A MAN stopped me in the street this week and shared his thoughts on how England fared at the Six Nations. He said that while the second-place finish was ultimately the same as 12 months ago, the fact that we went so close to the title and won the last match made a huge difference.
I agree. The tournament was a big success for us and some of the performances were really good, such as in beating Wales, after their final-game win over us last year, and defeating Ireland, who were playing so well they went on to lift the trophy.
For me personally, it was disappointing to be involved in the first four games and then left out at the end. Stuart Lancaster explained that there wasn’t much he could do. The coach has decisions to make; I just have to come back stronger and make those choices even more difficult for him.
It was tough when I found out during the week, but by the time the game came around I was just hoping we could pip Ireland. As their match against France went on I started to think we might do it. In the end we were pipped but the championship still represented progress.
My best chance of getting back in the England team is to hit the ground running now I’m back at Saracens. I felt I was in the best form of my life before the Six Nations, so I’m looking to get back to that level, starting tomorrow against Harlequins.
WEMBLEY MEMORIES
A few people have pointed out that a win for us could really damage their hopes of making the play-offs. We’re only concentrating on our own performance, though. We’ve got a full squad again and are keen to hit form ahead of some more big games in the next few weeks.
Suddenly there aren’t that many games left this season, so we need to start this period well and go from there. We’ll want to make tweaks along the way but 8-12 matches, including fixtures against Northampton and Ulster, doesn’t allow for too many changes.
Playing at Wembley is always exciting. It has great facilities and a great atmosphere, and there should be more than 80,000 in the crowd.
As an Englishman Wembley also holds many memories for me: from watching the FA Cup final every year to when the England rugby team played there during the 1990s. Now I have my own memories of playing there. Yes it’s a big pitch, which is tough, but I’ve loved it every time.
Alex Goode plays for Saracens and England. Saracens face Harlequins at Wembley Stadium tomorrow. For tickets see saracens.com or call 0844 847 1876.
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Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25121033
Rugby Comment: Man in street right about England progress
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