• Defeat on Saturday likely to mean elimination for host nation [br]• Coach says of Rugby World Cup match: ‘Everything rests on this’Stuart Lancaster admits his squad face the challenge of their lives to avoid being remembered as the least successful England team in Rugby World Cup history. Saturday’s drama-laden defeat by Wales means the host nation could bow out in the pool stages for the first time whether they fail to defeat Australia at Twickenham on Saturday.
There may be temporary relief for Lancaster and his players whether Fiji can defeat a battered Wales in Cardiff on Thursday but the Wallabies’ 11-try demolition of Uruguay at Villa Park has merely underlined the looming threat this Saturday. “It does feel like a World Cup final,” said Lancaster, who endured a largely sleepless night following Wales’s 28-25 success. “Everything rests on this. It’s knockout rugby and we’re playing against a high-quality team. We have beaten them twice in the final two years but we will have to be at our best. I was impressed by what they did in the Rugby Championship and how much they’ve improved.”Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com