Six Nations/ England v Italy: England find themselves teetering on the brink. Victory will drag them back in the direction of Six Nations respectability; a fourth straight defeat, in contrast, would tip them into the abyss with only a potential wooden spoon for company.
If England have even contemplated the latter, they are certainly not letting on. "What's a wooden spoon?" asked assistant coach Phil Larder, fixing the pessimists with a withering glare. "Do they go up and collect it?" It is fair to say the home side are in no mood for provocative stirring.
Notwithstanding their recent misfortunes, however, it is hard to see England doing anything other than catching the Italians on the rebound. The Azzurri still await their first away victory since entering the Six Nations and have shown nothing to suggest they are about to embarrass their hosts' mean-spirited defence.
Whatever England have been unable to do in this championship, they have tackled impeccably, confounding their defensive guru Larder's theory that sides who make over 90 per cent of their tackles win. "We had a 94 per cent success rate against Wales, 93 per cent against France and 94 per cent against Ireland yet lost all three. I've never known statistics like that," sighed Larder this week.
It is also 32 years since England lost three Twickenham internationals in a row, and until last season they had not been beaten there in the championship for seven years. "It's time for us to make it Fortress Twickenham again and it's got to start tomorrow," said Robinson.
He has also been encouraged by what he has seen on the training field since Bath's footsore players were finally able to join in, and Martin Corry's determination to succeed in his first Test as captain is such that Italy will need all the forward resolve for which they are renowned.
On the cautionary side, however, John Kirwan's teams usually give it a lash of some description and Larder rates their defence as "the most improved in world rugby". There is also another South African referee, Mark Lawrence.
But in the wake of the Jonathan Kaplan episode in Dublin, all and sundry recognise that this weekend is no time for whingeing. Instead, the backs need quicker ball, fewer forwards clogging the midfield and a willingness to make the most of the recalled Iain Balshaw's talents. "We're not here blaming other people," said Robinson. "We're focusing on ourselves."
That focus extends to Robinson's refusal to discuss whether he might be better off touring with England in North America this summer rather than trotting off to New Zealand with the Lions. "I haven't even thought about the Lions tour," he insisted. "I'll deal with that after these two games."
A resounding England victory today would help him on several fronts.
Guardian Service
* Wigan and Britain captain Andy Farrell could be a rugby union player within a week. The 29-year-old league legend edged closer to his cross-code move yesterday when Robinson revealed the Rugby Football Union have agreed a deal with Wigan.
Farrell's destination is still unknown but the RFU have agreed a deal thought to be worth around €150,000 in compensation and wages to the Warriors.
