The new England coach, Eddie Jones, has been urged to ignore the “cheap jibes” aimed at Chris Robshaw and to recognise the flanker’s value to the national side. The Harlequins’ director of rugby, Conor O’Shea, has also praised Robshaw for resisting the temptation to fire back at his critics following the host nation’s premature World Cup exit.
O’Shea remains upset by some of the flak Robshaw has received and hopes Jones will not be unduly swayed by external pressure to ditch the incumbent captain from his Six Nations lineup. “You can see I get irritated by it because I’m unbelievably protective of someone I think deserves a heck of a lot more than some of the cheap jibes that have been directed at him. That’s all they are. Very cheap, very populist, very easy.
“He was always going to be on a hiding to nothing in the World Cup. I think as a rugby player, a bloke and a role model we should be very proud we’ve had somebody like Chris. He could easily have reacted, have come out and said some spiteful things back to people. He could have said what he thought. I could have said what I thought about some of the people who were talking about him. But he didn’t. He kept his counsel, he’s done what he’s always done and he’s got on with it. Some people have said they’d like to see him come out and say something but that just creates a headline and ill will.”
Jones officially takes over as England coach next Tuesday and one of his first stated intentions is to meet Robshaw for a coffee and a chat. O’Shea accepts the Australian may be looking for a different leader but reckons Robshaw is too valuable to the squad to jettison. “I don’t give a fiddler’s if he’s captain or not any more. He’s England’s second most-capped captain of all time. A lot of new coaches come in and make changes but I’m sure Eddie Jones will come in, have a look, pick his best team and then the best player to captain the side will be picked. If that’s not Chris, that’s not a headline.
“Whether he’s captain, whether he’s 6 or 7 I frankly don’t care. What I do know is that he wants it 100%. In a weird way England not succeeding in the World Cup has actually given huge motivation to a lot of players they might not have had if they’d won the World Cup. If they had, who’s to say they would have had an Everest to climb? Now they have got something completely different to prove.”
England kick off their Six Nations campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday 6 February and Jones has a number of back-row candidates to consider. He has already indicated he is aware of “four or five” potential open-side options but O’Shea argues Robshaw bears comparison with the world’s best. “I think he’s just an outstanding rugby player. He’s proven that. He’s beaten Richie McCaw and the All Blacks … he’s beaten Sam Warburton in individual battles. I’ll pick the positives, some will pick the negatives.
“Opinions are very short term in sport. One day you can be a hero, the next you are zero. As Dick Best [a former Quins and England coach] put it: ‘From back stabbing to back slapping it’s only a heartbeat.’ By the time the Six Nations comes around everybody will be talking it up, whoever is playing for England. That’s the way it is in sport. You get on with it.
“If we’re achieving and right up the top end [of the table] I’ve no doubt Chris Robshaw will be in the team.”
