Alphonsi on how to win a Rugby World Cup with England in France
As evening turned to night on 19 August 2014 under the floodlights of the Stade Jean-Bouin, flanker Maggie Alphonsi celebrated becoming one of only a handful of England players to win a Rugby World Cup.
Her side’s 21-9 victory over Canada in the French capital remains the last time an English side, male or female, claimed the most prestigious trophy in rugby.
As such, the 74-cap former Red Roses star possesses valuable insight into what England’s men need to do to complete their own Parisian smash and grab over the coming weeks.
Rugby on the mind
“Going into our World Cup we had these ‘what-ifs’. We planned for if those scenarios cropped up, such as injuries, what if your big ones go down, your starting fly-half or captain, and how you manage that,” Alphonsi tells City PM
“We made sure to try and have depth in each position. Many times we would have training sessions where the captain was told not to turn up, or a certain coach wouldn’t turn up. What would the team do in those scenarios? You learn to manage those.”
England face such a scenario in their first game at this World Cup against Argentina, where Owen Farrell and Billy Vunipola will both be missing through suspension.
“Farrell is the captain [of England] and a significant leader in that team and misses the opening match, but England are full of leaders,” she adds.
“France have lost Romain Ntamack, who was going to be the starting No10, but then Matthieu Jalibert now stands up in that role.
“It is a shock to the system when there’s any significant or drastic changes in a squad but what you find with most teams is that they get on with it.
Unknown
England head into this World Cup in disarray. They’ve been blaming too much and too little training, and a disrupted preparation, among other reasons.
But beyond England there are storylines for core rugby fans and a new generation of viewers to get stuck into.
“It’s really entertaining,” says Alphonsi, an ambassador of Six Nations Rugby Insights Partner Sage. “There’s only so much you can talk about what happens on the field and it’s hard to talk a lot about it before the tournament has started, but there are undercurrent storylines which aren’t negative, they’re just really interesting and they grip a viewer.
“People do want to know how Eddie Jones does after leaving England but then his selection, wow, with no Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper. Those of us who know Eddie know he makes those big calls and his emphasis is on youth. I am looking forward to seeing if England meet Australia at some point.
“It definitely creates interesting conversations such as Warren Gatland with Wales and Joe Schmidt [as consultant] with Ireland. I am excited about this World Cup.
“Japan [2019] was amazing but this World Cup has an interesting vibe. There’s lots of competition: Ireland are No1, France are third and it’s their home tournament. Many countries have moved around [the rankings] and players aren’t there due to injury. It is going to appeal to a lot of people and I hope it grabs the global viewers.”
France for rugby glory?
So all that’s left is to dissect who wins it. The top five teams in the world by ranking are in the same half of the draw, meaning only two of them will reach the semi-finals.
Teams ranked six through 10, including Fiji in seventh as the highest-ranked side in their pool, are on the other half of the draw. This means two teams ranked below spot five are guaranteed places in the final four.
Last time England’s men reached the final in France they were controversially undone by a refereeing decision. Alphonsi knows what it means to taste success across the channel in a World Cup. But England are conspicuous by their absence from her tips for glory.
“You wonder what happens off the field but Scotland, after what they’ve done, are a side who can get through [to the quarter-finals],” she says.
“I initially went off France after Ntamack’s injury but I think France will do it. Ireland will be up there but I feel it will be France.”
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