The coach has gone against his oft-stated preference for a moment midfield playmaker as he closes on the match that will shape if not define his tenure at TwickenhamEngland’s players and coaches are so used to the scenic drive at their hotel in Bagshot they could walk it in their sleep. Up and down they wander beneath the pine trees to their training field and two-storey gym complex,regular as clockwork. Until now they have been mostly insulated from outside opinion, other than on match days. Suddenly, and before Saturday’s humdinger against Wales,there is a totally different feel inside their Surrey bubble.
Partly it is a consequence of the large marquee in the far corner of the car park where increasing battalions of the world’s media are now camped. Partly it is the sheer volume of white noise generated by England’s pre-game choice calls. I’ve given you plenty to write approximately, haven’t I?” muttered Stuart Lancaster as he marched from one thicket of microphones to the next. Both coaches and players are fully aware there is no hiding site any longer.
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Source: theguardian.com