Rugby star Vickery hails state of play
THE upcoming Six Nations rugby competition is going to be fabulous as players battle for a place on the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.
That was the prediction from former England captain Phil Vickery, speaking at the 27th Midlands Sportsman’s Luncheon organised by Birmingham-based corporate hospitality specialists Eventmasters.
The competition, which begins with England v France at Twickenham on February 4, was always difficult to call, declared the former player who won 73 caps for his country between 1998 and 2010.
Grand Slam winners England were strong, so were Ireland, the French were showing signs of stirring, while Scotland had come close without getting the results.
“The Celtic nations always perform brilliantly in a Lions year,” he cautioned.
Vickery was a member of the Lions squad during the 2001 tour to Australia and the 2009 tour to South Africa. He is also a World Cup winner being part of the 2003 England team and captained England in the 2007 World Cup Final.
He said: “Northern hemisphere rugby is on an upward curve.
“England have been brilliant. After the World Cup, it was all doom and gloom. But Eddie Jones has come in and England have been Grand Slam winners, we won 3-0 in the Australian Test series, and there were victories over Argentina, South Africa, Fiji, and Australia again in the autumn internationals. English rugby is in a fantastic place.”
Replacing Dylan Hartley as guest speaker after the England captain stood down following his red card and ban, Vickery was cautious about how the Lions might fare. He said: “We are capable of winning – we have the players and the coaches. Can we win? Yes we can. Are we going to win? I just don’t know. The thing about New Zealand is that they perform at a higher level for longer periods of time. It will take a monumental effort to beat them. The Lions can certainly expect a difficult time.”