“Where did it all go wrong?” is always a good question in sport. For the England rugby team, sadly this isn’t one of the George Best variety. They were leading Wales by ten points mid-way through the second half. Of the World Cup. At home. And due to a terrible run of injuries, Wales had players out of position all over the place. Yet they lost.
So where did it all go wrong? Were Wales inspired, or did England freeze? Should they have settled for a kick to get the draw (yes, obviously in hindsight)? These questions could go on forever. Losses like this one are especially hard to bear, as you can’t work out why. It’s the complicated ones that hurt.
But before England are written off, remember that France lost two pool matches in 2011, and still nearly won the whole thing. England can move on in two ways: either work out what went wrong against Wales, and put it right; or work out what was going right, and do more of that. I’d suggest the latter might be quicker. Roll on Australia. Continue reading