Skip to content

Vickery calls for heroes

Thursday 21 February 2008 15:30, UK

Image: Vickery: Ready for France

England captain Phil Vickery insists it will take a "heroic effort" to stop France in Paris on Saturday.

England captain Phil Vickery insists it will take a "heroic effort" to stop France in Paris on Saturday. Having seen his side under-perform in the opening two games of the RBS Six Nations, Vickery knows his under-fire troops must improve - and fast. However, Vickery believes that if his side can recreate the spirit of their World Cup semi-final win over Les Bleus they will have a great chance in Paris. He said: "I am under no illusions about what lies ahead for us, but I am really positive about it. "We have to improve, go out and perhaps show a level to our game we haven't seen yet. If we don't, then it is going to be a very difficult proposition. "It's France against England in the Six Nations in Paris. For me, it is the biggest game in the championship.

Heroic

"We are going to be coming up against a team on the weekend who, four months ago, were knocked out of the semi-finals of the World Cup in their home country in front of their home support (by England). "It is going to take a heroic effort to beat these guys, but we must stop talking about what's happening and ultimately go out and put it on the paddock. "We all have to stop pointing fingers at people and look at our own individual performance and work-rate. "It is about taking ownership and responsibility. Every small detail makes a difference, and we have just been getting too many things wrong collectively in the second half of games. "You have got to be careful not to look too much into it, because you can end up trying to find things that perhaps aren't there. "But at the same time, they need to be addressed and be quite hard on each other - which we have been - to put things right. "The response from the players has been great."

Around Sky

Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch more games than ever before

Not got Sky? Get instant access to Sky Sports with no contract