England’s management has instilled a calm in the World Cup squad that captain Owen Farrell believes will ensure they can deal with any unforeseen problems in Japan
The 2019 Rugby World Cup does not kick off until Friday week but the chances of a mellow, uneventful tournament already feel remote. The typhoon that is due to strike Tokyo overnight has forced Australia to postpone their departure from Sydney by 24 hours and, amid forecasts of heavy rain and “historic” winds of up to 130mph, England’s scheduled arrival in Japan on Monday could yet be blown off course.
Delay or no delay, it is a timely reminder for England to expect the unexpected in east Asia. Not for nothing has Jones been shuttling his players around between multiple different training bases in an effort to replicate what awaits them in Japan. This summer alone they have had camps in Bagshot, Teddington, Bristol and Treviso before heading to Newcastle for their final warm-up game and flying out of Heathrow on Sunday night. Their reward if they can reach the tournament’s last weekend will be a further eight weeks away from familiar home comforts.
Written by Robert Kitson
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/sep/08/eddie-jones-england-world-cup-owen-farrell under the title “Eddie Jones leaves no stone unturned in preparation for the unexpected | Robert Kitson”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
