Courtney Lawes insists England must avoid drawing too heavily on their fury at the treatment of Owen Farrell when they face Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.
Steve Borthwick railed against the “personal attacks” on Farrell following a disciplinary panel’s decision to downgrade his red card against Wales to a yellow, thereby sparing him a suspension.
England have nonetheless withdrawn their captain from the spotlight ahead of his appeal hearing early next week by revising their plans to pick him in midfield for the Aviva Stadium showdown.
Instead, Lawes leads the underdogs into their penultimate match before the World Cup begins mindful that, while the squad are angry at the attacks on Farrell, the main event has yet to begin.
“This is an interesting adversity because it’s an individual player and we’re not in the World Cup yet, so we can’t peak too early,” Lawes said.
“You’ve got to be careful of that – checks and balances and all that kind of stuff. But we can certainly tap into it a bit because it’s a big game and is important to us.
“We’re looking to win but the main thing for us is that we actually put our talent, effort and hard work on to the pitch.
“The last 10 weeks of pre-season have been pretty gruelling and we want to show what we’ve been working on.
“That’s been the frustrating thing for us in the last two games – we just haven’t performed as well as we know we can.
“We lost a game and went close to losing another. At some point it will click for us and that’s when people will see the amount of hard work we’ve put in.”
An area of England’s game that needs urgent addressing is the collapse in discipline that almost cost them victory against Wales last Saturday.
Henry Arundell, Freddie Steward, Ellis Genge and Farrell were sin-binned for a variety of offences, with the Saracens fly-half’s yellow card then upgraded to a red by the bunker review system.
At one point England were reduced to 12 men and, while they managed to guts out a 19-17 victory the hard way, Lawes does not want to see a repeat.
“We had a few silly cards that you really don’t want to get in Test-match rugby,” Lawes said.
“We’ve really been on the discipline from day one in camp, talking about how important it is at the World Cup.
“It was disappointing to get so many cards and give away so many penalties last week. It’s something we’re constantly working on and hammering down.
“We can’t afford those kinds of mistakes against Ireland. You’re not going to go a season without a card, but to the best of your ability you’ve got to be smart and streetwise with your actions.
“Even in those split seconds you’ve got to have a cool head and hopefully make the right decisions at the right time.”
All Blacks captain Cane to retire from international rugby
New Zealand captain Sam Cane has announced he will retire from international rugby at the end of 2024, having agreed a three-year contract with Japan Rugby League One team Tokyo Sungoliath.
Cane made his All Blacks debut in 2012 and has represented his country 95 times, including through the team's triumphant run at the 2015 World Cup.
The flanker succeeded Kieran Read as captain in 2020, though his most recent international outing ended with him suffering the ignominy of becoming the first man to be sent off in a Rugby World Cup final, as New Zealand were beaten by South Africa last year.
Cane will be eligible to represent the All Blacks through the second half of 2024 after returning from an initial spell in Japan but will then head there permanently after New Zealand Rugby agreed to release him from his contract.
"A good opportunity came my way with Sungoliath willing to offer me a three-year contract," Cane said. "I had to weigh up everything and, in the end, with a young family it seemed like the best decision to help set us up for our future.
"I had my time as captain and it was a huge honour and privilege. If I'm fortunate enough to be selected for the All Blacks this year then I'll still be myself.
"I love that team, and if part of my role is contributing leadership-wise, I'll be happy to support the new captain as best I can to help with a speedy transition."
Rees-Zammit relishing Mahomes advice as former rugby star eyes spot on Chiefs roster
Louis Rees-Zammit has likened Patrick Mahomes to an extra coach as he looks to make an impact in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rees-Zammit shocked rugby union fans in January when he announced he was turning his back on the sport to enter the NFL's International Player Pathway programme.
He was signed by two-time defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City in March and is now looking to earn a place on their roster for 2024, learning the role of running back at the Chiefs' rookie minicamp after attending another training camp alongside Mahomes.
Rees-Zammit has made sure to pick the brains of Mahomes, who has led the Chiefs to six straight AFC Championship games and won three Super Bowl rings since being drafted in 2017.
"It was amazing, all the quarterbacks and receivers were there, we were running routes, we were working in the gym", Rees-Zammit said of his experience at that camp in Texas.
"It was a great two weeks, I definitely learned a lot with Pat and the other boys."
Asked if Mahomes was acting like an extra coach, he said: "100 per cent.
"I'm new to the game so I'm trying to pick everyone's brains and try and pick up the sport as quick as possible because I want to be out there playing.
"The way I can do that is picking the brains of everyone that's currently here and trying to learn the game as quickly as possible."
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has been impressed by Rees-Zammit's attitude, saying: "He's so diligent with everything and wants to be so good at everything. I appreciate that.
"I like the fact he's got shorter steps initially, that's a good thing as a running back. If you're a long strider in there you've got to really work on making it through those tight adjustments you have to make. He seems to have a nice feel."
England and Saracens number eight Vunipola fined after arrest in Mallorca
England international Billy Vunipola has confirmed he has been fined after an incident which saw him arrested in Mallorca on Sunday, with his club Saracens set to launch an internal investigation.
On Monday, widespread reports claimed Vunipola had been tasered by Spanish police in the early hours of Sunday morning, with an altercation taking place after he left a club in Palma.
Saracens later confirmed they were aware of an incident and said they would deal with it internally.
The number eight, who was born in Australia but has represented England 75 times, later released a statement of his own via his club, denying that any violence took place and confirming the police investigation was now closed.
"I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand," that statement read.
"Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else.
"I was charged with resisting the law and, following an 'express trial', I have paid a fine of €240. The Spanish police investigation is now closed, and I am flying back to the UK today.
"I will obviously cooperate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved."
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