England aim to erase last year’s Six Nations pain

Dubai: Though it visibly pains him to admit it, former England captain Lewis Moody believes Wales have the edge over the rest of the Home Nations coming into the 2014 Six Nations, which kicks off on Saturday.

“I’d like to think that England can come away with the Six Nations this year, but I just think Wales are too strong,” the 2003 World Cup-winning star told Gulf News last week.

If Wales do lift the RBS Trophy at the end of March, they would become the first team to win the competition three years in a row.

“It might even come down to the fixture between England and Wales at Twickenham, which is just the way [England head coach] Stuart [Lancaster] would want it,” Moody said.

“That will be the climax he wants. And it will be extra intense this year because there’s still the pain from last year.”

The deciding fixture of the 2013 Six Nations in Cardiff saw a rampant Wales maul a hapless England by a record 27-point margin to claim a historic 30-3 triumph. But there’s cause for optimism in the English camp this time around.

The 35-year-old retired flanker, who was nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’, says he has been encouraged by Lancaster’s regime.

The House of Lancaster has actively sought to lift the shroud of history hanging over England since their World Cup-winning night in Sydney 11 years ago by replacing revered veterans in the twilight of their career with exuberant youth.

“I like what they’ve done under [Lancaster],” Moody said. “What England needed to do for quite a while was shed that 2003 shadow and, when you’ve still got guys around from that era it’s hard. But that’s what Lancaster has done.

“They’ve created a value set that belongs to them. Twickenham is now their own fortress and it’s all about creating new memories and identities and that’s what they’ve done really well.”

All of which bodes well for England this Six Nations campaign, though they have a number of high-profile players on the injured list — none more so than game-changing centre Manu Tuilagi.

“[Tuilagi’s] a big abrasive ball carrier who can win games — there’s no one like him,” Moody said. “But his absence creates a good opportunity for Luther Burrell.

“We’ve had a lot of strong balls carriers, which is great, but we need a foil to go with it and Burrell could be that man.”

Lancaster has once again sounded the horn of change by casting off out-of-form Saracens wing Chris Ashton and Leicester scrum-half Ben Youngs — both established players with England — from the 23-man Six Nations squads announced on Wednesday.

But before they can begin to entertain thoughts of a vengeance-fuelled showdown with Wales, they have to overcome one of the biggest tests in European rugby — France in Paris is England’s first fixture. If England manage to get a result there, it would set them up for the tournament, Moody feels.

“England have to get past France to have any chance and it’s always a tough game away in Paris,” he said. “France are in a similar position to England, but maybe a step further back — they’ve bought in a lot of new players and they’re not exactly on fire at the moment.

“But in France, with the passionate Parisian support, you never know. It will be a tough game for Stuart and his side.”

In contrast to England and France’s restructuring, Wales undoubtedly boast the most impressive and in-form squad coming into the Six Nations, with powerhouse winger George North most notably impressing week-in, week-out in his debut season for Northampton Saints.

And captain Sam Warburton’s recent signing of a central contract with the Welsh rugby board has lifted spirits in Wales, with many other young talents shipped out to France, where the big money has captured the likes of Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon), Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro) and James Hook (Perpignan).

“Wales, who had the monopoly of players on the Lions tour, have a range of strike players in form from Australia,” Moody said.

“Jonathon Davis came to the fore, Jamie Roberts returned from injury, Alun Wyn Jones emerged as a strong leader, Warburton and [Justin] Tipuric put in big performances and the front rowers — [Richard] Hibbard and [Adam Rhys] Jones were solid. And of course the flying winger George North is exceptional — they have a really solid team across the board.”

The Lions dynamic also brings an added edge to this year’s Six Nations. With the head coach of the successful Lions unit in Australia, Warren Gatland, returning to the helm at Wales, the players and coaches will know the games of their competitors that bit better.

“The guys [from the Lions tour] know each other and it makes the camaraderie on and off the pitch that little bit tighter,” Moody said, speaking from experience having played for the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand in 2005. “But it makes the intensity of the play that much more fierce because they all want to get one over on each other.”