Stuart Lancaster reckons the nearest equivalent to this weekend’s Six Nations finale is the tension-racked climax of a Ryder Cup. It is a decent analogy with a couple of unfortunate flaws: when Europe beat the United States last autumn it was a Frenchman, Victor Dubuisson, who played a pivotal role while the victorious mastermind was the Irish team captain Paul McGinley.
The last thing the majority of Saturday’s crowd at Twickenham want to see is France shooting the equivalent of a 64 and Irishmen wildly celebrating another trophy in Scotland. The broader comparison Lancaster was making, however, was perfectly accurate: the home side need to block out the roars in the distance and not assume they have won anything until it has actually happened.
The head coach has been particularly stressing to his players France’s tendency to improve as the match goes on, having been advised that 11 of Les Bleus’ past 15 tries have come in the final 20 minutes of games. A desire to counter this late French surge has played a part in England’s selection – Tom Youngs and Nick Easter have been specifically chosen as impact subs – but accuracy right from the outset also has to be a priority, whatever the mathematical target Wales or Ireland manage to set.
It explains the choice of Geoff Parling, a British Lion whose experience, lineout expertise, high work-rate and sang-froid under pressure have earned him the nod over Dave Attwood, who is omitted from the 23 entirely. It is harsh on the Bath lock, who has served his country admirably all winter, but even the slightest lapse in form or decision-making is currently inadvisable for any England player given the increasing competition for places.
France have also shuffled their pack, bringing in Vincent Debaty at loose-head for the injured Eddy Ben Arous with the gargantuan Uini Atonio replacing Thomas Domingo on the bench. Jules Plisson has been confirmed at fly-half in the absence of Camille Lopez but Lancaster is more concerned with ensuring his players react well when the pressure levels start to rise.
“It is how I assume a World Cup game will feel like … there’s a lot on the line,” confirmed Lancaster, who has named only 29 players in five Six Nations games.
“But it is different and I can’t think of another situation in sport with a points differential that can affect the psychology like this. The only similar scenario I can think of is the final day of the Ryder Cup when you’re ahead or behind going into the singles. It’s that sort of feeling.”
A key part of the equation will be ensuring the natural desire to rattle up points does not leave England open to a sucker punch or two. “One of the key messages this week has been making sure we’re better defensively,” stressed Lancaster, keenly aware life could have been much easier had England converted more of their chances against Scotland. “You don’t get many teams scoring 20 or 30 points in international rugby against France.”
The management are also hoping the Twickenham crowd will help by creating an atmosphere as fervid as the day they defeated New Zealand in December 2012.
“These are great days in sport,” emphasised Lancaster.
“I liken it to when we gave ourselves a shot against the All Blacks and the crowd got behind us. By 4.30pm on Saturday the crowd and us will know that in half an hour’s time we’ll need a particular scoreline. They can definitely be a huge factor for us.”
The prevailing dressing-room mood if England beat France but fail to pick up the title will be subdued at best and Parling, who has not started a Six Nations game for England for two years, accepts the weekend will reveal plenty about the home side’s mental resolve.
“These sort of games are when you probably see a team’s character. We know there is a lot of pressure on it and we shouldn’t hide away from that.
“It’s still within our control to win a championship. I think we should put pressure on ourselves not to accept anything less. We’ve talked about finishing second three years running and we don’t want that feeling again. Yes, it’s important to win something tangible going into the World Cup but the championship is on the line on Saturday. How many players get a chance to play for the Six Nations title? Not many in their whole careers.”
