England will fly to Dublin on Friday intent on proving that their days as Six Nations nearly-men are finally over. Just one grand slam since 1995 is a desperately meagre return for a country with England’s sizeable resources and their captain, Chris Robshaw, acknowledges it is time for his side to start hoisting major trophies.
Robshaw and his team-mates have not forgotten the pain of watching Ireland claim the title on last season’s final day and are viewing Sunday’s game as a decisive test of their mettle before this autumn’s Rugby World Cup. “As a player you want to be judged on what you’ve won,” admitted the 28-year-old flanker, preparing to lead England for the 34th time. “It’s all well and good picking up caps and playing for your country but you want to win stuff. You want to be top of the pile come the end.”
Given Ireland are also looking to secure a record-equalling 10th successive Test victory and regain third spot in the world rankings, Sunday has the feel of a title eliminator and England are in no mood to finish second in the table for a fourth straight year. “I think both sides know what this game means,” confirmed Robshaw. “Both sides are fully aware there are two unbeaten teams, so if you come out on top you put yourself in a very good position.”
The contrasting emotions within the respective camps after last season’s dramatic Irish victory in Paris is also fuelling English desire. Robshaw still has particularly grim memories of last March when England players had to sit powerless in Rome as Ireland secured the title on points difference. “The worst bit was seeing something like that happen and then being photographed watching it,” recalled the Harlequins forward. “For the two extremes of the two camps to be portrayed across every paper was tough to take. We all had a beer together afterwards and said: ‘We are getting better but it’s one thing getting better, you’ve got to be picking up that silverware.’”
Hence their redoubled determination to engineer a different outcome this time, making Robshaw’s pre-match speech relatively simple. “I don’t think guys need much motivation for this game. It’s going to be built up, it’s going to be exciting. When you get to the moments before kick-off it’s the time the players love. It’s when everything’s been said in the media and all the training’s been done. You actually get to go out there and do what we guys love.
“Ultimately it’s about controlling your own emotions and making sure we look after what we can control. It’s going to be tense, there are going to be times when we can barely hear the guy two metres away. How do we get our best game out there and stick to our plan? That’s the most important bit: that we stay composed and cool when the momentum’s going against us. That’s what we did down in Wales. In terms of this England side’s development I think that’s something we’ve improved over the past year.”
The Cardiff result has also visibly boosted England’s self-belief away from home as they pursue a fifth straight victory over Ireland since 2011. That year England won the Six Nations title despite being hammered 24-8 in Dublin in their final fixture but their tight 12-6 victory at the Aviva Stadium two years ago ranks among Robshaw’s favourite days. “It tipped it down with rain and I remember Owen Farrell played extremely well. He put us in the right areas and defensively we were good. Even when we had someone in the sin-bin, our intensity was right up there with anything we’ve done.
“If you look at the games we’ve played against Ireland over the last two years they’ve all been pretty low-scoring. When you play them you’ve got to be so switched on. The intensity and the passion they bring is second to none and they’re an extraordinarily smart side.”
Whether or not there is a pre-match stand-off in the tunnel this time, however, Robshaw feels England are better prepared for the challenge than at any stage since he assumed his role in 2012. “I think we understand each other a lot better. The more you play with each other, the more experience you get and the better team you become. We all want to get the best out of each other because we all want to see this team really succeed.”
He also senses his squad increasingly have the ability to win games by different means. “I think that’s a sign of a good side. If you want to be a team that can beat teams around the world you need to be able to change your game because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses.”