Vickery admits England don’t merit sympathy

Mar 14 2008 by Our Correspondent, South Wales Echo

ENGLAND will bring the curtain down on another failed RBS Six Nations campaign tomorrow, with skipper Phil Vickery declaring: “I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us.”

The 2007 World Cup finalists’ long wait for Six Nations silverware has now stretched to five frustrating seasons.

This year’s title will be settled at the Millennium Stadium, not Twickenham, when leaders and Grand Slam-chasing Wales tackle France.

And whichever head coach finishes on the losing side at Twickenham – England’s Brian Ashton or Ireland boss Eddie O’Sullivan – can expect renewed calls for his removal.

England can only reflect on where it went wrong, yet had they not blown a 19-6 lead against Wales and produced a woefully-indisciplined display in losing to Scotland, Vickery’s men could be the ones scenting Grand Slam glory.

Wasps tight-head prop Vickery said: “We are striving to get there. I don’t think we are there by any means, but we are trying.

“It is very difficult when you are not playing well and you lose games you should win.

“I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for us.

“When you lose your first game at home with a fairly new team, it is pretty demoralising.

“Then you play three games away from home on the bounce, and after you lose the last one we are then faced with, on paper, an Ireland team that on their day can beat and compete with any team in world rugby, so it doesn’t get any easier I am afraid.

“I think we’ve shown at times that we can play some decent stuff.

“It’s just being able to play it consistently well enough for long enough periods of time.

“The margins at this level are very, very small.

“But we are not actually far away from being a bloody good team, I honestly believe that.”