Two Englishmen out to nail Wales
Rowntree and Worsley lead Georgia
FOR Graham Rowntree and Joe Worsley, at last a World Cup in which they are the hunters and not the hunted.
The two Englishmen go into a pool stage match with an unfancied team against a higher power, but with hope of a shock result.
They have — between them — been at every World Cup since 1991. But this time it is different.
For Rowntree and Worsley are coaching Georgia in Japan and face Wales today as rank outsiders.
‘We do all we can against Wales and who knows?’ Rowntree tells Sportsmail sipping on an espresso in his team’s Nagoya hotel.
‘We’ve seen it in previous World Cups — the pressure on. I’ve been in that camp as a coach. Tier one v tier two.
‘I remember opening night in 2015 coaching England playing Fiji at home — you’re biting your nails, on the edge of your seat, playing a rampant Fiji team with nothing to lose. ‘I was not looking forward to coaching against an underdog team. There was unprecedented pressure at that World Cup — but as long as you learn from adversity, you keep going forward.’ Worsley ( left), who joined in June and will coach Georgia at this World Cup as a breakdown and defence specialist, cannot wait to get going.
‘I’m really excited,’ says the former Wasps flanker who was part of the triumphant 2003 England squad.
‘Each World Cup is a watershed moment for the game where things kick on. If you’re involved it’s awesome.
‘As a coach you always want more time, but it’ll be great to kick this thing off.’
Now that scrum coach Rowntree has props coming out of his rather impressive ears, he is excited to see his Georgians unleash hell on Wales.
‘ Watch out for the blokes with beards!’ he smiles. ‘ They chuck weights around — strong men. It’s the mindset. They’re from the same cut of cloth as me, put it that way. They love a prop. The French clubs have cupboards full of props from Georgia. You go round and the young Georgians are sat there... massive.
‘Wales are a physical team, look after the ball, have an excellent defence and won a Six Nations off the back of that.
‘Reading their comments on the physical challenge we’ll present is nice to hear. They’re not Grand Slam champions for nothing — and they’re good at World Cups.
‘I’m looking forward to imposing ourselves on the big stage.’