Six Nations
The perils of basking in your own glory
Conor O'Shea
February 13, 2015

Sport is defined by small margins, at 10 - 0 down in Cardiff last week or at 16 - 8 down going down the tunnel at half time England were staring down the abyss and the next score was going to be pivotal. Two years earlier the final score line was 30 - 3 but there were similar moments but in that instance the next score went the way of Wales and the medals went around Welsh necks.

That is sport and that is rugby, tiny things deciding your fate, deciding whether you spend the week dissecting and micro analysing your faults or spend a week being told you are the best and the world is your oyster.

One of the great attributes of any sports person or team is their ability to remain level, hence that lovely Kipling quote of meeting triumph and disaster but treating those two imposters just the same. England will know they could have won last week by more but they also know they could have lost the game had certain things not gone their way at crucial moments. There is no doubt you work hard to make those margins go your way and then there are the things you don't control that can make everything you work for come to nothing.

 
"What France offer is an ability to out-muscle Ireland, a bit like Toulon did to Ulster in Belfast earlier this year in the Champions Cup"
 

I was always told growing up that you are only as good as your next game. While others can reflect and glorify, any top performer is looking at their next job and that is how they stay grounded. If you don't deliver in the next game there will be somebody ready to take your place or to shoot you down, it comes with the territory and in some ways the next job for England is going to be the hardest. Why? Expectation. It is the same when you are working week in week out in the game, come into the review meetings up and down the country. Whether you have won, as we did at Harlequins, three trophies in three seasons from 2011 to 2013, it counts for nothing, you raise expectation and you know you have to deliver. But it is always better to have that expectation as it shows you have delivered, without expectation you are nothing.

After last week all we have read about is the launch pad towards Grand Slam and World Cup glory for England, how the win will be crucial and pivotal in this team's evolution. In some ways the pressure is greater now than ever. Tell me any England fan or pundit who expects anything other than a convincing win for England?

Well anyone who has been lucky enough to play or be involved against Italian sides will tell you than no matter what they are a proud, passionate and physical team, they will come to do their country proud and will not want for lack of effort or physicality. Just look at their tackle count against Ireland last week. When you come off a pitch having played Italy you leave it battered and bruised, they will tackle until they drop. Yes, I do expect England to win comfortably at home but don't expect an all-signing, all dancing error free romp. It won't be.

To stay level I am sure Stuart will remind the chosen 23 of the competition for places. Last week we talked about the injuries and the squad been denuded of senior players, this week we are talking about its depth and the selection dilemma that will face Stuart when everyone is fit. There will be one heck of a scrap to get into the World Cup Squad and some hard conversations to be had.

Wales and England vie for the ball, Wales v England, Six Nations Championship, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, February 6, 2015
Wales will want to bounce back against Scotland © Getty Images
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It is that competition for places and the carrot at the end of the year that will keep everyone on task and focussed, on that next job. Will there be speed bumps along the way? Yes of course and how they react to them will determine the final outcome.

For the rugby world all roads are leading to Dublin on March 1 and Ireland's game against England, if (and when) Ireland over come France this weekend. France got the job done last weekend against Scotland, no more than that, and if anything it was Scotland who looked more threatening.

What France offer is an ability to out-muscle Ireland, a bit like Toulon did to Ulster in Belfast earlier this year in the Champions Cup. Ireland on the other hand have the ability to out-think their opposition. Joe Schmidt's teams have the ability to change from one game to the next dependent on opposition and I sure we will see a higher tempo game against France to attempt to tire their pack out. France may have threats out wide themselves but as the game wears on their massive pack can tire and space opens, as it did for Stuart Hogg last week.

As for the last game of the weekend expectations again raise their weary head. Murrayfield expects a new Scotland to run out on to the pitch, playing almost the Glasgow way, full of ambition and off-loading but they are up against a hurting but still outstanding Welsh side. The pressure will be on Scotland at home to deliver and I think Wales will be the ones who will look after their next job. They have the experience within their ranks both at coaching and playing level to learn their lessons and react in the right manner.

So as we look forward to another cracking set of games and with that next job focus in mind I am going for wins for Ireland, England and Wales. The beauty of punditry is that I can get all that wrong and rationalise it away without consequence.

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