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State of the art games room to keep England occupied at the Lensbury

By Liam Heagney
Alex Dombrandt at training with England (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

England boss Eddie Jones can’t thank energy drinks brand Red Bull enough their help in providing in-hotel distractions for the Australian coach’s players at their new Lensbury base in London.    

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With cashflow a problem at the RFU due to financial cutbacks caused by the coronavirus, England are no longer using Pennyhill Park, the luxury hotel which had for a long time been their traditional training base. 

Having now relocated from Bagshot to Teddington on the banks of the Thames, England are in the process during this initial three-day training week of testing their procedures to ensure the squad’s virus prevention bubble is as controlled as it can be.

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Those protocols will see the squad confined to base between now and early December when they are on England duty, placing added emphasis on Jones and co coming up with ways of keeping the players entertained when they are not working. 

Red Bull have apparently provided assistance with this and the fruits of this labour were unveiled to the preliminary England squad that arrived for training this week, a 28-strong camp that was reduced to 27 after midfielder Piers Francis tested positive for coronavirus.  

With Francis confined to self-isolation at home, the remainder of the England squad got aquainted with their new surroundings. “We’re lucky we have got Red Bull as a sponsor and they have set up a fantastic gaming lounge which is like state of the art,” explained Jones. “If I was 30 years younger I’d go in there but I feel a bit old walking in there. 

“We have got putting greens, we’ve got all sorts of games. But the big thing is the players making their own enjoyment. Togetherness is about the players driving it, the senior players particularly are crucial in doing that. 

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“We’ve tried to make the environment as friendly as we can and it’s a balance between hard work and enjoyment. The task is always to get that right. The staff have done a fantastic job setting up the Lensbury. We’re well equipped to handle what’s ahead of us.”

England have a six-match schedule which starts with the October 25 game versus the Barbarians and includes the completion of the 2020 Six Nations and the staging of the one-off Autumn Nations Cup. 

 

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Trevor 2 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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