Chris Robshaw's Six Nations column: Calcutta Cup is England's must-win game
Former England Rugby captain Chris Robshaw gives his thoughts on England’s win against France in Round 2 of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, while looking ahead to Saturday’s Calcutta Cup fixture.
In my last column I spoke about how England could beat France as long as they stayed in the fight late into the game. While they got a little lucky with France wasting some opportunities, the team kept going and got on the right side of the result.
Until recently, the team got very close to these wins and couldn’t quite claim them, but once they get one over the line everything seems possible.
Even after 77 minutes when France scored, most people would have thought ‘that’s it’ and in the past, I think heads may have dropped a bit. Instead, we saw a team full of composure that saw out a very tight game.
To a man, everyone who played for England was brilliant and was an 8, 9 or even 10 out of 10. They were fantastic.
Momentum is a funny thing in sport and once you have it, it can do wonders for you. You look at social media, the buzz around Allianz Stadium and among the fans. Things can change quite quickly and all of a sudden you can find yourself on a run of form.
That being said, I’m sure England didn’t get too carried away when they were losing by a point or two, but they also need to not go too far the other way. Scotland are a dangerous side and when they come to town, they can be hard to beat, so it will take another big performance.
Last weekend was fallow week and, as much as we all want to see games, it’s important that the players take time to switch off a bit, especially having spent the last few weeks in a camp environment, which can sometimes be quite tense.
When the players come back, you want everyone to feel completely fresh and to know they’ve had that mental switch-off, whether that be family time, team activities or getting their body right.
I remember staying in London once and we went to the Crystal Maze experience, which was amazing. I grew up watching it as a kid so to have a run around and do it as a team was so much fun. That sort of thing, where everyone can get involved, is a good way for the players to unwind and switch off a little.
The Calcutta Cup is brilliant and I know this is the game the players want the most, it’s their must-win game. A lot of this group have never touched the trophy, so it’s going to be a special occasion.
When I was playing, the rivalry wasn’t quite the same as it is now, because we had a good run of retaining the Cup. For us, it was the Welsh who were a real formidable side, but the current team haven’t been able to get the trophy back for a few years.
Add that to the context of the Six Nations Championship as a whole – both sides have to win if they want to stay in with a chance of winning the tournament – it’s a massive game.
If you lose two games in this tournament you will probably come third, or even fourth, because everyone is so well matched and that’s what makes it such a hard competition to win.
Being back at Allianz Stadium is also a massive opportunity for England. They will have a spring in their step going into the game having beaten France and the crowd will also be confident and excited.
I’d quite like Fin Smith and Marcus Smith to continue at fly half and full back, it gives England such an advantage to have two ball-players of that ability on the pitch.
As a defender it’s really hard to defend because they can hit you in so many ways; you can’t come up too hard or overload one side because one of them or both of them will identify the space. They’re both very sharp of mind and composed so I would love to see them continue that partnership.
England will need to be wary of the Scots and Duhan van der Merwe in particular. Finn Russell is an obvious danger, but van der Merwe has been a real thorn in the team’s side recently, with six tries in four games against England.
He is such a big guy and so powerful when he carries; some of the tries he has scored have been wonder tries and he’ll be keen to add to his tally.
Van der Merwe’s back three partner, Blair Kinghorn is another to look out for, having developed massively since making the switch to Toulouse. He’s excellent under the high ball, but also poses an attacking threat both in terms of running and his ability to create space for others.
Another player that stands out to me is Jack Dempsey at No.8. I’m really looking forward to seeing how him and Jack Willis come up against each other as they are both very abrasive players who enjoy a big carry.
This England v Scotland game is going to be huge for both sides and England will be desperate to get their hands back on the Calcutta Cup, so I’m sure it will be a fantastic spectacle.
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