Six Nations: Stuart Lancaster nixes arrogance jibe

By ALEX LOWE
Published on 01/02/2013 01:20

STUART Lancaster last night bit back at Jim Telfer’s jibe that England are arrogant and insisted: “It is not in our culture”.

Telfer, the former Scotland coach, lit the blue touch paper ahead of tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup showdown at Twickenham by accusing England of being arrogant, condescending and pretentious. Lancaster accepted it was an accusation that could have been fairly levelled at previous England teams – but not at his.

“It is not in our culture, it is not what we believe in,” said Lancaster who named debutant Billy Twelvetrees at centre and recalled prop Joe Marler in his starting XV for Twickenham. “It might have been in the past but that is no resemblance to the team I am working with. As head coach, I don’t want to be perceived as an arrogant person or an arrogant team.”

Telfer said this week that England are not as good as they think they are following their record 38-21 victory over world champions New Zealand. “They are too arrogant, too pretentious and too condescending to realise they have a problem,” he said.

Chris Ashton, Danny Care, Ben Youngs and Manu Tuilagi were named as “very impressionable” players who let the All Blacks win go to their heads. Ashton’s swallow dive try-scoring celebration divides opinion while Tuilagi was accused of showboating as he sauntered in for England’s third try against the All Blacks.

Lancaster said: “I don’t call celebrating a try showboating. If you remember I took Manu off almost immediately after his try because the call came from the physio that he was absolutely exhausted. It is not in his nature.”

Telfer’s comments have certainly stoked the boiler ahead of tomorrow’s Calcutta Cup clash at Twickenham, where Scotland have not won in 30 years. “He’s Scottish isn’t he, very passionate about his country and he wants to give his lads as much belief as he can,” Lancaster’s assistant Andy Farrell said earlier in the week. “It is him trying to do the right thing by his own country, to try and motivate them.”

v Scotland at Twickenham tomorrow, kick-off 4pm

15 A Goode (Saracens)

14 C Ashton (Saracens)

13 B Barritt (Saracens)

12 B Twelvetrees (Gloucester)

11 M Brown (Harlequins)

10 O Farrell (Saracens)

9 B Youngs (Leicester)

1 J Marler (Harlequins)

2 T Youngs (Leicester)

3 D Cole (Leicester)

4 J Launchbury (Wasps)

5 G Parling (Leicester)

6 T Wood (Northampton)

7 C Robshaw (Harlequins, capt

8 B Morgan (Gloucester)

Subs

16 D Hartley (Northampton)

17 D Wilson (Bath)

18 M Vunipola (Saracens)

19 C Lawes (Northampton)

20 J Haskell (Wasps)

21 D Care (Harlequins)

22 T Flood (Leicester)

23 D Strettle (Saracens)