England players have been afforded the freedom to explore France in the evenings, but they are acutely aware that ‘if you f— up, you’re out.’
In a departure from past England regimes, head coach Steve Borthwick has opted not to impose a formal alcohol ban, placing his trust in the team to behave responsibly and uphold their own standards.
The strength of this collective peer pressure has translated into a pristine record in the early days of the World Cup camp, and veteran prop Dan Cole does not anticipate anyone straying from the path.
‘We’ve always been reminded about the importance of trust,’ Cole emphasised to The Telegraph..
‘If you f— up, you’re out, basically. So, nobody f—s up. Or at least, they make a conscious effort not to.
“People have varying approaches to their evenings; some are more laid-back, others more professional. It’s about finding what works for each individual.'”
Who could replace Steve Borthwick at Twickenham?
5. Sir Clive Woodward – 20/1
Woodward is the World Cup winning Head Coach who led England’s rugby players to World Cup glory in Australia in 2003.
A former England International and British & Irish Lion himself, prior to his full time coaching career Clive established a successful business career working for nine years with Xerox in the UK and Australia before establishing his own small finance and leasing company.
During Clive’s tenure as Head Coach England moved from 6th in the world to being the number one ranked team, winning every trophy an England team can win.
