Ever since they were beaten 30-3 in Cardiff two years ago England have been keen to re-enter the dragon’s den. All those who featured at the Millennium Stadium in 2013 need no extra motivation and even non-participants such as Dave Attwood are hungry for redemption on Friday.
“It’s not going to be a case of trying to weather the Welsh storm,” mutters the big Bath forward. “We will go there with our own intensity.”
It will not be straightforward but England feel more streetwise these days. The lights, the crowd, the occasion: the visitors insist they will be ready for all of it this time, with or without the use of loudspeakers at training this week to replicate the Millennium noise levels. “If you get dazzled by the starlight you get nowhere,” says Attwood flatly. “Since that game two years ago there’s been an emphasis on being calmer under pressure and making better decisions. Some people will look at Friday in an intimidating light but it’s like playing against Richie McCaw and the All Blacks. You have to treat them as normal blokes who play rugby the same as you. Then it becomes more of a level playing field.”
Attwood, who will be calling England’s lineouts, has never played at the Millennium but has learned over the years how to stop “the starlight” from becoming too bright. A heavy European defeat for Bath against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium is a particular reference point. “I remember looking at their lineup and thinking: ‘Wow, this is awesome.’ The lights in the Aviva Stadium, so many fans, all that noise. Then it was: ‘Oh, we’re playing rugby as well.’ Then it was ‘Oh, we’ve lost by 50 points.’ That other stuff is wonderful for creating memories but the best memory is if you win the game.”
Having grown up in north Bristol, the 27-year-old also needs no lecturing on the tribal nature of Anglo-Welsh rivalry. He firmly disagrees that English fans somehow care less about beating Wales than vice versa. “Sometimes it comes across that English fans are a bit more blasé than the Welsh when it comes to supporting the national team but I think that balance has been redressed in recent years. I certainly know English fans who are as passionate as any Welsh fans I’ve ever met. Given the profile of rugby in England this year there is even more buzz amongst the fans. That’s only going to do good things for us.”
The other key element, he feels, is staying calm in the long hours before the Cardiff showdown. “I know some guys get a live feed off the emotional buzz when you’re on the bus to the stadium and people are shouting, throwing things and getting really lairy in the street. Obviously it’s incredibly loud and passionate and every Welsh person you speak to for 30 years will talk about the outcome. But in terms of preparing yourself to play rugby it’s not something I find particularly useful.”
Instead he prefers to seek inspiration from within; few players anywhere are better at articulating the thrill of representing their country. “When you run out there’s this wall of noise. As the flames go off the air is still hazy and it looks like you can see the noise. It’s the most unbelievable feeling. Even thinking about it now I’ve got little tingles on my arms. Every time you play for England is a chance to make history. It’s just such an exciting thing. You get that buzz every single time.”
The hosts will be feeling something similar; the difference is that Wales do not have England’s current injury problems. With the tighthead prop David Wilson nursing a neck problem, Stuart Lancaster is set to be without yet another key man to add to the dozen players already unavailable.
On the flip side the situation offers starts to Jonathan Joseph, James Haskell, George Kruis and, potentially, Kieran Brookes. Attwood, as a consequence, still reckons England can rise from the treatment table and enjoy a good Six Nations. “When a guy comes in he comes in with such hunger and enthusiasm he drags the team with him.”
There is also the minor matter of this autumn’s World Cup. If ever there was a moment for an English rugby player to make himself undroppable, now is it. Attwood, though, does not believe Friday’s winners will necessarily have an edge when the teams meet in their crucial World Cup pool fixture. “There may be an element of psychological advantage but I think it will be fairly weak in terms of making real comparisons about what is to come. We’ll focus on winning the Six Nations and maybe look back at this match when we get to the World Cup. We can’t even begin to draw those comparisons now.”
England, in short, will be drawing more inspiration from the past than the future. “I wasn’t involved two years ago but I know from the analysis we’ve done that there was an element of being caught unawares,” says Attwood. “A couple of things didn’t go our way and we didn’t respond terribly well.”
That painful lesson has been absorbed as England await their Cardiff retake. “We may be fresh-faced in comparison to plenty of their guys but we’ll find a way to do what we need to do,” said Attwood. “It’s going to be a challenge but it’s one we’re extremely keen to meet.”