ELLIOT DALY says England rugby team are not far from the form that earned 12 straight wins, despite losses to Scotland rugby team and Ireland rugby team.
Daly is one of nine new starters for England against Italy rugby team in Rome on Saturday. Coach Steve Borthwick aims to reignite the team’s performance.
“It might look a million miles away on TV, but really it’s a few small errors and missed chances,” Daly said. “We’ve created a lot of opportunities, just a little flat at times. These are easy fixes.”
England have made the second-most entries into the opposition 22m this Six Nations, yet only Italy has scored fewer points from those situations. Daly notes defenders push up when England attack, making progress harder near the try line.
He emphasises the need for composure in scoring positions.
“The way we attack to get there is strong,” he said. “We just need the same mindset when we do get in there. If we convert a couple more chances, we’ll be competitive in these games.”
Experience Key to Perspective
Daly helped revive England’s campaign in last year’s Six Nations. The 33-year-old scored the winning try against France rugby team after missing the opening-round defeat to Ireland.
He returned from a broken arm sustained on the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia and played in the autumn win over Argentina rugby team. His left-footed kicking and playmaking experience remain key under Borthwick.
With 74 caps, Daly has more international experience than the rest of the starting backline combined.
“Losing two games isn’t the end of the world,” he said. “We want to win every match, but the road to the World Cup is long. We’ll learn from this and keep improving.”
