Ignore the cynics. Brown is right to demand that England aim for the stars
An ambitious national team should be inspired by a call for global glory
England have got their retaliation in first, making no bones about the fact that they want to dominate world rugby for the foreseeable future. Arrogant England? They know the jibe is coming their way so why not get it out there on their own terms and head off the critics at the pass? That is precisely what the new Rugby Football Union chief executive, Stephen Brown, did last week on his first public airing as the frontman for the union. One man’s arrogance is another man’s boldness or self-assertion or confidence. It is a matter of semantics. Or of prejudice.
There is little doubt that there has been a sea change in the English attitude. No more reserved exterior. No more diplomatic niceties. No more lights under bushels. Brown is not quite in the Muhammad Ali “Louisville Lip” stakes of threatening to kick ass around the globe, but the Twickenham Thunderer certainly set out his stall last week.
“We want to win and we want to win everything.”
Brown noted that in recent years both England and the union had been “reticent about being bold about winning”. No more.
Arrogance is a pejorative sideswipe at those who dare to proclaim their willingness to put themselves out there and declare that they want to be the best. There is a bit of colonial history wrapped up there, too, of course. You might argue also that arrogance carries within it a hint of potential complacency or of smugness, both traits that are inherently damaging to the cause.
England will not be like that, not in the boardroom or on the field of play. Brown has made that quite clear. But what is evident is that this is a joined-up bit of corporate strategy. Eddie Jones has never shied away from the fact that he wants England to be the No1 side in the world.
It has taken time for that mantra to infiltrate the minds of his players but, in the play of an Owen Farrell or (the injured) Billy Vunipola, there is firm evidence that these players recognise the need to reach out way beyond the level at which they had been operating for it to happen.
That is not arrogance. That is dedication and commitment, as well as no little talent. There is no bombast in what Jones has always preached, for his declarations are underpinned by an awareness of
He is not Ali, but the Twickenham Thunderer set out his stall last week
what it takes to get there. There is no God-given right for England to be on top of the podium. They have managed it just once, the 2003 World Cup-winning coronation rounding off a three-year period in which they were No 1 seeds, their 20-17 victory over Australia on that night of bedlam in Sydney their 12th win in succession over the southern hemisphere. Clive Woodward always told the southern giants that he was coming after them, structuring the fixture list accordingly to make sure England could get regular exposure to them and, in so doing, prove themselves. It is what all aspirant teams should do and need to do – believe in the project.
New Zealand do it behind closed doors as Oliver Brown of this Telegraph parish discovered four years ago when he inadvertently wandered into the All Blacks inner sanctum team room in a London hotel and saw the refrain “We are the most dominant team in the history of the [sporting] world”.
There was a furore over the disclosure, but why? The All Blacks have lived up to that billing. If you do not reach out to transcend the level you are at, then excellence or greatness is not going to come looking for you.
In the wake of the 2011 World Cup campaign, England embarked on a cross-cultural makeover under the auspices of Stuart Lancaster. The approach was appropriate for the time. The mood was bleak and the Twickenham stables needed to be cleaned out.
And now? Totally different. England have shown themselves to be contenders with back-to-back Six Nations titles and a first Grand Slam in 13 years. Now they have to show that they are neither intimidated nor inhibited by the challenge in front of them. They have to perform like champions if they are ever to be champions. That applies to their body language as much as it does to their play.
One of the many heartening things about the Lions tour to New Zealand was the sight of the All Blacks playing like mere mortals, faffing about at times and making errors. New Zealand looked vulnerable for the simple reason that the Lions got at them, by the manner of their play but principally by their deep-rooted belief that they could trade on equal terms with them, no matter that the All Blacks had not lost at home since shortly after Webb Ellis picked up that bloomin’ ball.
That sort of hard-nosed attitude does not come about by chance. It has to be deeply ingrained. That process is now under way with England.
It is not about being cocksure or overbearing. It is about grafting and believing. About never ceasing to strive to find that extra edge. About being humble rather than arrogant but being poised and assured at the same time. Others will pin the arrogant tag on England no matter what they do or how they behave. Neither Jones nor Brown would allow bigheadedness or self-satisfaction for that is a well-trodden route to failure. But England expects: expects sweat and toil as the prelude to performance.
For the one thing that the Brown state-of-the-nation speech did highlight is the fact that there are to be no excuses. None whatsoever.