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Rugby at its best The Six Nations is a wonderful showcase for the gamePosted: Tuesday March 11, 2003 12:51 PMUpdated: Wednesday March 12, 2003 10:58 AM
By Lawrence Dallaglio, Rugby World ANYONE who thinks the RBS Six Nations is a tournament in trouble wasn't in the Millennium Stadium for our game against Wales, or watching that match on television. The Six Nations is a wonderful rugby tournament, one that is revered throughout the rugby world, and it doesn't need to be split into two tiers, as has been suggested. The players really enjoy playing in it and, as we've seen this year, it still has the ability to surprise. With full houses packing in across Europe, the supporters are showing how relevant it is to them. Of course the tournament is evolving, and this year we have seen it alter its format from ten weeks to seven, but it doesn't need a radical change. Playing in the England team you get used to sides upping their game by ten or 20 per cent against us. And we certainly saw that from the Welsh team, compared to how they played against Italy just a week earlier. This year the tournament will finish with a magnificent game, with England arriving in Ireland. Whatever results both teams have managed up to that time, it should still be a great occasion. I missed our match in Ireland in 2001 -- through injury -- but I will be doing all I can to make it to Lansdowne Road for the 2003 clash. In the England team we try never to look beyond the next match, but the Ireland game is one to really look forward to. The way sides raise their game against us is part of the challenge of playing for England, and it means that the margin for error -- for us -- is very small. We may have kicked off with two wins, but I had hoped we'd play better than we did in those victories over France and Wales. But I suppose in one way it is good that we haven't hit our straps yet, as we will do at some stage in the Six Nations. Of course we are delighted with two wins and we handled some aspects of both the games very well. At times we do need to be a little more direct, that's for sure, and earn the right to go wide in Test matches. Against Wales I thought we coped well with those early injuries and the sin-binning of Phil Christophers just before half-time. The new seven-week format is presenting its challenges for the squads, and there's no doubt it will favor those countries with bigger squads. For the Welsh match, front-row injuries meant Clive Woodward handed an England debut to Northampton's Robbie Morris and I made a special point of having a quick work with him as we were waiting to kick off. I thought Robbie had a great game, and that is not only testament to him but to his club and to the England set-up that has allowed him to flourish. He stepped in after injury to Jason Leonard, who hobbled off in his 100th match for England. I suppose it is ironic that he gets through his first 99 games and then doesn't make the end of his 100th. I know Jason pretty well and he is a wonderful guy, someone I'm delighted to call a friend. Everyone is a huge fan of Jason but there is no bigger one than me! One of the qualities that has got him to 100 caps is that he is fiercely determined and has shown an incredible ability to adapt, as the game has changed tremendously since he made his debut. The guy is phenomenal and everyone in the England team appreciates what he has gone through. Knowing Jason, he is probably glad the fuss is all over so that he can get on with playing for Harlequins and England.
Lawrence Dallaglio has won 62 caps for England.
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