England are braced for a “hostile” welcome on and off the field in Cardiff when they head across the Severn Bridge for this weekend’s final Six Nations instalment. The lock Ollie Chessum has not forgotten some of the abuse directed at England’s players by Welsh fans two years ago and suggests it will “rev up” the visitors for Saturday’s game at the Principality Stadium.
Chessum, named player of the match after his side’s seven-try win against Italy on Sunday, says England are determined to finish their campaign on a high note and are fully prepared for the “special” reception they receive before Six Nations games in Cardiff, most recently in 2023. “We were there for two days prior to the game and everywhere the bus goes abuse seems to follow,” said Chessum, now back fit and firing after an injury-hit year.
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“On the day of the game that last half-mile stretch [to the stadium] is just packed with fans. There are a few English dotted around and you can hear them but the abuse from the Welsh fans is something that will live long in the memory. Everywhere else is out in the sticks [but] the Principality’s slap bang in the mixer and they all want to bite at you.
“One that sticks out – it wasn’t even game day – was the day before. We’re driving through, we pull up at a roundabout and a car pulls up next to us. Mum and grandma are in the front seat and there’s a kid who can’t have been more than five. His grandma winds down the back window, and the kid just gives us the middle finger.
“It’s things like that – and the rivalry – that make this fixture so special. I enjoy it. It does rev you up a little bit. For me it is probably the best away day as a player that you can have. And with the nature of the fixture, being in the final round, we are champing at the bit to get down there.”
England are particularly keen to build on the momentum of three consecutive home wins over France, Scotland and Italy, regardless of the outcome of France’s home game against Scotland later the same evening. “They would love nothing more than to put a stop to our title hopes and beat us in Cardiff,” said Chessum. “So, first of all, we’ve got a mammoth task on our hands to go down there and win.
“The nature of rugby is that one game can change everything. Beating us, I imagine, rights the wrongs of the last 15 or 16 games for them. Us not winning at the weekend would do the complete opposite for us. The magnitude of this game can’t be overlooked and that’s why, from our perspective, we’re not looking past 4.45pm on Saturday in Cardiff.”
England are set to bring forward their team announcement by 24 hours and have been weighing up the best way to replace the injured Ollie Lawrence, who is now set to miss the rest of the season. Retaining Elliot Daly at 13 would be the simplest solution with Chessum adamant that England want to attack Wales.
“It’s human nature but everyone remembers the end [of a campaign] and not necessarily the peak. We want to finish this tournament on a high, and I don’t think there are many better places to do that than away in Cardiff. I guess you could say that if the result doesn’t go the way we want it to there is a potential for it to leave a bitter taste in the mouth.
“That’s what we’re prepping for this week, to avoid that feeling. Our team’s intent is to go out there and score tries. You can’t predict the score and we don’t know what’s going to happen but I do know that we’re going to bring bags of intent to go out there and put points on them.”
A group of MPs have made renewed calls, meanwhile, for an independent review into the Rugby Football Union’s stewardship of English rugby after the financial collapse of several top clubs and controversy over executive pay and bonuses. “It is incredibly important that the government step in and start looking at the governance of the game otherwise there will not be a game to govern,” said Edward Morello, MP for West Dorset.
