Chris Robshaw has called on his England team to cope with the “completely different pressure” of facing Italy at Twickenham and maintain their encouraging start to this year’s Six Nations Championship. The home side are firm favourites to beat the Azzurri but Robshaw is determined to maintain the feelgood momentum generated against Wales in Cardiff.
England have never overcome a bigger deficit to win a Six Nations game than they did at the Millennium Stadium after going 10-0 down. Robshaw was particularly encouraged by the visitors’ composure, particularly at a venue where they had lost 30-3 on their previous appearance in 2013. “I think it was a big day for us,” acknowledged Robshaw. “Two years ago we probably panicked and chased things. This time we weren’t as flustered and no one went off script. Leaving the hotel on the Saturday morning I was definitely happier than the previous time.”
That ability to keep calm and carry on with the job in hand was less evident in November and Robshaw has also detected a change of mindset. “I felt in the autumn we were learning lessons on a Monday rather than a Saturday, especially in the early weeks,” the captain said. “We need to be able to analyse the game there and then and know how to fix things quickly.”
There will be no repeat of the Millennium Stadium tunnel standoff, however, despite the positive impact it had on the team’s attitude and Robshaw’s image as a no-nonsense leader. The Harlequins flanker dismisses comparisons with Martin Johnson, famous for standing his ground on the red carpet in Dublin, but says he would do the same again. “They wanted to get us out there five minutes early, being baited and booed in the freezing cold,” he stressed. “We thought we’d just wait in the shelter of the tunnel. It’s normally the officials who tell you when it is time to go and when they said ‘It’s time’ we went. This week? I think we’ll be straight out.”
England are set to announce an unchanged starting lineup for Saturday’s game and Robshaw, confirmed by Stuart Lancaster this week as his preferred captain for the World Cup, admits he has been buoyed by the faith shown in him by the management. “I think it does give players confidence, myself included, that you have their backing,” he said. “You tend to get guys more comfortable in their roles because they know they have the coaches’ backing and can try things.”
With points difference always a possible deciding factor in the title race, Robshaw also made clear England have been working hard on attacking plays this week while keeping sight of Italy’s ability to be stubborn opponents. “It’ll be a completely different pressure. I’m sure most people will be coming to Twickenham expecting us to win comfortably but, as a squad, we know what we’ve got to do.
“For us, it is about getting the win and then we’ll see what happens after that. We’ve had a lot of attention on our attack this week to get it going. We felt we left a couple of opportunities out there in Cardiff. It is just about cohesion and understanding what certain guys will do with ball in hand. It does take time for people to gel but hopefully we will now be further down the line.”
Winning the title after three successive second-place finishes, however, remains the biggest spur of all. “We had a great win in Cardiff but it’s only a start. For us, it’s about how we back it up,” stressed Robshaw. “We’ve had some great wins in this tournament but unfortunately we haven’t picked anything up. We have won a triple crown but the big prize has eluded us three times. That’s our main objective.”
Meanwhile, Robshaw is philosophical about the injury-strewn reality of modern rugby life as the debate about player welfare continues to rage. “In all sports injuries happen. When you are putting your body through the duress and fatigue of playing at the highest level then unfortunately sometimes it happens. I’ve been through my fair share and most guys in the game have as well.
“The sport probably is getting quicker, guys are getting stronger and reaction time is also quicker. I think the game is continuing to evolve. I’m sure when I look back in 10 or 15 years’ time it will have evolved again.”
