Rookies will be just fine, says Max
MAX Malins insists England’s rookies are ready to thrive amid the hostility awaiting at Murrayfield after being braced for what to expect in the Guinness Six Nations opener against Scotland.
Almost half of Eddie Jones’ 37-man training squad have never appeared in the Championship, while Malins and Jonny Hill made their debuts in the 2020 tournament that unfolded behind closed doors because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It means that an England side rebuilt after last year’s fifth-place finish will enter a dangerous opener with a large contingent of developing players who have yet to experience the intimidating atmospheres of Celtic strongholds such as Murrayfield.
Steps have been taken to equip them for what is coming and Malins insists projecting confidence from the moment they arrive at the ground will be critical.
“Last week a few blokes shared their experiences of travelling to away games and to Murrayfield in particular,” Malins told the PA news agency.
“They spoke about how it’s a hostile crowd as soon as you get off the bus and that even when you’re on the bus you can feel it.
“When you’re walking into the changing rooms you’ll get whatever chat, so you have to be ready for that.
“It’s got to be water off a duck’s back.
“It’s important for those who haven’t played there to have an idea of what’s coming in those environments.
“Of course we want to focus on ourselves, but we don’t want to be overcome by the whole occasion of it.
“It’s important to get an idea of what we’re going into, not to freeze us up or create fear but to actually create excitement around the group.
“We want to set our stall out and our body language is going to prove that we’re ready for them as soon as we step off that bus.
“You don’t want to be overcome by the situation and everyone will react differently to it, but as a whole we’ll come together. We’ve created a united group here so we’ll stand together and walk in together.”
All but three of Malins’ 11 caps have been replacement appearances but his ability to perform at wing and full-back in a threequarter line that has been ravaged by injury and Covid makes him a valuable asset for the trip to Edinburgh.
Malins is likely to feature in a back three alongside Jack Nowell and Freddie Steward and the trio know they will be working overtime to cut off the space in the backfield available to Scotland magician Finn Russell.