- Cueto feeling back to his best
- England and Lions winger excited by England’s new-look back line
In the first of a series of exclusive player diaries from inside the England camp, winger Mark Cueto talks about the mood in the squad, team manager Martin Johnson’s leadership and the dangers in facing a young Australian team.
What’s been going on over the past 10 days in the England camp?
Last week was really busy because the majority of us didn’t have to play in the Guinness Premiership that weekend so they crammed a lot of work in both on and off the field.
The training was pretty short and sharp and very good from that point of view and we had some commercial and media work to do which was built around our training.
There was a lot of days where we were training maybe 10 o’clock back to the hotel for a quick bite of lunch, and back out again around one, two’ish, finish at three and then it was a case of getting straight out again and doing various bits and bobs and not getting back to your room until sort of eight, nine o’clock. So they were fairly long days but the training camp has been good and it’s great to be back in the England environment again.
How do you find it under Martin Johnson’s leadership?
I think he’s been great. He’s very focussed around the training camp but he’s helped to create a really good atmosphere. We’ve got a great bunch of boys and all of the coaches are really good to work with and, like I say, I think everybody knows the times when to have a bit of a laugh and a joke and the times when to get your head down and get serious.
The squad seems to be bonding well? There is certainly a lot of new faces around but everybody generally knows each other anyway whether it’s from previous times with England or playing against each other week in and week out in the Guinness Premiership. And the guys who come in for the first time you probably know anyway from the Premiership so, from that point of view, it’s pretty straightforward and people seem to slip straight in.
As you play against them a lot it must be good to play with them in an England team?
It is, yeah. There’s a few guys who are hard work to play against so putting an England shirt on them and having them play with you is better than having them running at you sometimes!!
Because of all the injuries it’s a pretty different looking England line-up on Saturday?
I think regardless of the injuries a lot of the guys who have been picked have been picked on form. Everybody’s playing well for their clubs regardless of injuries. It’s a case of taking the opportunity when you get it. There’s guys who came in for the first time twelve months ago that have now got five, ten, fifteen caps or so and they’re a lot more experienced at test level whereas twelve months ago questions outside of the England camp were being asked about them. People have got to wait for an opportunity and, whether it’s because of injury or just that you’ve played well and worked your way into the squad, whatever that opportunity is you’ve just got to grab it with both hands and make the most of it.
It’s such a different back line it but equally a very exciting back line and it must be good for you to play with these guys?
Yeah, I think it is. Particularly `Wilko’ (Jonny Wilkinson), he’s world class and any back line with him in it is always a good thing but then you look at the likes of Shane Geraghty he’s been on fire for his club and he’s a great distributor and, if anything, his hands are as good as Jonny’s so from that point of view it adds to the distribution of the back line and then the likes of Ugo, Banners (Matt Bannahan) all playing well is awesome.
Everyone tends to focus on Jonny does that help to take a little bit of the pressure off you and the other backs?
I think any team in the world with `Wilko’ in it would be a better team and that just shouts volumes for his commitment, his work rate and everything he’s all about really.
Turning to Australia on Saturday. There’s lot of names in the Aussie squad that are not very well known to people but you certainly can’t afford to take them lightly?
No, exactly. There’s a lot of young guys with only a handful of caps but they like to put players in regardless of age or name and they are very good players. If they are playing well enough they seem to get the shout, which is a great philosophy really. So from that point of view we know what that the likes of Matt Giteau’s are excellent players but there are some guys in behind them that are on a fire and playing well and are going to be a handful at the weekend.
Many people are expecting England to win at Twickenham on Saturday?
Well, that’s the pressure that’s on you when you play at Twickenham and, I think, it’s fair enough, you want that expectation really. You would rather everybody in the country wanted you to win than expected you to lose so, from that point of view, regardless of what the press or the public are saying we put that pressure on ourselves anyway and we’re going out there to win. We’re not going out there just to enjoy the moment.
And how are you feeling about your own form at the moment?
I feel great. I honestly feel better than I’ve felt for two or three years. I think, off the back of a tough twelve months with injuries, it almost makes you appreciate your opportunities a little bit more. But, I think, when you get a bit older and you’ve experienced a few injuries you learn to appreciate and you almost put more work in terms of your fitness, your strength and your speed and all that sort of stuff and as a consequence, off the back of that, I do feel better than I have in a long while.
And the pace?
Yes, like I say, if anything I’d be tempted to say I’m as fast if not faster now than I was four or five years ago and I’m always happy to do the extra work and sessions. In the past you always accepted what you are given but like I’ve said I think it’s something you need to work on.
And tucked away in the back of the mind for the players is that there’s a Rugby World Cup coming up inside two years?
Yeah, it is only round the corner in a way, without sounding daft. Before you know it England will be there preparing. Not that your thinking about it, but it’s one of them, you need to keep playing well and keep in the mix hopefully.