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Former England captain Dylan Hartley believes no one likes the men in white because they are a ‘proper rugby’ team.
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England roared into life in Round 4 of the Guinness Six Nations, defying poor form and a conservative approach to shock hot favourites Ireland 23-22 in Twickenham.
The swashbuckling style of their gameplan seemed to rattle theretofore unbackable favourites Ireland, who fell to their first defeat since last year’s World Cup quarter-final thanks to a last-ditch Marcus Smith drop-goal.
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“England have been talking throughout the tournament about making the fans proud of the team; an intent to play,” says Hartley. “A new England. The stats have shown that they are trying to deliver on that – they are passing the ball a lot.
“Against Scotland it didn’t happen for England and the result showed that if your fundamentals aren’t right, you can get punished, which is what happened.
“Duhan van der Merwe got his hattrick, but then, when you get it right, it’s unbelievable and, I think the proof is in the pudding of what this England team has been trying to show at the tournament with the performance against Ireland at the weekend. The approach to the tournament has been justified by the result against Ireland.
“That performance showed that this might be a young team, but it’s a serious one. To do what they did against a mature Ireland side who have been performing really well, will give England huge confidence going forward.
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“I think England will get over there and that internal drive from the team to finish the tournament on a high before facing Japan and New Zealand in the summer will be a motivational factor. They will want the lasting memory of the tournament to be a good one. I think England can be really proud of themselves if they win this weekend. The true test for England is to back-up that performance against Ireland when they play France, who are not mugs.
“They will have to play with the same intensity, desire and skill level to win over there. Two wins in a row against two good teams will put England in good stead for a summer trip Down Under. I think New Zealand will be watching intently. It’s a chance for England to re-cement themselves as a contender.
Hartley also posited why he believes England are disliked by opposition teams and rugby fans the world over: It’s because they are a ‘proper team’.
“We don’t accept the underdog tag. England should believe that they can beat any team in the world. That is belief, it’s not arrogance. As soon as a team buys into being cast as the underdog, you’re buying into being subservient, sub-standard. Not good enough.
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“You create a gap between yourself and the opponent. You don’t want to put yourself on that pedestal. We never did that as a team. Externally, we were happy for people to use that language when describing the team, but that is never a message we would convey to each other. You know man-for-man how hard you work.
“Look, England are a proper rugby team,” said Hartley. “I’ll keep saying it”.
“No one likes us because we are a proper rugby team. Even the South Africans and the Kiwi’s would acknowledge that because they know they are going to be in for a good game when England come to town.
“There is an expectation with England. We have a long, proud line of rugby history and we come out swinging when we need too.”
No one likes the England Rugby Union team because they're arrogant. They get undeserved decisions at Twickenham and because some of their players get away with murder e.g. Owen Farrell sacking an All Black in front of the posts, yet there was no penalty tried and no punishment to the England player. It would be funny if it wasn't so serious. 🙄
Hartley, nothing but a thug
Traitor, although he wouldn't have made it into AB’s
The whole arrogant tone of this is why nobody likes England.
There is a big difference between loving and respecting. As a Frenchman, I respect English rugby but I don't really like it... except when it shows the main quality of the English: commitment, whatever its form.
Welcome in Lyon !
Ils vont perdre. Et leur équipe moins 20 ans avec.
One game doesn’t make a proper rugby team. “We have a long, proud line of rugby history and we come out swinging when we need too”. Why didn’t they come out swinging for the last 4 years?
Best of luck to England but you can’t project the performance against Ireland on top all previous performances. This weak they face France 7 days after the highs of beating Ireland, with the element of suprise gone and a plan that will surely be less developed than the one that downed Ireland. France have a chance to save their campaign with a second placed finish. (I am Irish and I am expecting a huge performance in response to the loss in Twickenham. Ergo, I fully expect the championship winner will be decided before kick off in Lyon.)
Nah one good game doesn’t make you anything. Nobody fears England
‘No one likes us because we are a proper rugby team'-Springbok Proverb
No-one likes England? Try being South African.
Only New Zealand hates the Boks. Boks are Admired in Ireland.
As a massive book fan in concur. But then again when your on top you don't concern yourself with the option of others.