Few understand the highs and lows of playing for England better than Chris Robshaw. Even now, after his retirement from the professional game at the age of 36, he still wonders aloud if everyone fully appreciates what it takes to represent your country. “People don’t realise how hard it is to be consistently at the top and to stay at the top,” he says, as the rain hammers down outside his London window.
If Eddie Jones and his England squad think they’ve had it tough from fans and media after recent poor results during the Autumn Nations Series, they should have been in Robshaw’s boots in 2015 when his team failed to make it past the pool stages at their home World Cup. “It’s the scars I wear, mate,” says Robshaw with a sigh. “It was the epitome of the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. To lead your country out at a home World Cup … and then a couple of weeks later you’re knocked out.”
