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How England's golden World Cup run is inspiring some of the Premier League's biggest names
As England prepare to challenge South Africa for their second-ever Rugby World Cup crown in Yokohama on Saturday, their unblemished run to the tournament’s final has provided a source of inspiration for two unlikely candidates.
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Eddie Jones’ side are yet to drop a match in Japan after having blitzed through the pool stages, brushing aside Australia in the quarter-finals and overwhelming reigning champions New Zealand in the semi-finals last week.
Their compelling 19-7 victory over the All Blacks, in particular, has struck a chord within the rugby fraternity, with some labelling the win as the best performance by an English side at a World Cup, such was their dominance against the previous title favourites.
Subsequently, England head into the final against the Springboks as firm favourites, but their awe-inspiring form hasn’t gone unnoticed by some of football’s biggest names in the Premier League.
Manchester City’s manager Pep Guardiola and Chelsea boss Frank Lampard have both spoken of England’s success in the days leading up to the World Cup final, with both coaches believing they can learn plenty from their cross-code rivals.
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Guardiola – considered one of football’s greatest managers after leading City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona to a plethora of domestic and European club titles – has previously spent time with Jones when he observed a training session during the Spaniard’s time with German giants Bayern three years ago.
Jones has openly spoken in the past about how the City manager has been a major influence on his coaching methods during England’s run to the World Cup final.
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Speaking to reporters on Friday ahead of his side’s league clash with Southampton this weekend, Guardiola reserved plenty of praise for the Australian-born 59-year-old, and extended an invitation to Manchester City for both him and the entire England squad upon their return from Japan.
In the wake of his victorious final clash against Warren Gatland, Steve Hansen brought into question the departing Welsh head coach's post-World Cup plans. #RWC2019 #NZLvWAL https://t.co/wgP5qsR1pI
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 2, 2019
“We spoke once or twice and Eddie was so kind. It was a pleasure to see him and meet him,” Guardiola said.
“We talked about some movements in rugby. I’m a big fan and I watch on TV but I don’t understand too much about the sport.
“We can learn a lot from them. We didn’t spend too much time together but hopefully they can win the final and we can invite him and his staff to come here and talk more.
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“It would be nice for all of us, and especially for me. So we wish them good luck.”
Guardiola was especially impressed with the physical demands that rugby players have to withstand, and was eager to learn from Jones the recovery processes his players go through.
“I will ask him how they can regenerate the players like they do after the games,” he said.
“How can they survive? It’s incredible, I cannot imagine.”
Lampard, meanwhile, shared similar sentiments regarding the class of the England squad.
The 41-year-old – who is in just his second season of football management after forging a highly-decorated playing career primarily with Chelsea and England, but also with the likes of West Ham, Manchester City and New York City – spoke of his admiration of the way in which rugby players and referees conduct themselves on the field.
He highlighted the composure shown by England captain Owen Farrell and the All Blacks towards referee Nigel Owens during their semi-final, and suggested it would be worthwhile to also meet with Jones’ squad following the World Cup.
“I think maybe yes (footballers could learn from rugby players),” the Chelsea head coach said to media ahead of his side’s meeting with Watford on Saturday.
“I think we should maybe have a sit-down with them because I was also thinking how well restrained – not restrained, there is no reason you should be restrained – but how well Owen Farrell and every player, the New Zealand players as well, reacted to the referee in the semi-final.
“And I think it is certainly something we could take on board – to take a deep breath sometimes more than we do. I think the respect in rugby seems to go both ways (between referees and players) – I think we could probably all learn.”
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Comments on RugbyPass
He is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
2 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to commentsMake what step up? Manie has a World Cup winner’s medal around his neck and changed the way the Springboks can play. He doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone. The win record of the Boks with him in the team is tremendous. Sacha can be wonderful and I hope he has a very succesful Bok career, but comparing him to Manie in terms of the next Bok flyhalf is very strange. Manie is the incumbent (not the next) and doing pretty incredibly.
1 Go to comments00 😍 U
1 Go to commentsSabbaticals have helped keep NZ’s very best talent in the country on long term deals - this fact has been left out of this article. Much like the articles calling to allow overseas players to be selected, yet can only name one player currently not signed to NZR who would be selected for the ABs. And in the entire history of NZ players leaving to play overseas, literally only 4 or 5 have left in their prime as current ABs. (Piatau, Evans, Hayman, Mo’unga,?) Yes Carter got an injury while playing in France 16 years ago, but he also got a tournament ending injury at the 2011 World Cup while taking mid-week practice kicks at goal. Maybe Jordie gets a season-ending injury while playing in Ireland, maybe he gets one next week against the Brumbies. NZR have many shortcomings, but keeping the very best players in the country and/or available for ABs selection is not one of them. Likewise for workload management - players missing 2 games out of 14 is hardly a big deal in the grand scheme of things. Again let’s use some facts - did it stop the Crusaders winning SR so many times consecutively when during any given week they would be missing 2 of their best players? The whole idea of the sabbatical is to reward your best players who are willing to sign very long term deals with some time to do whatever they want. They are not handed out willy-nilly, and at nowhere near the levels that would somehow devalue Super Rugby. In this particular example JB is locked in with NZR for what will probably (hopefully) be the best years of his career, hard to imagine him not sticking around for a couple more after for a Lions tour and one more world cup. He has the potential to become the most capped AB of all time. A much better outcome than him leaving NZ for a minimum of 3 years at the age of 27, unlikely to ever play for the ABs again, which would be the likely alternative.
2 Go to commentsJake White talks more sense than anything I've read in the last 5 years. Hope someone's listening.
9 Go to commentsThe Springboks tried going down the road of only picking home-based players and it was an unmitigated disaster in 2016 and 2017. Picking overseas-based players has been one of the main reason the Boks have done so well since 2018, not only because of the quality Rassie could call on, but because of the knowledge and experience those players brought into camp from England, France and Japan. With some of the big names playing abroad it also gave younger players in SA the chance to break through at franchise level. Would we have seen the emergence of a Ruan Nortje if RG and Lood were still at the Bulls? Not so sure. I understand why Jake would want to block players leaving since his job depends on good results but it’s an approach that would take Bok rugby back to the bad old days and no South African wants to see that.
9 Go to commentsExeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
39 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
39 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
86 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
86 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
14 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to comments