Chris Robshaw is on such familiar terms with adversity that he can sink back into a seat at Twickenham and smile cheerfully as he remembers the different setbacks that have shaped him over the past two years. "I'm feeling older and wiser," he jokes, "because it's been a bit of a rollercoaster, hasn't it? But once you go through the tough times and come out the other side it makes you stronger. Your shoulders get broader and it's easier to handle the second or third time around."
The amiable England captain and flanker might seem less imposing in person than some beasts of the modern game, but few players can match his work rate, tackle count and resilience. When he played junior rugby for Warlingham he was known as the Duracell Boy and that same relentless energy and an aptitude for the international arena make Robshaw stand out as England prepare to play Wales at home on Sunday. If Robshaw can inspire a victory over the Six Nations champions, following their compelling defeat of Ireland at Twickenham, England will be a serious team again.
We have been here before, of course, as it's exactly a year since England were in the midst of pursuing apparently realistic ambitions to win their first grand slam in almost a decade. After their shock victory over New Zealand in December 2012 England reeled off four successive Six Nations wins. They travelled to Cardiff for a potentially glorious climax, with Robshaw still in the frame to captain the British & Irish Lions that summer. All the talk was of a seismic England breakthrough. In the end they were humiliated 30-3 and Robshaw did not even make the Lions squad for Australia.
He has such a bruising collection to consider that Robshaw moves beyond that Cardiff defeat and Lions exclusion to pick out an even more hurtful low. "The autumn series in 2012 was the hardest time – after the South Africa game," Robshaw says, recalling the vilification of his decision to kick a penalty goal in the last minute rather than aim for the corner and a final lineout. England lost to the Springboks by a single point and, as Robshaw says: "It was the first time I'd felt the full force of the media and it was tough.
"I came back into camp on the Sunday evening with my head down, moping a bit, worrying about looking guys in the eyes. Ben Youngs and other experienced guys said: 'Don't worry, mate, we'll win this weekend [against New Zealand] and it'll all be forgotten. A week's a long time in sport. We've just got to stick together.' It really made me appreciate their support – as well as the individual and collective character of the England setup. Stuart Lancaster [England's coach] was also great. He just said: 'You've got to keep going, mate. It's happened …'"
Robshaw laughs, a little ruefully, when asked if he took any lessons from such a difficult experience. "Did I learn anything? Probably that you need to make the right decision at the right time. And if you win the game it's the right decision. It's as simple as that. There's no middle ground."
There was no room for ambivalence, either, amid the personal devastation of missing out on the Lions. "I got a call from Graham Rowntree [the England forwards coach who was part of the Lions backroom staff] in the morning and your heart kind of stops when you see your phone light up. It was on the way into training. He started with a bit of small talk and I was just: 'Tell me, tell me …'"
Robshaw shakes his head when asked if, deep down, he anticipated the bad news. "I honestly didn't. I had suspicions and people were telling me all kinds of things, but until it's actually announced you don't believe anything. It was tough to take. And then you're waiting for it to be made public and no one else knows and, a couple of hours before it gets announced, you get people wishing you luck and you're trying to put on a brave face. But you get out of training, go home and close the curtains for a day.
"It was a massive disappointment. Being picked by the Lions is the pinnacle of any British or Irish rugby player's career. It's above international achievement and it only comes around once every four years so you have to make sure you're playing at your peak at that particular time."
Robshaw had a fine season, despite the carnage of Cardiff. "But there were lots of setbacks towards the end," he admits, "whether it was missing out on the Heineken Cup with Harlequins, or losing in the Premiership semi-finals. Things start to add up and you think it's not going to be the end of year you want."
Typically, Robshaw was keen to lead a second-string England squad on their tour of Argentina but both Lancaster and Conor O'Shea, his club coach, persuaded him to take a break. It meant that England were captained in the summer by Tom Wood, a staunch team-mate in the back row but often talked up as a captaincy alternative. Robshaw again looked vulnerable – but he returned for a new season and quickly quashed any doubts about his England leadership.
"I was obviously very disappointed to miss the tours, but every now and then you have to admit: 'OK, it's not my year,' and get away from the game, mentally as much as anything. You have to respect people's decisions and see the bigger picture. When you're doing it from week to week, you don't always see that. That's why you have big men on top, Stuart and Conor, who can make that informed decision. They know your body and they know what you're like.
"I was probably worn out. So I went and sat on a beach in a place where they didn't know anything about rugby – Thailand. We [he and his girlfriend, the opera singer Camilla Kerslake] also went to Portugal. It was hugely beneficial to have six weeks completely off. I came back rejuvenated. The knocks had healed, mentally as much as anything, and I was back in a good place."
Robshaw also played golf with Rory McIlroy and Andrew Strauss during his break – "I asked Rory for a few tips but I don't think there was enough time to help me when I'm playing off 20! But we had a good chat about Cardiff and McIlroy spoke about the Masters [when he had a disastrous final round after leading the 2011 tournament at Augusta] and Strauss talked about his disappointments against South Africa [in his last series as England's cricket captain]. It was insightful to see how they dealt with adversity."
As England prepare for another searing clash against the Welsh, Robshaw can reflect calmly on the mistakes they made last year. "I don't know if we were quite ready for a grand slam game, and for them a championship game, in the heart of Wales. The animosity we felt towards us was definitely an experience that will stay with us a long time. We've asked ourselves some hard questions since then. Did we deal with that in the right way? Did we panic a bit? Yes we did – and I'd include myself in that.
"We went in at half-time and, even 9-3 down, we were in a good position. But that first half had been very draining. We had opportunities but we didn't take them. In international rugby you get three chances a game, maybe, and you have to take them. Every time we mucked it up and all of a sudden you're starting again. That took its toll. They came out for the second half with all guns blazing. We chased the game a little too early then and played into their hands even more.
"You don't always want to say you're learning because it can be a bit of an excuse, can't it? But that was definitely a learning experience. Did we play that game in our minds too early in the week? Were we lethargic because we were too pumped up early on? A lot of us hadn't been in that situation, unlike a very experienced Welsh team, and perhaps we didn't know what to do. It will be different this time."
As part of England's determination to change their preparation, players were allowed to spend three days out of camp last week – which gave Robshaw the chance to return home to Wandsworth and celebrate his brother's 30th birthday while having dinner in London with his family. "We needed a break because the Ireland game was up there with the physicality of some southern hemisphere Tests. You looked around the dressing room afterwards and no one was jumping around. Everyone sat there, blowing, exhausted. They'd left everything out on the pitch. We'll have to do the same against Wales.
"A lot of players in this side have had ups and downs. Danny Care and Mike Brown have also been through the mill at Harlequins and England. And now they're doing really well. We've got guys who know that when times are bad we need to look after each other. It's also important to celebrate the good times and the OK times as well. But we've now got a massive opportunity against Wales. If we win this game we could push on and win the championship. We'll need a bit of luck but we're feeling really good. We're ready."
England back-row Chris Robshaw was talking at the launch of 'Wear the Rose' from O2, proud partner of England Rugby. Find out more at www.o2.co.uk/rugby
