England under pressure, Eagles will fly free: US coach Gold
Cole ready for prop Ainuu in their Pool C match
KOBE, Japan, Sept 25, (RTRS): Even the most optimistic US rugby fan would struggle to sound upbeat about their chances of beating England at the World Cup on Thursday but Eagles coach Gary Gold says that being severe underdogs will allow his team to perform without pressure.
Cape Town native Gold, who took the helm at USA rugby in 2018, is under no illusions about the size of the task facing his team in Kobe and said he hoped his players would emerge from the game with credibility.
While Eddie Jones has made 10 changes to the side that beat Tonga in their Pool C opener, Gold said it made no difference to him who the England coach selected. He was simply replacing one quality player with another.
“It didn’t really bother me who they did and didn’t pick because it’s coming in waves,” he told a media conference on Wednesday.
“If it wasn’t the team that played against Tonga, which was monstrously physical and powerful, then it’s the team that they’ve picked at the moment, which is going to be very, very fast.
“I genuinely don’t think there are any glaring weaknesses in this England team.”
That is not to say Gold harbours no hope of a stunning upset similar to the defeat Japan inflicted on South Africa four years ago. England will have to cope with the pressure of being expected to win, and win well.
“We pretty much don’t have anything to lose ... the expectations are quite low, nobody gives us a chance, and conversely that puts pressure on a team like England,” he said.
“When you are playing a team that on paper is supposed to be weaker than you it will go through their minds – What if?”
Things do not get much easier for the United States after they play England, with three-times runners-up France next up followed by 2015 semifinalists Argentina before they round out their group against Tonga. Gold was excited by the challenge. “For as long as I can remember the tier-two teams have been moaning and crying for more opportunities to play tier-one teams, so when we’re drawn in a pool like this we see it as an exciting opportunity,” he added.
“We don’t see it necessarily as a daunting task. It’s going to be a very difficult task but it’s one we’ve been preparing for for a very long time.
“If we stick to what we have been planning to do and we work really hard for 100 percent of the time then you never know, the scoreboard in one of those games might be in our favour.”
England’s front row will give due respect to 19-year-old US prop David Ainuu in their Pool C match in Kobe on Thursday but scrum coach Neal Hatley predicts it will be a “baptism of fire” for the Toulouse loosehead when he faces Dan Cole.
Cole worked hard on his game to get back in the squad after being dropped last year and the 32-year-old will earn his 91st cap in England’s second match of the tournament, tying Jonny Wilkinson for third on their all-time appearances list.
Despite the experience gap, Hatley says US coach Gary Gold had good reason to select Ainuu, who will win just his ninth cap on Thursday.
“He wouldn’t have put him in if he didn’t think he was capable,” he told a news conference on Wednesday. “He played against Japan and he did a really good job there. So he’ll get the respect he deserves as a starting international loosehead.
“Some of the players are getting younger and younger and it’s a great baptism of fire for him.
“Dan relishes all scrum battles, he’ll be looking forward to it.”
The standard of refereeing in Japan has been the subject of much debate, with World Rugby issuing a statement on Tuesday conceding that the officiating over the first weekend of the World Cup was not up to scratch.
But Hatley said he had no reason to complain about the officiating so far and said the referee in their 35-3 win over Tonga on Sunday was consistent.
“We had Paul Williams first game, he came in and told us what he was going to deliver and did exactly that,” said Hatley.
“He did exactly what he said he was going to do so we can’t ask for more than that.”
The improved showing of the tier-two nations has been a feature of the World Cup so far but while Japan’s stunning victory over the Springboks in 2015 shook the rugby world to its core, Hatley said England had no reason to factor shocks like that into their preparation.
“I think you’ve seen how hard some of the tier-two nations have worked, how impressive they’ve been,” he added. “What happened with Japan and South Africa holds no relevance to us.
“This is about us, the next step, game two of our World Cup pool. We haven’t looked at anything other than America, preparing for them, and what we’re doing.”