How England plan to quieten the boo boys and make Twickenham ‘erupt’

England centre back Freddie Stewards acknowledges that while they continue to get ready for their upcoming Test match against Wales, it is up to the team to create the enthusiasm on the pitch.Between 2016 and 2020, the Red Rose were among the top teams in the league, winning three Six Nations championships and making it to the 2019 Rugby World Cup final.

But after losing to South Africa in Japan, they gradually deteriorated, and in December 2022, Eddie Jones was fired as a result.

Outcomes and strategy

The style of play was even worse than the results, making watching England a headache for some supporters.

After they lost to Argentina in the 2022 end-of-year series, they were booed, and they later faced the same fate after losses to France and Fiji.

In addition, Steward maintains that it is the players’ “responsibility” to rally the supporters when they play Wales in the Six Nations, their first home game since losing to the Flying Fijians in August of last year.

“As a team, we have discussed how to make Twickenham a challenging place to visit and a place where we can perform at our best,” the full-back remarked.

“We are lucky to have a fantastic group of fans who contribute to our success. Being home again is also the same as being a new group. This is really a new beginning.

“After the World Cup, we are beginning a new cycle with new players and coaches, and now is our opportunity to make a statement.

“As players, you have an expectation to win when you represent England; naturally, the supporters will not be behind you if you lose, and there was some of that during the warm-ups.

When we reached the World Cup semifinal, it seemed possible that this would be the outcome. As athletes, we constantly desire something, but in order to obtain it, we must perform well on the pitch.

“They are the core of what we do. We want Twickenham to come alive and become a stadium where we want to play and represent our supporters.

“I would never hold the fans responsible and insist that they encourage the players.” We have the accountability as they act in that way as a result of what we do.

Modification of strategy
Due to his lack of experience leading the team, new head coach Steve Borthwick decided to stick to a simple game plan before the World Cup.

It paid off, as they advanced to the semifinals and England was only narrowly eliminated from the championship match by eventual winners the Springboks.

Given his love of the set-piece, there were worries that Borthwick would stick to that strategy, but they were undoubtedly more comprehensive against Italy.

“There is also the mental aspect of it, where one can demonstrate bravery by attacking beyond the line and attempting to provoke the opposition and give them pause for thought,” Steward continued.

“In terms of opponents knowing what we were going to do, we were definitely guilty of being too one-dimensional right from the beginning.

However, by changing up the attack, maybe it will make the opposition answer a few more questions. It helps that we’ve spent more time together.

“As players, our goal is to play successful rugby. We want to win Test matches, competitions, and successful campaigns, regardless of the style that we choose.

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