Neil Back

Backy: England players need to make sacrifices

Tue Feb 10 02:23PM

I need to take a long, deep breath before writing this blog because most of what I am about to say pains me.

If anyone was confused about where England were in terms of their development, then the Italy game has made it crystal clear. We now know how difficult a Six Nations campaign it is going to be for England.

I think many of the current England squad need to remember that playing for England is a massive honour. The large majority of first-class players do not get that chance.

I think that many of the current England players need to keep their heads down more and not strut around. They are being paid a lot of money for doing what they love, and as a result must be prepared to make sacrifices.

If a player is not good enough to succeed at international level, then so be it: they are not good enough. But there are no excuses for failing due to a lack or preparation or effort. 

There are no excuses for England conceding 13 penalties against Italy, or for playing 20 minutes of the game with just 14 men.

James Haskell's trip on Gonzalo Canale was deliberate. He knew what he is doing. It was not big or clever, just arrogant.

The best players in rugby are the ones that hit hard, take the blows and then get up and continue. They don't deal in cheap shots.

It was the same with Shane Geraghty's tackle. Plain daft.

Lawrence Dallaglio recently has been critical of the England players' fitness and I do wonder whether they are maximising their potential. Are they as fit as they could be?

Let's be honest: in terms of quality, technique and entertainment, the England v Italy game was worlds apart from happened later in Dublin.

The Ireland v France game had everything: skill, execution, excellent lines of running, recognising mis-matches. What's more, you could see from the players' faces a real fear of losing. It had a real edge and was a hugely uplifting game to watch.

Sadly, at no point during the game at Twickenham did you expect the fans to get out of their seats and I doubt the Wales coaches will be especially worried ahead of the clash in Cardiff on Saturday.

The big problem for England at the moment is confidence. They can try whatever game plan they want, but if individuals are not doing their jobs properly then the game plan will not work.

At the moment, each England player does not know instinctively what his role is and that is going to take time to rectify.

Unfortunately, I cannot see a way out of their problems in the near future and with their next two games away to Wales and Ireland, I am afraid that things are going to get far worse before they get better.

• Email
• Share:
  • Delicious
  • Digg
  • Facebook
  • Stumbleupon
  • Reddit
  • Newsvine