Date: 23/6/15
England’s players surely need no more motivation than just the idea of winning the Rugby World Cup on their home soil. Just in case, though, reports are that the players face a bonus of some £100,000 per player if they manage to lift the trophy in October at Twickenham.
England are currently one of the favorites to win the Cup, though many commentators also favor New Zealand or even Wales. In order for England to lift the Webb Ellis trophy, they will have to top a group that comprises Fiji (they will play Fiji when they kick off the Cup on September 18), Australia, Uruguay, and Wales (the tickets for these games are available at Ticketbis).
If England makes it out of the admittedly tough Pool A, the quarter finals will likely see them face either Scotland or South Africa. They will also likely need to win against Ireland, France, or New Zealand before any final victory. The Daily Mail has reported that for each game in which a player is named to the 23-man large matchday squad, there will be a reward of some £15,000. This means that should a player feature in each match, England reach the finals and then win, the player will take home £205,000. On top of that, of course, if they manage to triumph — it would be their first Cup since 2003 — every player will become an England legend.
Former Ireland international Keith Wood has also said that he believes fans can look forward to England taking the Cup. Wood says that England’s home field advantage makes a major difference. On top of that, he points to their “good and settled” team with excellent players, including George Ford — who is capable of going through any defense, in Wood’s eyes. Wood also feels England is currently in a “good space” and just needs “two or three leaders” to step up.
A former England captain and World Cup winner, on the other hand, thinks Wales might win the tournament. Lawrence Dallaglio thinks the troubles Warren Gatland’s team saw in 2011 might serve them well in this Cup. Dallaglio is also adamant the Welsh have the right man at the top to bring them to glory, saying that “Warren has the credentials” to win a Cup. He adds that he’s a “big fan” of Gatland “as a person and as a coach,” and though Gatland needs players who can challenge his way of thinking, Dallaglio feels those players are on the Welsh squad. Nevertheless anyone who wants to win the Cup “has to have had a bit of heartache along the way,” according to Dallaglio.
For example, the New Zealanders saw problem under Richie McCaw in 2007. England may have won the 2003 cup but their 1999 experience was a painful one. From this he concludes “you have to experience adversity,” learn some lessons, before any team can transform themselves into a great side. Wales has experienced those painful lessons, so he concludes “this might be their time.”According to Dellaglio the key to success in the Cup for Wales will be making a strong start and keeping up their momentum. The World Cup, he told the BBC’s Radio Wales, gets going immediately.
