England believe that lifting the Six Nations title this weekend will significantly enhance their chances of success at this autumn’s World Cup. Having finished runners-up for the last three seasons, England are determined to avoid a similarly frustrating scenario against France on Saturday, according to Chris Robshaw.
While England will have the luxury of playing last and knowing precisely what they have to do, big wins for Wales and Ireland could yet complicate their task at Twickenham against the French. Robshaw, however, says he and his players are now less naive than they were in Cardiff two years ago and are desperate to generate vital pre-World Cup momentum.
“With the World Cup looming it’s about making sure we get that winning habit at Twickenham,” said the captain, whose side lost 30-3 to Wales in their final game in 2013. “It would give the guys that extra bit of confidence. Having come so close in recent years has been tough for myself and the other guys involved.
“As a player you want to be picking up silverware and unfortunately that’s eluded us a couple of times. I think all the guys are desperate to win that significant trophy we haven’t managed to get. We’ve picked up little bits here and there but we want to get the big prize at the end.”
Robshaw is convinced his side are improving and are better prepared to lift the title than they were at the Millennium Stadium, a memory he now describes as “pretty horrendous” and a salutary lesson. “We had a lot of young guys going into that week, not really knowing what to expect. We were a little bit naive and played the game too early in our minds. We’ve come a long way since then. If you look at the way we’re playing we’re creating a lot of opportunities. Sooner or later the gates are going to open and we’ll be finishing a lot of them.”
With Leicester’s Geoff Parling set to be confirmed in England’s starting lineup in place of Dave Attwood, Robshaw will also be making sure England do not get distracted by the ever-changing permutations on the closing afternoon. “After what we’ve experienced in the last couple of years we know it can slip away from us if we don’t get things exactly right on that final day,” he said. “There will be a lot of games going on before us on Saturday and you can’t waste your energy thinking about what’s going to happen.
“In terms of the number of points needed all the guys will know what we’ve got to do. I don’t think that means you’re throwing Hail Marys in the first minute and forcing it from your own line. It’s about being sensible, calculated and composed and hopefully about building a score.”
England have not won a Six Nations title since 2011. The last occasion they had an opportunity to win the title at Twickenham on the final weekend was 19 years ago.
