Lawrence Dallaglio has called on England to restore “pride and credibility in the shirt” in Saturday’s daunting Six Nations clash in Dublin.
England face world No1-ranked Ireland, who are bidding for a second Grand Slam in five years and are at the height of their powers. Steve Borthwick’s men slumped to a record home defeat last weekend, with a seven-try 53-10 loss to France — and now World Cup-winning No8 Dallaglio has urged England to claw back their reputations at the Aviva Stadium.
“They’ve got to restore some credibility and some pride, collectively and individually as well,” said Dallaglio, the host of the Evening Standard’s rugby podcast.
“You expect a response, because they are all elite sportspeople and they are very proud of what they do. I’ve been in that position, and there’s a lot of soul-searching that goes on. You demand a reaction from yourself and your team-mates. England were dismantled up front last week, and they have to respond.”
After the humiliation of last weekend, England have another mountain to climb in the shape of rampant Ireland. Andy Farrell’s men are on for a first Grand Slam in Dublin, to add to the 1948 clean sweep completed in Belfast and two on the road, in 2009 and 2018.
“It’s a very painful lesson to take on board, but I lost some games in the England shirt and sometimes you can learn more in defeat than in any other situation,” added Dallaglio.
“You can put Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell, Dan Carter at fly-half, if your forwards get smashed to pieces, it doesn’t matter who’s playing fly-half. They were destroyed up front, to the point where they now have to address it individually and as a group.
“The game is very technical, very tactical, but it’s also about head and heart. That’s the area England need to address, marrying up the two.
“You’ve got to combine the head and the heart, come together, and make sure you produce something that you as players, the staff and supporters can be proud of. I don’t think people would necessarily have backed them to beat France, but it’s about producing a level that everyone can look at and respect.”
Dallaglio helped drive England to the 2003 World Cup crown, and insisted that was a triumph built on unshakeable belief. “It’s all about doing your job, and all these players know what that means,” he said. “The most important thing about winning is believing you can win.”
