\n<\/p>\n
A danger is when teams hit their absolute pomp in the middle of a World Cup cycle.<\/p>\n
We’ve seen it before. But New Zealand and South Africa have both won back-to-back World Cups and been the best team in the world over sustained periods.<\/p>\n
It’s not a negative to be the best team in the world before 2027.<\/p>\n
If England can climb the rankings by winning a Six Nations or Nations Championship and get themselves to number one or two, they will be in a strong position to reach a World Cup final. That’s the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n
People always talk about peaking too early, but I see it differently. These are the moments where you get all your learnings in, and if you go on a winning run then so be it.<\/p>\n
England are not going to go undefeated all the way to the World Cup, and part of the learning process is figuring out how you bounce back from defeat.<\/p>\n
In a weird way, I would actually like England to lose a game at some point, because what you don’t want is their first loss coming in a World Cup knockout match.<\/p>\n
England have been in total control this autumn and have shown they can win ugly too.<\/p>\n
Coming off that emotional high against New Zealand was always going to be tough, and in 2019 they were miles off backing up that famous semi-final win.<\/p>\n
However, they proved against Argentina they can do it.<\/p>\n
If they do deliver a big performance, say, at Murrayfield, then the challenge is backing it up the following week.<\/p>\n
When you are on a winning run you can really drill into the small details, whereas before everything was about selection, style of play, or injuries.<\/p>\n
England don’t need to worry about that now, it’s about refining the little things that make you a top side.<\/p>\n
Sir Clive Woodward called those the “one percenters”, the tiny details that make all the difference.<\/p>\n
Winning teams have the fundamentals locked in, which allows coaches to spend time on everything else.<\/p>\n
Loads of the current England squad have never had the chance to focus on those smaller elements.<\/p>\n
That is why Ireland and France have put together long winning runs.<\/p>\n
Now that England know how to win games, they can develop further to push at the top of the Six Nations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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