They are no longer England. England disappeared overnight. A subtle tonal and linguistic shift began to occur from the moment the final whistle blew at Stadium Australia, and the runes of Wednesday’s blockbuster World Cup semi-final began to take shape. At that point Sarina Wiegman’s team stopped being the familiar faces in the draw, the mother country, the cultural brethren. They are the Poms. And if you’re unclear on the difference then clearly you haven’t watched much international sport between the two countries. England is the place you go on holiday. The Poms are the guys whose noses you want to crush into the dirt.
“I’ll talk to my players and staff and see what the rivalry is,” Wiegman said on Saturday night, a comment that suggested the England coach is perhaps not overly familiar with cricket, rugby league, rugby union or netball. Even darts had its own little Ashes moment at the World Matchplay in Blackpool this summer when the Australian No 1, Damon Heta, strolled into the arena wearing the famous baggy green cricket cap and was immediately greeted with a spray of boos, jeers and songs of “same old Aussies, always cheating”.
