Matt Dawson on World Cups, England, Fiji and drop goals

It has been 16 years since Fiji last reached the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup and this weekend confidence will be high when they take on an England side they beat at Twickenham just two months ago.

The Pacific island overcame Australia to reach the quarter-finals and the pressure will be on England to avenge their first ever loss to the nation when the two teams clash in the last eight on Sunday in Marseille.

Steve Borthwick’s England have been lacklustre but they finished top of their pool and at this stage of a competition the smallest of margins make all the difference.

World Cup glory

In 2003, 20 years ago, Matt Dawson provided the assist to a Jonny Wilkinson drop goal that sealed World Cup glory for England.

And two decades on, the former scrum-half insists the same tactic could be the difference between lifting the William Webb Ellis Cup or heading home empty handed.

“I have got to be honest, I have been bleating on about it for years,” Dawson told City A.M.

“It is not just England, there have been huge games in World Cup history that teams have lost because teams haven’t gone to the drop goal to seal a game or nick a lead.

“It is really effective and in the modern game by now the drop goal should be worth one or two points because it should be taken so often that someone somewhere is thinking, ‘this is ridiculous’.

“All of a sudden when George Ford is doing it in that circumstance [under the cosh against the Pumas], Argentina are looking around thinking they have done nothing wrong but they’re nine points down. It has a massive effect on you – it happened to me in 1999 with Jannie de Beer.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see teams go to the drop goal. It is knockout rugby now and the knock-on effect is enormous. You can crush an opposition because as a defending team they haven’t done anything wrong; they haven’t missed a tackle, been offside or missed a ball, but the opposition get three points? It’s like being on the ropes.”

Fiji confidence

But in Fiji England take on a side full of confidence. They may have lost to Portugal in their final Pool C match but they toppled Eddie Jones’ Australia and beat England in a World Cup warm-up despite being under new stewardship with Simon Raiwalui, who got the job in February.

“Fiji, as we saw in the Summer Nations Series, have got bundles of confidence,” added Dawson, an ambassador for England Rugby formal wear partner Charles Tyrwhitt. 

“The way Fiji have always played rugby is good enough to be in the knockout stages of a Rugby World Cup. They’re going to have confidence, talent, tactics, nous and the brains around the game as well as their phenomenal physical and skill-based game.

“It will take quite a disciplined performance from England to play against Fiji. They have to play rugby and with all of the training and practice that they’ve been speaking about, playing this more expansive game and scoring more tries.

“I can’t remember thinking or saying England were not going to get out of their pool even though results and performances were disappointing in the build-up.

“England always had enough to get out of the pool, it has been encouraging that they’ve generally got better week to week. 

“I think it is down to consistency in selection, there are some very experienced big time players in that squad and I think they’re recognising that they need to take every game that’s in front of them on its merits and I am not surprised yet.”

Expectation

It is a World Cup with minimal expectation given the situation the side has found itself in over the last year.

There have been forgetful performances and disappointing results between the beginning of the year and where the side are now.

But England are in the knockouts, a feat they’ve achieved in every World Cup except from the 2015 tournament, and at this stage of a competition form goes out of the window.

So on the 20 year anniversary of England winning the World Cup with a drop goal, why can’t the side repeat the feat of the past and win against the odds?

Charles Tyrwhitt are proud to partner with rugby legend, Matt Dawson.