Chris Robshaw, the Harlequins captain, has said England's rugby stars need to be more responsible in their behaviour away from the pitch. Robshaw has been tipped as a potential candidate for the England captaincy after leading his club to 12 wins out of 12 this season, and his omission from the World Cup squad was criticised in the leaked report by the Rugby Players' Association. His words contrasted strongly with the attitude of some of England's senior players during the World Cup.
"The game has moved forward. Rightly or wrongly we are more in the public eye as players, we can't do certain things like we used to but it is about respecting that and behaving in the right manner," Robshaw said. "As players of course we like to do certain things, like anyone, but it is about knowing how to behave when you are in the limelight and out in the public eye and especially having that understanding of what you should be doing and what you shouldn't be doing when you are representing yourself, your club and your sponsors. You have to be more careful."
The Quins captain's name came up in the leaked review when one of the England players explained that he was confused as to why other, more senior players, had been selected ahead of him: "Robshaw and Wood proved themselves to be the fittest, the strongest and played out of their skin in training but then they were overlooked for senior players and we reverted to type."
Robshaw took that as a compliment. "You go to any end of season awards dinner and what is the award that everyone wants? The players' player.
"To be recognised by the guys you are out training with and against is very special. Of course I was frustrated and annoyed not to go down to New Zealand, but you can't sit around sulking, you have to get on with it. If Harlequins can keep winning and I can keep playing well, and not just myself but quite a few other players too, then we can push for international honours. We all want to be there over the road [at Twickenham] representing our country, and hopefully we will get the chance one day." Robshaw is 25, and has won a single cap, against Argentina in 2009 despite being named the Premiership's Player of the Year that same year, and captaining both the Barbarians' England XV in Australia and the England Saxons.
It was the leak itself that irritated Robshaw most. He stands by his fellow players, as a captain of his calibre always will. "The players had said those things in private. They were trying to improve English rugby and make it the best team in the world again. And to have their private opinions splashed on the front pages, it is devastating for people who have given their country the best part of 10 years and played x amount of games to have that happen. There was no one out there [in New Zealand] who was going through the motions. Everyone there, whether they were a coach or a player or one of the background staff, wanted to do the best for their country. Nobody was there on a holiday camp."
