The players from England are neither psychologically or physically prepared for international rugby. “At the beginning of this series, you looked at the condition of the players and it wasn’t quite where it needed to be for Test-match rugby, for teams stepping straight into Test-match rugby,” Borthwick said to reporters following South Africa’s five-game losing streak against England.
The head coach of England claimed that his squad had faced “very good teams that have come off the back of the Rugby Championship, so they are Test-match hardened” in their matches against Australia, New Zealand, and the Springboks.
France and the All Blacks were playing a contest that would end up being a thriller in Paris at the same time that Borthwick was speaking to reporters in the basement of Twickenham.
After defeating a 17-10 halftime disadvantage, France prevailed 30-29, disproving Borthwick’s “Test-match hardened” argument. This was the regulars’ first appearance since the Six Nations, since French coach Fabien Galthie sent a second-string team to Argentina for their summer tour.
The league in which they compete, rather than the players themselves, is the key to fitness. To put it plainly, the Gallagher Premiership is a light tournament that does not adequately prepare its players for rugby in Test matches.
I previously wrote about the injuries that accumulate over the season and the toughness of the Top 14. The benefit is a level of intensity that mimics the demands of rugby in Test matches. A player becomes battle-hardened for the international arena after a few Top 14 rounds. News The Daily Rugby
Henry Arundell an English winger for Racing 92, contrasted and compared the Premiership with the Top 14 in an interview from the previous season: “You compete against the best players in the world every weekend in the Top 14,” he stated. “The stadiums are packed wherever you go, and the energy is insane. The Top 14 is the competition that most closely resembles that level, in my view, having played a few international matches.
Zach Mercer, who had the finest rugby of his career during his two seasons with Montpellier, described the physical challenge as “always huge in the Top 14,” while Kyle Sinckler made a similar statement following a few games at Toulon this season.
Courtney Lawes, who traded for Brive in the summer from Northampton, claims that even the ProD2 can rival the Premiership in toughness. He previously stated, “There aren’t many differences between the two championships from a physical point of view.” In comparison, the Premiership lacks energy, mood, and aggressiveness. It can no longer serve as a link between club rugby and rugby played in Test matches.
Clive Woodward was unapologetically critical of England’s gloomy fall in his Sunday piece for the Mail. “Under pressure, England made poor decisions once more,” Woodward wrote. England was on the losing side of the narrow margins once more. It’s starting to appear often. That’s now five straight games.
The rot began almost four years ago when the RFU eliminated promotion and relegation, ring-fencing the Premiership and making many games pointless in the process. Even in the spring, teams are competing hard to finish in the top six and earn a spot in the playoffs, or to stay out of the bottom two. There are very few games in the Top 14 when there isn’t anything at risk. Complacency is killed by competition.
