LONDON (Reuters) – England are concentrating on themselves and their preparations for the Rugby World Cup rather than those questioning whether they are among the favourites to lift the trophy in France, captain Owen Farrell said on Monday.
Coach Steve Borthwick named his 33-player selection for the Sept. 8-Oct. 28 tournament just days after a dismal 20-9 defeat by Wales in Cardiff that has raised plenty of questions over the work the squad has been doing in the last few weeks.
Farrell will captain the side, as he did four years ago in Japan when England were beaten 32-12 by South Africa in the final, and says he is not listening to any of the outside “noise” that has surrounded the group.
“The whole thing for the team is to get the most out of ourselves now,” Farrell told reporters. “We are looking forward to the tournament and the opportunity is brilliant for us, but all our focus now is on making sure we become a better rugby team.
“We have been doing that over the last few weeks and now the squad has been selected we can rip into that even more.
“Tournament rugby is a lot about pressure. It is bigger than anything else you play in, more eyes, more noise. We have to focus on what we can control, and not let the other stuff creep in. External factors don’t really matter.”
England open their World Cup against Argentina in Marseille on Sept. 9, and also have Japan, Samoa and Chile in Pool D.
They will be heavy favourites to advance to the quarter-finals, despite their indifferent form in 2023, but Farrell also warned against complacency.
“You only need to look at the football World Cup (in Qatar) where Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia. Look at previous Rugby World Cups where New Zealand have been so dominant (but not lifted the trophy) … like in 2007 when South Africa won,” he said.
“We are where we are at the minute and we are working hard to be the best we can be. The dream is always to be in the big game at the end.”
(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
