CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE, SLADE
Legend Guscott urges quiet man Henry to find his voice and fire up England
HENRY SLADE has been urged by England legend Jeremy Guscott to “find his voice” and light up the Six Nations.
Rugby’s annual showpiece is back, Scotland are at Twickenham and, for the next six weeks, the sport takes centre stage in the calendar.
The hope is that it will lift spirits and flagging morale across a continent suffering under lockdown restrictions.
The fear is that, if the entertainment value mirrors that served up in the kick-andclap Autumn Nations Cup, it could prove a turn-off.
The stakes are high but Eddie Jones’ priority is to keep England winning, as they have in the last two tournaments played against the backdrop of Covid and empty stadiums.
But Exeter star Slade (right) has an opportunity to inject a ‘wow factor’ and transform the mundane into the memorable.
“I’m waiting for Henry to absolutely flourish,” said Guscott, dubbed England’s ‘Prince of centres’ during 10 years at the top of the world game.
“It’s a position I know pretty well and I can see he has all the attributes, the complete skill set. It’s whether his voice is big enough.” Guscott’s concern is that because Owen Farrell is such a dominant figure on and off the pitch, the likes of Slade, Elliot Daly and Anthony Watson do not wield the influence they should.
“They have to get on his case,” added the BBC pundit (inset) ahead of a Calcutta Cup fixture that England have not lost at home since 1983.
“Henry needs the ball in his hands more. I want him making breaks and committing players because I’m yet to see him have the impact for England he does at club level.
“He’s got the ability to be player of the tournament, but has to make his presence felt more and be as dominant as a fly-half.”
The selection at inside-centre of Ollie Lawrence, a hardrunner in the
Manu Tuilagi mould, suggests England at least intend to marry power and flair on the
150th anniversary of rugby’s oldest fixture. Attack coach Simon Amor said:
“We are a team that really wants to go at the opposition, to take them on both physically and tactically, and dominate them. “But ultimately it’s about us creating space and then having the mindset to take our opportunities.” England start as favourites, but Guscott warned: “Look at Sir Clive Woodward’s teams. He worked with so much quality, yet they won one Grand Slam and two championships. “That’s how hard it is, that’s why we love the Six Nations.”
Follow the Six Nations across BBC One, BBC iPlayer and BBC Radio 5 Live. Wales v Ireland is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer tomorrow from 2pm.