Tour from Hell broke us – but it will not happen again
The first thing to say is that something like the “Tour from Hell” in 1998 will never happen again.
We had just turned professional two or three years previously, so we did not really know enough about conditioning and there was hardly any player welfare to speak of. Guys had played 40 or 50 games in the season. Bodies were completely shattered.
In the weeks before we set off, Clive Woodward was ringing around saying that he wanted everyone to go. But there were a lot of broken players. It was almost like a house of cards. Once one or two pulled out, more and more followed. If you withdrew early enough, you got away with it, although players were also turning up to camp and saying they could not go.
Matt Dawson and I took ourselves off to Club La Santa in Lanzarote to try to keep fit. We decided: “Right, everyone else has pulled out. We’re going to go on tour and see how we get on.”
We were messing around in the hotel swimming pool, which had a
diving board, and Daws dislocated a shoulder. He ended up going on the tour, as captain, more injured than those who pulled out, because he did not want to let Clive down.
I was pretty battered myself. The 1997-98 season had come off the back of the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa and I had had a few injuries.
When we got there, it was quite fun – apart from the rugby. The togetherness and camaraderie were decent. Arriving in Brisbane, there was time to relax and things were not particularly strict. Then the games began. Jonny Wilkinson was only 18 and he started the first Test. He missed a couple of early shots at goal. Some in that squad struggled and their England prospects never recovered. You could not say that about Jonny, but he did not have what you would class as a strong tour.
In some ways, though, 1998 was the making of a lot of players. Josh Lewsey played his way into the reckoning. Phil Vickery became more established, as did Graham Rowntree. Danny Grewcock was sent off against New Zealand in Dunedin. Like Jonny, he recovered.
I picked up a calf strain and missed the South Africa game in Cape Town right at the end, but played the first three and one of my most vivid memories is from losing 76-0 at Suncorp Stadium.
There were these blokes around the pitch doing some advertising for a beer brand or something and they were doing press-ups every time the Wallabies scored points. At 7-0, they would do seven and then 14 more at 14-0 and so on. And so on!
As the score was speeding through the fifties and sixties in the second half, most of them had to give up and switch to sit-ups. Understandably, the crowd were more entertained by that than what was going on out on the pitch.
Clive had a go at me at half-time for playing on after the buzzer. Jonny got charged down and Australia scored again to make it 33-0. Funnily enough, that try was not the difference between winning and losing. I think the experiences made Clive a better coach as well.
There is no way that you could compare 1998 to this tour. The squad are a million times better than the one that travelled 24 years ago. Eddie Jones has brought a really nice blend of established internationals and guys wanting to prove themselves to Australia.
Someone such as Billy Vunipola fits into both categories. Is he back to the level required? We will see. It is one thing performing in the Premiership. Delivering Down Under is different.
At scrum-half, I think the best duo for a match-day squad would be Jack van Poortvliet and Danny Care. I would like to see Joe Cokanasiga go the whole series without being injured. He has all the credentials to be a great winger.
Midfield remains a conundrum, although Guy Porter has had a great season for Leicester. It will be a strange month for him, as he is an Australian through and through, but if anyone can kick on, he can.
Overall, we want to see the development of a clear style of play and a high level of pace. I want to see England’s players leave the field at half-time unable to speak because they have run Australia off their feet. At the final whistle, I want them to be unable to smile because they have emptied the tank. I want them to feel sick, like they might cry. That is the level of intensity I would be demanding.
That way, just as the class of ’98 emerged with some positives despite horrific results, England will return with reasons to be hopeful.