The World Cup winner and England legend discusses their chances ahead of the 2023 edition in France.<\/p>\n
Robinson an England legend through and through is meassured and realistic given the recent fixtures in his assesssment… very revealing about the entire tournament<\/p>\n
Commenting on the recent performances<\/p>\n
“I think we\u2019ve lost our way a bit, we\u2019ve lost our identity. What are we as an England team? What\u2019s our game plan?<\/p>\n
You look at certain teams within the competition and you know what you\u2019re getting from them. The likes of Fiji, if nothing else, you know they will use the ball and they\u2019ll play. New Zealand, you know they\u2019re great on the counter-attack, so if you turn the ball over, they\u2019ve got good hands and they will punish you.”<\/p>\n
Then looking at the teams,<\/p>\n
“But it\u2019s going to be interesting because I think this will be the most competitive World Cup there\u2019s ever been. I really do. Normally, most people\u2019s eyes would be on New Zealand, South Africa, maybe England at a push. But now you\u2019re looking at France and Ireland too. If France can get through New Zealand in that first game, and get the whole of France behind them, they will be very, very difficult to stop.”<\/p>\n
Then focusing on England<\/p>\n
“I honestly believe England have a team to compete with anybody in the world. I really do. In the last World Cup, the game against New Zealand, which a lot of these players played in, that was the best I\u2019ve ever seen an England team play ever. Full stop, including the final in 2003. We never played as well as that game.<\/p>\n
If we can get to a semi-final, that would be massive and a huge boost for England rugby to kick on from. It would give the players, the coaches, the fans something to shout about.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t doubt for one minute that the players are putting the work in on the pitch. But it\u2019s one thing putting it in, it\u2019s another thing actually getting results. We\u2019re in a results business and that\u2019s what we need to see.”<\/p>\n