February 22 2008

Brian Ashton believes the French might be in for a shock if they think they know what to expect of England this weekend.

Speaking on today’s Gillette Rugby Podcast, the England Head Coach reckons his team have got the edge.  “The French have made a reactive selection which is one up to us before the game starts,” he said. 

“They’ve brought back a couple of guys that have toughened up their front five.  They are obviously expecting us to play a forward orientated game.  They might be in for a bit of a shock.”

At scrum half, newcomer Richard Wigglesworth has an important role to play in dictating proceedings.  “It’s not a case of grunt or glitter – you’ve got to have both,” he said.  “There’s no way you can go into a game and start flinging the ball around or you’ll get beaten by 40 points. Anyone that thinks otherwise hasn’t played at the top level. You need the foundations first.  We’ve got to get the balance right – hopefully we can do that.”

Wigglesworth’s promotion from the bench makes way for Paul Hodgson.  “The vibe is brilliant and training has been going very well,” said the London Irish No 9.  “With the French we know we have to be alert for all 80 minutes.  But we also realise that we can’t worry about the opposition all the time, you have to concentrate on your own style of play and that’s something we’ll be doing.”

Sitting alongside Hodgson will the athletic figure of Leicester flanker Tom Croft, whose rise to the senior ranks has attracted a lot of attention, not least from England and former Tigers’ coaches John Wells and Graham Rowntree.  But while Croft admits that “it’s nice to have coaches that know you and your background”, he knows he has to perform because “that’s what you’re picked on.” 

Although his selection came as a shock, Croft is confident that the squad can deliver in Paris.  “It’s a huge test but it’ll bring out the characters in the team and our full potential.”

Ashton and his team know just how much this weekend matters.  “It’s important in the context of the Six Nations that we put in a good win,” said Ashton.

“In the evolution of this side, it’s getting more important that we put in a really good performance and that often leads to a victory.   I’ve put a lot of faith in these guys from the World Cup.  They’ve had two games now and a lot of them have got to front up and prove they are good enough to help us take the side where we want to go.”

You can hear the full interviews by listening to the official Gillette Rugby Podcast at www.rfu.com/podcast.  You can listen to the weekly podcast here every Friday from 12pm or subscribe to itunes and have it delivered straight to you inbox each week.

Launched just over a year ago, the weekly Gillette Rugby Podcast takes a topical look at the world of rugby, addressing issues from the elite game right through to the grass roots.

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