QBE Autumn Internationals: Stuart Lancaster defends stuttering England stars
Sunday 16 November 2014 22:12, UK
Stuart Lancaster accepts pressure to produce results is mounting as England continue to stutter in the build-up to next year's home World Cup.
South Africa clinched a 31-28 victory in Saturday's match at Twickenham to extend the hosts' dismal losing streak to five Tests, albeit each of them coming against New Zealand or the Springboks – the world’s leading Test sides.
Lancaster stated in the build-up to the 24-21 loss to the All Blacks in autumn opener would offer a ‘barometer of England’s progress’.
However having sustained two successive defeats in a week England appear to be going backwards.
Pressure
"Clearly the pressure is on because we haven't achieved our objective, but internally there's a very strong group working hard together to improve,” Lancaster said.
“There’s no sense of the pressure affecting people. Every defeat hurts, but obviously you want to make sure you build and put a positive performance next week. People want and expect that - as do we.
"I don't think any team stops developing or learning, but the clock ultimately stops at the World Cup. If you don't win in the short term, while also trying to develop the side in the long term, then ultimately pressure can be caused by not winning consistently."
One of the most pressing concerns facing Lancaster is his underperforming fly-half Owen Farrell, once an automatic selection but now surely unlikely to retain his place against Samoa or Australia.
With injury limiting Farrell to just three Aviva Premiership appearances this term, the young fly-half appears to be lacking match sharpness, prompting calls for Bath stand-off George Ford to be given an overdue start.
But Lancaster jumped to the defence of Farrell following some ‘off-colour’ performances and, whilst acknowledging the importance of the No.10 role, attributed England’s recent form to the team collectively and not merely individual errors.
"There is nothing in training to show that Owen is down on fitness. He trained fantastically well on Tuesday so there's no fitness issue," Lancaster added.
"Owen will be frustrated at one or two things - the ball out on the full from kick-off, things like that, things that can come back and haunt you. Obviously in a key position like 10, that's important.
"But he has been outstanding for England in the past and he certainly wasn't at fault for us losing to South Africa. You lose because of the collective, not because of one person."
"We have got a lot of faith in Owen as a player and as a person. We'll be sticking by him really in terms of his development within the squad without a doubt."
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Ford insists he is ready for his first Test start after four appearances coming on as a replacement, including Saturday's 16-minute cameo against South Africa. But with the squad reviewing the Springbok game on Monday Ford is, more immediately, prepared for some plain talking from his teammates.
"I think I'm ready. Obviously I really want a chance. I always want to get on the pitch," Ford said.
"Some things happened that happened last week. For them to happen two weeks on the bounce, (the review) could get a little bit nasty. We're an honest team and we'll stick our hands up.
"We need to win the next two games. We are five (defeats) on the bounce now and we are not a team that likes losing."
Watch the QBE Autumn International between England and Samoa live on Saturday November 22. Coverage from Twickenham starts at 6:30pm, Sky Sports 2HD.
