism the Harlequins flanker vows will act as fuel in the most important match of his career. “As an international captain I’ve learnt in the past you take the rough with the smooth. There’s good times, there’s bad times and you need to learn how to deal with it,” he said. “You need to know what’s happening, absorb it and use it, I think. That’s the best way. You want to go out and prove a couple of people wrong.”
Along with Jones, he might add Will Carling, Sir Clive Woodward and a few others to that list. The RFU’s “mind mechanic” Bill Beswick has been at Pennyhill Park this week to help individual players.
Lancaster, who pinned his colours to Robshaw early on in his tenure, unsurprisingly backed his captain to emerge stronger for the experience and underlined the responsibility of the collective. “It’s been tough for him but he is a tough guy. He is resilient and he’ll be fine for Saturday.”
Ultimately, Robshaw is banking on a similar mental toughness throughout the squad to pull England back from the brink of the potential disaster of exiting their own party before the pool stages are even complete.
“This is when teams come together I think, when you see actually how close you are as a squad because it is easy for a squad to splinter and as a squad we have come even closer together, understood each other a little better and we’ve been there for each other,” he said.
“The guys have taken a tough time but that is international sport, isn’t it? It is about what you do next and what you do from this moment now.”
