The future will be a gold dust of what happened Saturday to England and Ireland.
Everybody is focused on team spirit, regardless of whether they are involved in sport, school, business or any other type of team.
Sometimes, it is necessary to go beyond the limits and toss the rules book aside. It is important to look at each other and realize that the only people who will win a game are the players on the pitch. You have to climb the mountain together, not just the coaches.
England sent Charlie Ewels off for a high tackle.
I was impressed by the bounceback from England.
They’re great at the gym, have amazing skills, and are very fit. But there is something special about being able take yourself to places you didn’t know you could go.
These scenarios are necessary if you want win the World Cup or big championships.
Looking back at the defeat of England against South Africa in 2019 World Cup final, Kyle Sinckler was injured early. South Africa scored two penalties.
England was in serious trouble when they lost their referee and lost their momentum. They were losing their bearings.
England’s reaction to Ireland was quite different. They settled for a simple, straightforward gameplan. They had a great kick-chase, a great defence and were just trying to figure out what they could do.
They were obviously a man down against top-quality opponents and ran out of steam. But they were there for 70 minutes so that mentality change will be a boon.
“England should keep their feet on the ground all week.”
Let’s just hope that England’s coaching team can make the most of this opportunity.
It may show the coaches that they are capable of directing the team and playing the way they want to on any given day.
England’s defeat means that England is out of title race. But Eddie Jones’ side could beat Grand Slam-chasing France Ireland and claim the trophy.
France is a formidable opponent for England and England should prepare for it by being open-minded throughout the week.
They will need to be fully rehabbed, relaxed, and given a few walkthrough sessions. They must be able to summon all their energy to defeat France.
They were clearly gone by the time the Ireland game ended. This was not surprising considering the amount of mental energy and physical effort they put into the game.
They would not perform well at the weekend if they were to take on any training this week.
England could still place fifth in the tournament. If they do, it might be used by the media to suggest England is heading for failure.
Jones, the head coach, will tell you that it’s all about getting ready for the World Cup.
I can’t remember if I won a Grand Slam when I was playing but I do know that I won it.
You are always living in the moment when you play. You want to win and lose games so you can move on to next game. While the media will be curious about positions, players won’t be.
‘England have everything to lose’
France has played an amazing tournament, but England is my favorite team.
The England side can get a bit too rigid about the outcomes. It’s hard to play for England, there’s a lot of expectation and pressure.
They don’t have any expectations. They showed against Ireland that they can set up and kick well. Then there’s the bonus of team spirit.
France will score tries. You know that if they score three tries you will need to score four. It could be that England needs a little French flair to achieve that.
They have a never-say-die mentality and show incredible grit. They probably thought after the Ireland game that it was not something they could do, but now they are able to produce it again.
France can’t ignore the fact that they want to win a Grand Slam and a title for the first time since 2010.
England should be discussing this topic in their meeting this week. Imagine France in France’s shoes. After a decade of doing nothing, everyone is now claiming that they are the best team on the planet.
They seemed a little nervous. against Wales.They proved against Ireland that, even though their style of rugby is great, they can still get disrupted and play like any other team.
England will have opportunities against France, and they can take them, if they show up in Paris with the same mindset as they did against Ireland.
Matt Dawson spoke with Becky Grey of BBC Sport.
