‘New England’ searching for self-belief in Six Nations crunch with Wales

One day England will play Wales at Twickenham without a full-blown global crisis gathering momentum. Two years ago the Covid-19 curtain was on the verge of crashing down, and this week’s grim events in Ukraine have put the travails of sport into similarly sharp perspective. Even on the biggest days there are more important outcomes in life than the result of a rugby game.

However, once the last notes of the anthems have floated upwards and a minute’s applause has been conducted in memory of Evesham RFC’s Jack Jeffery, who died recently while playing in a club match, there will be a brief opportunity for temporary escapism. The nerves and pent-up emotions felt by all players have to be funnelled somewhere. The question, as ever, is which of the two teams can best handle the pressure and thrive on it.

As recently as Thursday afternoon England were looking as well placed in that regard as at any time since the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Then came the familiar twang of a Manu Tuilagi hamstring, such a fundamental element of Eddie Jones’s red rose orchestra. The predominant sound now is the gnashing of teeth in the Manchester area, Sale having once again seen their man crocked in England’s care.

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If this latest setback does not entirely tilt the playing field it is the most unfortunate Twickenham timing since a positive Covid test sidelined England’s then-captain Owen Farrell before the autumn internationals. Should one man(u) make such a difference to a squad’s collective psyche? Of course not, but for a variety of reasons England are struggling to wean themselves off their longtime Tuilagi dependency.

Partly that is because there is no