Geoff Parling frustrated by World Cup talk
The tournament will start in just over a year but the state of the home nation and potential selections are on everyone’s lips.
But Parling, who spent most of last season out with a shoulder injury, is adamant far too many things can happen in the space of 12 months to be talking about it now.
“I get frustrated with people asking me about the World Cup all the time,” he told The Rugby Paper. “It’s a long time away and a lot can happen until then.
“Of course it’s in the back of my mind but if you look too much ahead you can lose focus on the weekly job so I try not to think too much about it.
“After missing out on the Six Nations injured, I got my spot back in New Zealand so I’ve got to play well in the Premiership and the first two rounds of the Champions Cup to keep my place.
“That’s why I get frustrated when people talk about the World Cup. The next four-five weeks are very important too.”
England arrived in New Zealand last summer with the ambition of beating the World Champions on their own back yard but came back having suffered a ruthless 3-0 whitewash.
Despite the defeats, Stuart Lancaster‘s side pushed the All Blacks all the way in the first two Tests but Parling wants England to win even if they have to do so the ugly way.
He said: “We had some good moments in New Zealand but we got beaten 3-0 and that’s a fact we can’t hide from.
“We were within three minutes of winning the first Test with a lot of players unavailable but we can’t use that as an excuse. We should have closed that game down.
“What we need to do now is win. I’d rather play badly and win. We have to close out these games. It’s not good enough to play well and lose.”
*Geoff Parling was speaking at the launch of the new Canterbury England kit for 2014/2015, which for the first time ever, places the England rose at the centre of the shirt. The new kit is available to pre-order now fromcanterbury.com and store.rfu.com
