England’s defeat by Wales at the Millennium Stadium in 2013 will act as a motivating force when they face their old rivals in the World Cup on Saturday, according to full-back Mike Brown.
Two years ago, England went to Cardiff just a win away from a Grand Slam but suffered a record 30-3 loss to Wales. Their margin of victory was so great they snatched the Six Nations title from their visitors.
Brown, who played on the wing in that match, and several teammates have not forgotten the pain even though they have won twice since.
“That was a tough day at the office and is a massive driving force for the team,” Brown said at Twickenham on Friday.
Saturday’s match will be the most high-profile clash of this World Cup so far, with the winners taking a giant stride towards a quarter-final place from a ‘Pool of Death’ also featuring two-time world champions Australia.
For Harlequins No 15 Brown, the fixture is the latest in a line of Anglo-Welsh rugby experiences that date back to the boyhood of the 30-year-old.
“It was always a a massive game growing up from the age of five, watching with my old man.
“This is a massive occasion, with the added spice of being a World Cup game.”
England as the birthplace of rugby means they have long been a team all others want to beat.
– Rugby grudges –
“We seem to have a lot of grudge matches or rivalries – it’s hard to put one above the rest,” said Brown, two-try hero of England’s opening 35-11 win over Fiji.
“I know it will be an incredible occasion and a great game. The physicality and intensity suits me down to the ground, I can’t wait to get out there.”
Brown was happy to vocally support England captain and club colleague Chris Robshaw when Millennium Stadium chiefs tried to hurry the visitors onto the field in their Friday night clash in the Six Nations in February.
Unwilling to be kept waiting in the cold, England stood their ground and waited for the referee — France’s Jerome Garces who will be the man in the middle on Saturday — to lead both teams out.
England fell 10 points behind early on but fought back to win 21-16.
“It’s a bit embarrassing really,” said Brown. “At the time it was me just standing up for my captain because I was next in line in that tunnel and he was coming under a bit of heat from the people in the tunnel trying to move him along and things like that.
“So I was just trying to back him up and being the gobby so-and-so that I am and him being the more calm and collected one, I took that role up.”
Flank forward Robshaw will surpass 2003 World Cup-winning skipper Martin Johnson’s mark when he leads England out for the 40th time on Saturday. Only Will Carling, in charge for 59 Tests, has captained England on more occasions.
Robshaw has had his place in the team and his leadership credentials questioned since being made skipper by Stuart Lancaster in one of the England coach’s first acts after he took charge in 2012.
But Brown said Robshaw had been under-estimated.
“Chris is a world-class player. He doesn’t need to say a lot, we just try and follow his example.
“I’ve grown up with him, so for me it is great to see what he has achieved and it is great for me to be alongside him whilst he is achieving it.”