- Dan Cole tells RFUtv that England are working hard on their discipline
- We aim to dominate at the set piece says Leicester prop
Prop Dan Cole says England are working hard to eliminate infringements at the breakdown as they seek to show referees that their discipline has improved.
The Leicester Tigers tighthead told RFUtv that England had developed a poor reputation in recent years for their lack of discipline at the breakdown but were working hard to demonstrate their desire for a clean game.
Forwards coach Graham Rowntree has been working with the squad to improve their work at the contact area after England were repeatedly penalised at the World Cup.
"We noticed at the World Cup, especially in the first few games, that we got penalised all over the park early doors and if some of the kicks had gone over we would have been in very different situations," Cole said.
"In test match rugby you can’t give teams easy ways out or advantages because decent sides will take them. That’s a massive thing we’ve had in the breakdown and especially in defence and just being off-side [in the past] and now we are trying to show the referee that we are not the vandals we have been portrayed as in previous years – we listen to the referee and we want to play a clean game and a fair game."
The 24-year-old will win his 26th cap if he features in Stuart Lancaster’s line-up for Saturday, and if selected will pack down against two Lions props with a wealth of experience in Adam Jones and Gethin Jenkins.
Cole is under no illusions that the pair will pose a "massive challenge" but said that he and his front row team mates Dylan Hartley and Alex Corbisiero are constantly improving, adjusting and learning from each other and the packs they face.
He also praised the way the England pack had dealt with both Scotland and Italy at the set piece with a noticeable improvement between games.
He added: "The English game is built on that set piece and we aim for dominance. We are not always going to get it but that is the aim and if you do end up winning penalties from set pieces it can only help the rest of the team.
"So we are pleased with what we have done so far but there are three world-class packs coming up so we will judge ourselves later on in the tournament."
