by One day Italy will beat England in rugby. Admittedly, it has been more than a decade since the Azzurri finished within a score of their opponents but, as Steve Borthwick knows from experience, the possibility cannot be completely ruled out. When he captained England at the old Stadio Flaminio in 2008 and 2010, the margins were tight by four and five points respectively.
All involved with the England squad at the moment, however, are focused on looking forward rather than backwards. The World Cup is gone, the last few Six Nations championships are fading into history and there is a slightly different feeling in the clear, bright air of Rome. Could it be that England will finally look to play more proactive rugby and let the handbrake off the faster wagon?
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It’s clear that the necessary balance needs to be struck – not only does the fast ruck ball magically appear, vibrant defense is also fundamental – but listening to Jamie George, England’s most exciting new captain, there’s no doubt but that there is a new attitude in the dressing room. George is a huge cricket fan and, despite the second Test scorecard in India, wants the reshuffled England team to adopt a fresh guard and show more positive intent.
Because, while ‘George-ball’ may be overstating it, it is widely accepted that the ultra-conservative approach of last year needs to be upgraded. The mental shackles have also been loosened and, hopefully, England’s young players will be pushed rather than stifled. “I’m a cricket fan, so why wouldn’t I be inspired by what Ben Stokes is doing with the England cricket team?” asked George, rhetorically. “You look at the impact he has on young players, allowing them to go out and perform the way they do, creating an environment to allow that. That’s exactly the model we want.”
Had Marcus Smith not suffered the most untimely of calf injuries or if Borthwick and his lieutenants had preferred Fin Smith to start at half-back instead of George Ford, the message of renewed intent would have been even clearer. With five uncapped players on the 23, however, George is hopeful England supporters will enjoy the Italian dish they are served, without losing sight of the rawer ingredients. “A lot of questions have been asked about our attack and how we’re going to entertain them but, for me, every successful English team is based on a strong set piece and a tough attacking defence. Do we have the right people to do that? We want to go after them, we want to be very physical. Whenever you win against Italy, you have a dominant scrum and a dominant charge.”
The best laid plans must, of course, survive the first encounter with a motivated enemy. The Italians are not as bad as their World Cup win suggested; they were only guilty of an oval ball version of hara-kiri which they delivered one in the flag of the All Blacks and France. Now under the more restrained management of Gonzalo Quesada and talented centre-back Tommaso Menoncello, George is not naive enough to predict a warm reception. “We expect them to come out all guns blazing, with smoke coming out of their ears, and a huge amount of emotion.”
Either way, it will be an admirable day for Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Ethan Roots, Chandler Cunningham-South and the aforementioned Manny Feyi-Waboso, all hoping to make an immediate impact. The 24-year-old Dingwall has already planned the opening song – Islands in the Stream, if you’re wondering – but the second place Dolly Parton buys inside is big boots Manu Tuilagi to fill in the middle. Although the Northampton man is a smaller breed of 12, he believes there are other ways to work. “I’m not going to be a huge member carrying 12 like Manu. I think it’s more about creating balance in the midfield as a whole and how centers can complement each other.”
Roots, likewise, will be called upon to provide the hard, grafting edge that allows Sam Underhill and Ben Earl to focus in other areas, with Cunningham-South on hand to provide more second-half dynamism. It will also be interesting to see if Feyi-Waboso’s athleticism and three-touch power can be immediately transferred to the Test field less than 12 months after his National League One debut for Taunton Titans.
George, however, is looking forward to what he admits will be a personally emotional occasion. Above and beyond moist eyes during the songs, however, his priority for England is to aim a little higher. “We’re not saying it’s okay to go out there and make a lot of mistakes and make the same mistakes over and over again, but it’s okay not to be perfect. What we need is to have the courage and the courage to accept people.” To shake off the shackles of the past, in other words, and accelerate towards a better future for players and fans of the English language.
