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England Rugby’s Red Roses have a problem: nobody looks remotely close to beating them in Europe at the moment.
But this was the case ahead of the previous two World Cups and, in both instances, England lost in the final.
This year, however, there’s no room for error, with the final set to be staged in front of 80,000 fans at their home: Allianz Stadium in Twickenham.
It begs the question as to whether a loss this weekend against France in the Six Nations Grand Slam decider is in fact exactly what the Red Roses need.
Red Roses ease
The players and their coach John Mitchell will argue otherwise, but England look comfortable and have barely had to fight tooth and nail for an entire 80 minutes.
Amazingly they scored their fewest points against Italy in their championship opener, but a look beneath the bonnet shows a heavily rotated Red Roses squad.
They racked up 38 points against Le Azzurre, 67 against Wales, 49 against Ireland and 59 versus the Scots. And only against Wales did they concede more than seven points – two tries at the Principality Stadium.
It points to an utterly dominant England, a side who should waltz to the World Cup later this year.
But France can be a nuisance, despite not being on their usual brutish pre-England tour around Europe.
Red Roses worries
It hasn’t turned me away from the tournament, far from it, but it does make me slightly nervous about what will happen in the World Cup and that is why this weekend’s fight against France is crucial.
It is the last time England will play in this stadium until a potential World Cup medal match – their pool matches later this year are in Sunderland, Northampton and Brighton – and the small comforts of being used to Twickenham’s quirks can make all of the difference come a potential final.
But beyond that Le Crunch this weekend gives England a chance to demonstrate how far they’ve come. In this fixture two years ago the Red Roses raced to a 33-0 half-time lead before being pegged back by Les Bleus. England would go on to win the match 38-33.
The point is this: England are so dominant that only blowing France out of the water – by some margin – will give me solace in their preparation for this year’s Rugby World Cup.
I love the development arc this England side have been on since Mitchell’s arrival, and the quality of the domestic league has ensured there is depth for the Red Roses like never before.
With that in mind they should be showing their might on the global stage. Because the other side of the coin is replicating the men’s side in 2015 – choking at a home World Cup because the pressure was insufferable.
Racing home
It was sad to hear murmurs that Top 14 giants Racing 92 could be leaving their iconic indoor Parisian stadium just a few years after moving in.
It is a modern marvel of world rugby but I can understand why the side would want to return to the outdoor pitch at Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, which is more like the pitches they’d play on away from home.
On a side note, the Stade Olympique harbours fond memories for me. It’s where I scored a sneaky try after a penalty kick hit the post and landed into my paws.
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Playing away
Having only caught a couple of minutes of the Saracens demolition of Gloucester at the weekend, I have to say I thought the away ends were great.
Done better with time, they could be a brilliant way to get groups together to watch a game.
Chants of “You’re just a shit Owen Farrell,” aimed at Saracens No10 Fergus Burke, were a super example of friendly jibing that should be encouraged – especially when the player has the last laugh!
Former England Sevens captain Ollie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance. Follow Ollie @OlliePhillips11
