England’s Jamie George backs Wales players but is wary of bounce back

F or the players of England and Wales this feels like a timely week to recall Rudyard Kipling’s most famous poem. “If you can keep your head while all around you are losing theirs …’ The threatened Welsh players’ strike may have been averted but only now, with both teams announced, is Saturday’s game of rugby at the Principality Stadium finally emerging from beneath a huge, steaming pile of off-field issues.

It is not simply a question of whether Wales can rise above a uniquely turbulent, fractious week. Contractual negotiations have also been ongoing east of the Severn Bridge and England’s senior pros have been monitoring the situation in Wales as closely as anyone. A new professional game agreement in England, potentially involving some belt-tightening, has to be finalised before 2024 and the Saracens hooker Jamie George is among those keenly aware that difficult conversations may yet await closer to home.

Rather than rubbing their hands at this week’s uproar in Wales, therefore, the likes of George have been cheering on their opponents’ from afar. “We have a huge amount of sympathy for the Welsh players,” said the Saracens forward, shortly before the red rose team bus departed Bagshot en route for Cardiff. “I can understand why they’re as frustrated as they are … I’m glad they have stood up for themselves and I hope they can get sorted.”

Smart, seasoned players such as George can see a bigger picture emerging. The fall of Wasps and Worcester has focused everyone’s minds, the fragility of professional rugby’s finances is increasingly evident, and the pressure on Premiership budgets is not going away. “It’s glaringly obvious the Premiership isn’t in a place we want it to be in either,” said George. “Rugby is in a bit