'I'd be gutted to watch England play like that': Jamie George apologises to fans
Jamie George has apologised to fans after England collapsed to the heaviest defeat in their Twickenham history a week before they tackle the toughest assignment in world rugby.
Sensational France turned on the style on Saturday to claim a 53-10 victory that reinforces their status as World Cup favourites and keeps alive their flickering hopes of retaining the Guinness Six Nations title.
But England were woeful and many supporters reacted to the most damning evidence of their team’s decline yet by streaming out of the ground before the final whistle, while others booed to signal Steve Borthwick’s brief honeymoon period was over.
Grand slam-chasing Ireland lie in wait at the Aviva Stadium in Saturday’s climax to the tournament and, with Andy Farrell’s men sitting atop the global rankings, George knows an immediate response is needed.
“Fans leaving early is tough to take because I can relate to that – I’m a fan myself,” the veteran Saracens hooker said.
“I want to apologise because I’m one of them really. I would be gutted if I’d turned up to Twickenham to see an England team play like that.
“We are sorry and we need to make sure that we get better and learn from this experience because it’s clear we have a long way to go.
“We haven’t been good enough for the England fans for a little while now and I can relate to what they’re feeling.
“But what I’d like to say to them is please stick with us because we’re going to fight and we’re going to scrap to make sure we’re a significantly better team going forward. Hopefully we don’t disappoint them like that again.
“We didn’t turn up against the second best team in the world. It isn’t panic stations by any means, but there needs to be some conversations about how we move on from this.
“You’ve got two options when you have a result like this – you can roll over and throw your toys out the pram, or you can learn why it happened and what you need to do to fix it.
“We’re hurting and we never want to feel like this again. You want to make sure we learn and get better because it’s a big six months now.”
Ireland underlined their title credentials by thumping Scotland 22-7 at Murrayfield on Sunday – even while an onfield injury crisis was unfolding around them.
As an indication of their superiority over a side that is playing to avoid registering just two wins for a third successive Six Nations, bookmakers have installed the hosts as heavy odds on favourites to clinch their fourth Grand Slam.
“The coaches, the players – we are hurting from that. There is no doubt we are hurt. We are incredibly disappointed by what went out on that field,” Borthwick said.
“We never want that to happen. Now that it’s happened, we’ve got to make sure we learn as fast as we can from it so that that kind of performance is never repeated.
“When you lose the contact area as badly as we did you are going backwards in attack, you are going backwards in defence, and that becomes very hard to get any foothold in the game.
“We found out there’s a big difference between where we currently are and where France are.
“We know in seven days’ time we’ve got an incredible challenge in front of us, so we need to be much better for that.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to comments