BBC Breakfast speaks to rugby fans in France
England’s Rugby World Cup stars have been banned from taking a single sip of alcohol throughout their tournament, after starting with an impressive 27-10 victory over Argentina on Saturday. George Ford kicked every point for Steve Borthwick’s 14 men as Tom Curry was sent off after just three minutes.
The team did not celebrate by going out for a drink, however, as prop Ellis Genge revealed that the team have all agreed to go tee-total during their time in France. Holding up a bottle of coke and insisting that no beers will be drunk over the next few weeks, the 28-year-old insisted that they can go all the way and win a second World Cup.
“We’re not relieved,” Genge admitted after victory over Argentina. “We want to win the World Cup and we’re doing the same thing every week. It’s about consistency. This is what we’re aiming for. We said we were building, but nobody believed it. But I believe we can win this World Cup. Of course I do. I wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
While the ban has not been made formal, veteran Dan Cole emphasised how he did not expect anyone to stray from the path after the team’s pledge. “We’ve always been reminded about the importance of trust,” Cole told The Telegraph.
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“If you f*** up, you’re out, basically. So, nobody f***s up. Or at least, they make a conscious effort not to. People have varying approaches to their evenings; some are more laid-back, others more professional. It’s about finding what works for each individual.”
Fresh off his 27 kicked points, Ford is taking a different approach to his team-mate and refuses to get carried away ahead of remaining group stage games against Japan, Chile and Samoa. “It’s about having the mindset to get better, to improve,” he added.
“That one performance doesn’t make you the finished article. Not by any stretch of the imagination. It’s a good start for us, but we have improving to do. We’ll get back to Le Touquet and start preparing for the next game against Japan.”
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Ford kicked two drop goals in the win over Argentina and revealed how the team have been working on their efforts in training, perhaps with one eye on emulating Jonny Wilkinson and his iconic kick to win the World Cup for England back in 2023.
“After every session we’re doing drop goals” Ford continued. “It’s part of what we do. It’s such a crucial and critical weapon at times, especially considering how we’ve all seen how influential they have been at (previous) World Cups.
“We’ve been laughing in the changing room. Out of the squad, Danny Care was the guy with the most drop goals for England. So I thought ‘that’s not right. I need to put an end to that.’”
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