Is England still feared at Twickenham?
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Twickenham
In a story in the Newspaper Telegraph, Gavin Mears reports that Lawrence Dallaglio has challenged Martin Johnson’s England to restore Twickenham’s reputation as one of the most feared stadia in world rugby during their RBS Six Nations campaign this season.
England has in the past been feared when playing at Twickenham – but does this home advantage still threaten opposition?
In the run-up to England’s World Cup triumph in 2003, England went unbeaten for four years and won 22 Test matches in a row. The record under Johnson is far less impressive…England have won only five out of 10 Test matches at Twickenham under Johnson, while Saturday’s opponents, Wales, are seeking their second successive Six Nations victory in London and fourth in total.
We would like to quote from the story on Telegraph.co.uk:
“Defending Grand Slam champions Ireland, the other visitors to Twickenham this season, enjoy an even more impressive record, having won twice in their past three visits to English headquarters and five out of their six most recent championship encounters.
Dallaglio, who was part of England’s World Cup-winning pack under Johnson’s captaincy, feels it is imperative Twickenham once again becomes a daunting fortress for visiting teams.
“England have to put building blocks in place and as a coach and as a player, the building blocks have to be that you win your home games,” Dallaglio said.
“Twickenham needs to be a place that people respect. Respect is a term that is used a lot in rugby. Well, they should start respecting Twickenham. But the only way to get respect is by making sure that any team that comes there is sent home with the right message.
“The key for England in this Six Nations is winning the games at Twickenham and it is interesting that the two teams [Wales and Ireland] they play at home are probably teams that have lost their respect for Twickenham.
“You are not going to make it a fortress straight away but England need to start to make it a place that teams and supporters respect again. A victory over Wales would be a massive step in the right direction.”
[Information from story by Gavin Mears in Telegraph.co.uk]
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