âThe mindset is that this is Twickenham, this is our home ground, we are going
to control what happens here today,â said hooker Dylan Hartley, at the
centre of a newly constituted front row and one of four changes in the
starting XV with Danny Care coming on to the bench for the injured Ben
Youngs on Friday.
âI donât think it is pressure, I think it is excitement. We have turned a
corner in that regard. That negative feeling of pressure is not like it used
to be. We thrive on being here. The changing rooms are fantastic. The wall
is in your face, it is bright, white and shiny.
“When you look closely the history is there. There is decade after decade of
who played that year and their Test cap number. My name is on there and you
look right back to the start and the first-ever England players and they are
on there. You have your peg with your name and there is a list of the other
great hookers to have played there.
âIt makes you connect with the shirt and makes you realise you are not just
playing a game of rugby, that you are part of something. It brings you
tighter as a group and you get an emotional connection with the players
around you.â
Shuttle run: Dylan Hartley (bottom right) leads the way as England’s
players train at Twickenham
The England project is well under way, with eight wins in the last nine games,
five of them at Twickenham, their best return there since the glory days of
2003. So many coaches duck questions about setting targets, hiding behind
the virtue of performance. Head coach Stuart Lancaster has changed tack,
revealing that he wants his side to be ranked second in the world by the end
of the season. That target is beyond them this weekend although an England
win (over a side ranked 10th, thereby carrying fewer ranking points), and a
Wales victory over second-placed South Africa, could mean they tilt for that
coveted spot against market leaders New Zealand next week.
âTo make second we have to keep making progress,â said Lancaster. âThat is why
Argentina is a game we must win. Weâre actually close to achieving it ahead
of schedule. I like to set outcome goals as well as performance goals.
Anything you can use to give the players an extra sense of motivation and
reason why the next game is important, you use it.â
Lancaster is aware of the perils of getting ahead of himself. However, he also
recognises the importance of England sending out a signal to the rest of the
world a couple of years out from a home World Cup. Argentina may have
toppled down the rankings from their high point of 2007 when they were
third, but much of that is a factor of playing, and losing, against the best
sides in the world in the Rugby Championship.
They arrive here battle-hardened, albeit fatigued, and without two key men in
back-row forward Juan MartÃn Fernández Lobbe and full-back Juan MartÃn
Hernández. They have also lost tighthead Juan Figallo, less celebrated than
the other pair, but one who has no less of an impact. Argentina can cover
his loss, though, and will test Englandâs resolve at the scrummage. Prop
Marcos Ayerza, lock Patricio Albacete and No8 Juan MartÃn Leguizamón are
world-class operators while new-boy flanker Pablo Matera, recently arrived
at Leicester, is a diamond.
England, though, have strength in depth. The promoted front row are willing
and able, looking to keep the opposition quiet and rivals for their own
places at bay. The England bench is loaded with experience, five Lions
itching to get on. There is plenty at stake. Englandâs attack needs to be
sharper and Billy Twelvetrees, after a disappointing performance against
Australia, has to show that he is the man for the No12 shirt.
âBilly is a strong character and we expect a bounce-back,â said skills coach
Mike Catt. âHe has to learn to be patient and not rush to make amends for
everything.â
Argentina come in search of restoring morale after a string of defeats. They
will be feisty and hard-nosed. They will pose problems but if England are to
enhance their credibility they have to be dispatched, and with conviction.
They look equipped to do just that.
Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24865350
England v Argentina: Twickenham"s great history will give players inspiration ...
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