McLean backs wounded Italy to bounce back from horror start

Experienced centre tells why he believes struggling side can still spring a surprise

on emphasising the fact that we are good players and if we do play well then we will be very competitive. The two inches up top are sometimes more important than the rest of the body.”

Not that he can sugarcoat everything. Ireland, McLean admits, was a horror show. After being given last week off, the video review session on Monday did not make for pretty viewing. “That was the tough part, watching back our mistakes,” McLean said. “As soon as that review finished, they said, ‘Let’s can it, scrap it and look forward. If we start feeling sorry for ourselves, we are not going to go anywhere’. That is the mentality we have to change. What happened, happened – and there’s nothing we can do to change it.”

Having been used mainly in the back three during his career, McLean, 29, is now being asked to act as the “eyes and ears” of fly-half Tommaso Allan as well as the senior statesman for a young back line low on experience but high on potential. McLean has been hugely impressed by attack coach Mike Catt’s eye for detail, but admits that tightening up the defence is the main priority.

“Against Ireland we went away from what [defence coach Brendan Venter] wanted and fell into old or bad habits,” McLean admitted.

So what to expect at Twickenham? McLean points to their performance there in 2013 when they outscored the hosts in tries 1-0 and made it a dogfight in an 18-11 defeat. “We have to make it hard for them,” McLean said. “We need to chip away and, if we pick up three points here and there, to bring energy into the game.”