It’s an odd time for England supporters. Under Stuart Lancaster, the team has now posted two Six Nations victories, but last year’s champions are not widely expected to challenge for the title this year.
Even when England weren’t performing under Robinson, Brian Ashton and Martin Johnson, they were still considered tough opponents. Much of the delight that Celtic opposition took from their victories over England in the years since that 2003 World Cup win derived from the fact that England supporters expected to win.
Scotland and Italy succumbed to defeats, but there was no doubting that they fancied their chances against this year’s vintage, and there’s a lingering sense that they both lost because they were too eager to press the advantage.
England supporters went into both games more in hope than expectation.
Scotland had greater reason for confidence because they had not lost to England at home since 2004. They could have come away winners if they had not squandered so many opportunities.
England have never lost to Italy, but last year’s victors over France went in 15-6 ahead at half time, which gave them an important edge in poor playing conditions. Greater Italian composure and the possibility of fraying English nerves might have produced a different result.
Next up is Wales. Many are forecasting the Welsh will claim the Triple Crown when they turn up at Twickenham the weekend after next. Not only is the backline looking sharp, the visitors should have two Lions props in the scrum, and a back row which will pose a lot of problems at the breakdown.
Wales are still struggling at the lineout, but former international Jonathan Davies spoke for many when he speculated that, for the first time in many years, the team will meet England with the belief they can dominate up front.
And yet it was less than 18 months ago that England ran out comfortable 35-18 winners at the same venue against Australia, a team that Wales failed to overcome in the third place World Cup play-off and the later fixture at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
Who were those English magicians who conjured the victory, raising English Cup hopes? Did they all retire after the failure in New Zealand?
It’s interesting to look at the team line-up and the replacements who came on. The BBC match report listed it as follows.
Foden, Ashton, Tindall (Armitage 62), Hape, Cueto, Flood (Hodgson 78), Youngs (Care 54), Sheridan (Wilson 67), Hartley (Thompson 70), Cole, Lawes, Palmer (Shaw 71), Croft, Moody, Easter (Fourie 78).
From the starting XV, only Moody and two late replacements (Shaw and Thompson) have retired. All the others are still playing, aside from injuries, form and disciplinary bans.
England fans have admired their team’s ability to fight for their two recent victories – incidentally, the first back-to-back Six Nations away wins in a long time – but there’s been little to celebrate about the standard of play.
“Charge-down Charlie” Hodgson is the team’s leading try scorer, with the back line posing few attacking threats to date.
So England are going in as underdogs, with the reputation of being more like a jobbing Premiership team than potential tournament winners.
And that’s what makes it all feel so odd. Certainly, Sheridan and Moody will be missing from the pack that helped claim that Twickenham win over Australia but, by and large, the same personnel are available and all other differences will be Lancaster’s selection choices.
Nevertheless, England’s forward aura is diminished. In the back line, no-one is crying out for the recall of Cueto, Tindall, or Hape, but few anticipate exciting play from the new line-up.
Dean Ryan, a former international and Premiership coach himself, noted that Martin Johnson would have been excoriated if his England team had played as this new squad has done in its first two matches. Lancaster has been given a pass because he is new, the combinations are new, and quite frankly, expectations are about as low as they have ever been.
If you chose a British and Lions starting XV today, it would have a Welsh and Irish core, just as in South Africa, and many commentators would currently rate a number of Scottish players as a better chance of selection than their English counterparts.
This backdrop seems to me to be the only possible advantage for England going in to their next match. Wales have not written England off, but they do expect rather than hope to win. If England can just remember that it wasn’t so long ago they had the same outlook, it might translate into the kind of form and confidence which currently eludes them.
If they find enough to sow some seeds of doubt in opposition minds at Twickenham, then a shake-up of expectations will be a possibility.
