The final: no advice necessary

I won’t be giving Phil Vickery any advice as he prepares to lead England out in the final at the Stade de France on Saturday.

I didn’t give a team talk before the 2003 final. Team talks are over-rated. These guys will have been talking all week about what needs to be done. They'll be talking specifics, about all the little points in the game that will make all the difference.

They're in a World Cup final so you don't have to say too much. If we can put constant and relentless pressure on South Africa, not let them have anything easily and don't let them get too comfortable too quickly and keep playing into that last ten minutes then we have more than a chance.

We cannot give them points easily. One huge, last effort is what the players will be asking of each other. The start is absolutely vital, as is the period before half time. That was when Australia scored against us and that was the most dangerous point against the French in terms of them doing something, but they changed their game slightly and stopped piling in, letting us hang in there until half time.

They have got to stay in the game and make South Africa go the distance. That's the key. I'm not necessarily expecting another tight encounter without much running rugby. I think both teams have achieved the right balance whether to keep the ball or go into wider areas of the field. I expect both teams to do it on occasion. It's just picking the right moment. South Africa have got Habana, Pietersen and Montgomery, we've got Robinson and Sackey, so if there are chances to give those guys the ball in space obviously both teams will do it and pull the trigger. It's just finding that space. In tight Test matches that space is not always easy to find.

I think the guy we really need to shut down on is Fourie du Preez, their scrum-half. He's a big playmaker for them and hurt us in the group game. We'll need to have pressure on him. If that pressure can get past the line to Butch James then all the better. We certainly can't let du Preez make those runs across the defensive line and then make breaks or put people into gaps because that can be lethal. As we've seen they can go 50, 60, 70 yards really quickly.

Putting pressure on their forward pack and around the fringes, not letting du Preez get quick ball in his hands and running with it, that's all key for us.

Comments

[Queen Elizaberth]

Someone shoot the ref!

[Big Rog]

Stocksbridge 1969, Chipstead 1976 & Surrey Police 1978. Three games that stand out in my memory as occasions when the team I was playing for decided that they had had enough of being beaten year after year. Truths were told, players were made to face the their shortcomings, markers were laid down and loins were girded. (Ok we put our jockstraps on). In each case we won through. We faced better players who were better organised and better coached. All we had was the determination that we were not going to lose. These were not freeflowing games; that would have allowed the opposition in. These were games of attrition. Long drawn out mauls, bad tempered rucks, hard fought scrummages, bone crunching tackles and lineout tactics based on those of Napoleon and Rommel. In each case we walked off the pitch with our heads held high, those of us that could still walk. Our pride was restored. I remember that I ended the Chipstead match with a broken leg, but I never did find out who it belonged to.
This evening's match may not be pretty but by the end of it I'm certain that the England boys will have made sure that the world knows that they're back.
GO FOR IT ENGLAND, we'll be proud of you win or lose.

[mark]

good luck to the lads,