The unspoken message before the Calcutta Cup is that the Six Nations title holders must harden up mentally, crank up the intensity and bristle a little more
What should have been a serene week of Calcutta Cup preparation for England is proving to be the opposite. Even the beautiful spring weather in Bagshot could not distract from the untimely training ground knock suffered by Owen Farrell, nor a strange, prickly press conference grudgingly given by Eddie Jones. Any undercover Scottish visitors would have gone away feeling faintly encouraged.
Farrell is expected to be fine but, either way, England are currently in slightly edgy mode. That is almost certainly Jones’s deliberate objective: to jolt his players out of any complacency and encourage them to assume more responsibility rather than hiding behind their head coach’s extensive collection of bon mots. Before each of his side’s three matches so far he has talked a good game, only to find himself relying on the last-quarter impact of his bench players and the squad’s collective fitness. The unspoken message this week, accordingly, is that England cannot bank on retaining their title unless they harden up mentally, crank up the intensity and bristle a little more.
Related: Owen Farrell set to face Scotland in Six Nations despite injury scare
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