Winning streak is giving England the confidence to be calm under extreme pressure, insists fly-half George Ford
Fly-half George Ford insists that England’s record-breaking winning streak has infused the players with a sense of clarity during the most challenging moments of matches.
England set a national record of 15 successive victories on Saturday when they began the defence of their Six Nations crown with a 19-16 triumph over rivals France at Twickenham.
It was far from plain sailing against Les Blues and after replacement Rabah Slimani’s try was successfully converted by Camille Lopez, France led 16-12 inside the final 20 minutes.
In the aftermath, head coach Eddie Jones shouldered responsibility for the quality of England’s performance and vowed to ensure preparation for Saturday’s tussle with Wales is much-improved. Ford, however, was happy that England retained poise and serenity.
“Nothing is ever perfect,” said Ford. “When France took the lead with 20 minutes to go, still under the sticks there was no panic.
“There were clear messages about what we needed to do to get the ball back and get some good field positions. The more you win, the more confidence you get in those situations.
“It was calm at half time also. Some good things got said. There was not too much white noise, it was all very clear-messaging from the players. We knew the position we were in and what we needed to do to get out of it.
“Eddie always has the last word but when it comes to units there is a lot of input from the players. Me, Faz [Owen Farrell], Dylan [Hartley] and the line-out callers have a quick chat about our feelings and thoughts and go back to the team and give the messages.
“The lads knew what we had to do and to a degree we did that in the second half.”
Ford, who refused to discuss speculation linking him with a move to Leicester, joined Jones in dousing concerns over England’s players being intimidated by the raucous atmosphere likely to be generated at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
“It’s a great place to go and play,” added Ford. “Wales at home are probably a different beast with that crowd behind them. They’re a very emotional team when they’re playing at home.
“If someone asked me where one of the best places I’ve played is, I’d say there, just with the atmosphere and the scale of the game. Wales and England don’t particularly like each other.”