REFLECTIONS ON THE SEASON AS IT COMES TOWARDS AN END
“The competition has probably never been like this before where there are six, seven, eight teams who can make top four. Every game seems to be a bit of a crunch game in regards where everyone is going to finish in the league. There have been some high-scoring games. It is becoming really hard to predict which is great for the competition. For us we have been in a position for a number of weeks now where all that we have had to focus on is just performing well and winning because for us to have any sort of chance we knew we had to on an unbeaten run. So it has been pretty simple and crystal-clear for us in terms of what we need to do. I have enjoyed it. It has been a challenging year due to the World Cup, playing a lot of rugby and going at it for a fair amount of time. But I feel good and am excited for the next few weeks.”
REASONS WHY THERE WAS A POOR RUN OF FORM IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEASON
“To put it simply we weren’t playing well enough. You lose a couple and then lose a bit of momentum and confidence. You chase your tail a little bit. I think that is what you have seen in the league this year. If you can put three or four wins together then you build that confidence and momentum. We definitely went through a patch where we lost that and we can only look at ourselves in terms of our preparation and ultimately the game we put out there on the field. If you are not near your best then other teams will beat you on their day. But we have managed to turn that tide a little bit in the last three to four games which has been positive but I believe there is a lot more in us in terms of our consistency in-game. I think there is an opportunity for us as a team to be a lot more consistent in the game and that comes by way of preparing more consistently by what we do in training and team meetings.”
REFLECTIONS ON SEASON WITH ENGLAND
“Obviously it was going to be different without Owen (Farrell). He has been a big part of the England team and he has been the captain for many years now. The key for us was not trying to make it the same as what it was when Owen was there because I don’t think anyone can replicate what Owen does day in, day out in terms of how he drives things. We had to lead in different ways, the leadership group had to step up in different ways which was fairly enjoyable. For us the Six Nations in terms of results and performances probably got stronger as the tournament went on. Even though we lost the last game the performance was still really good. I know everyone wants things immediately and question why things weren’t happening immediately but building a team and a way of playing does take a little bit of time.”
EXCITEMENT FOR THE RUN-IN
“When it comes to this end of the year and you are in the mix you get excited because you maybe have the opportunity to go and win something. So that as a player really invigorates you. You know when you are playing in these bigger games your leadership players are the one who are going to have to stand up, which brings the best out of you. You are coming to that stage where you are playing in do-or-die games which focuses your attention. It enthuses, excites me and gives me energy because of what is at stake. We are in that position now with two regular season games left. We understand that we are going to have win two. Bigger picture we don’t just want to scrape into the play-offs just to make it, we want to do it as part of a bigger picture to go and play well beyond that as well.
“There is a massive belief within us. We feel like we have gathered momentum and confidence. All our focus is on Friday night against Leicester because we understand that is another do-or-die for us.”
MANU’S DEPARTURE
“I am going to miss him massively. First of all I am going to talk about him off the field. He is an unbelievable lad, someone who is always giving energy, always smiling and happy, the first one to come and say good morning to you. He is just an unbelievable person to be around. And then you get the Manu on the field as well, especially in the last weeks as he has hit some great form. He has been really destructive in the way he has been playing. I don’t think anyone can replicate Manu in terms of who he is and what he brings to the game and how he can change the game in an instance, with or without the ball. He is so unassuming, team-first and quiet in the way he goes about it. All he is bothered about is being part of a winning team and doing his job for that, even though he has got all these x-factor individual moments. We are going to miss him greatly. I know him and his family are really excited to move onto the next challenge which he more than deserves for what he has given to English rugby over the years which has been pretty special. We are going to miss him but hopefully we have a few more weeks left with him.”
WAISEA NAYACALEVU’S ARRIVAL
“It is going to be exciting for us. What a player he is. I have experienced it first-hand playing against him a couple of times, how dangerous he is, how he can change the game. He has all the x-factor so it is going to be great for us hopefully. He is a bit different to Manu in terms of the way he plays but hopefully we can get the best out of him here and all the exciting things he brings in a Sale shirt.”
OTHER BITS
Proud of England’s Six Nations, with the new faces and changes
Spoke glowingly about Asher Opoku-Fordjour, quiet lad but goes about his business, has his feet on the ground, mentality of continuing to improve is exactly where it needs to be, backing him to achieve great things
The players worked on the attacking side of the game during the Six Nations, tidied up a few things, a change in mindset, a few technical things have been tweaked which has been effective