Keep cracking your whip as England won’t get to No1 if you don’t, full-back Mike Brown tells head coach Eddie Jones
England vice-captain Mike Brown – tough, uncompromising and not afraid to speak his mind – was quick to jump to the defence of head coach Eddie Jones when the intensity of the Australian’s international training camp came under fire amid a succession of injuries.
Jones, too, is famed for his no-nonsense, some might say authoritarian, approach, a quality which resonates with Brown, who publicly condemned his team-mates as dressing room leaks followed England’s disastrous group-stage exit at last year’s World Cup.
The 31-year-old full-back insists a “new England” is now in operation and a perfect record from Jones’s nine matches in charge, which includes a Six Nations grand slam and unprecedented whitewash of Australia Down Under, certainly echoes such sentiments.
Success in their four autumn internationals would match England’s all-time record of 14 consecutive wins set under the stewardship of Sir Clive Woodward in 2003. The only injury Brown is concerned about is the arm ache he hopes Jones suffers from the incessant cracking of his whip.
“Yes Eddie is tough, he wants you to work hard, but that’s how it should be at international level,” Brown told City PM
“We’re all desperate to achieve so we like the tough atmosphere. We don’t want to be comfortable, we want to be uncomfortable.
“He’s been brilliant for us so far, but that’s easy to say when we’re winning so we need to keep going, keep working hard and keep improving. That’s what Eddie wants from us. He wants the best for us and that’s why he is the way he is.
“We want to be the No1 team in the world and win World Cups, of course we do, otherwise what is the point of putting in all the hard work? You might as well just turn up the day before a game and play.
“That’s our goal. We will use the grand slam and Australia as a springboard but we’re still a long way off where we want to be. We’ll keep working hard to get there. That is why Eddie’s tough and why we’re tough on each other.”
The talk of winning World Cups may seem folly given England’s meltdown in such surroundings just 12 months ago, but the change within that period has been stark. Brown is clear that the shackles of failure cannot incarcerate forever.
We're the lucky ones
“The World Cup was a long time ago, we’ve left that far behind us, this is a new England now,” added Brown.
“That whole squad has had to bounce back. Some of us have had the opportunity to do so in an England shirt, some haven’t, so we’re the lucky ones.
“We’ve bounced back well and you can see in everyone who was involved in the World Cup how much they have wanted to improve.”
The next challenge for England is an autumn programme which begins on 12 November and consists of matches against South Africa – a side no member of Jones’ squad has beaten in Test rugby – Fiji, Argentina and Australia.
Prior to that Brown has domestic matters to take care of, beginning this weekend when Harlequins travel to the Scottish capital for the second clash of their European Challenge Cup campaign against Edinburgh.
Last season’s beaten finalists Quins started this term’s European quest by running in seven tries during a 43-21 thrashing of Stade Francais at The Stoop. Harlequins have loftier ambitions than Europe’s second tier club competition, but needs must.
“We have got good history in this lower European competition so we still want to do well in that, even though it is not exactly where we want to be,” added Brown.
“Winning silverware is great for any club regardless of the competition, and particularly for us in our 150th year.
“It’s been an up and down season. The consistency has not been there, especially away from home. Our last two home games [victories against Northampton and Stade Francais] need to be taken on the road if we want to achieve.
“We need momentum but it won’t be easy for an English team playing the Scots, it never is.”