Playing high stakes game to stay alive
OLAMIDE SODEKE
ENGLAND U2O SECOND ROW
We’re coming off the back of another good win against Fiji this week and one of the key messages was ‘staying alive’ and ‘expecting the unexpected’. In preparation for the game, we worked really hard on these aspects.
However in the pathway, it isn’t serious all the time, and our coaches and support staff were led by Haydn Thomas to give us a rendition of Stayin’ Alive and changed the lyrics to match our themes in defence! Everyone has funny ways of revision and making information stick, but a well-produced music video was a new one for me… and it certainly worked.
Outside of rugby, we have been keeping our padel tennis skills topped up and a few of us take it quite seriously. It’s starting to kick on a bit throughout the squad and we’re getting more and more interest as the sessions go on. You could say the interest was sparked by the senior men’s team and seeing how they used their down time over in France last autumn, it looked great fun and it has proved to be so far. With the padel courts not far from where we are in Cape Town, it’s a great social out for the boys and is great craic. It will naturally get quite competitive, and the one to watch out for is Nathan Michelow. Although, he does have a tennis background so has the head start over most of us!
Over the last week, myself and Junior Kpoku had our first interviews for the Embedded documentary. Sitting down in front of the cameras was cool, I know my family wonder what goes on behind-the-scenes in camp, so it was nice to share insight in what leads to good performances on the pitch. I was proud to be part of it and hopefully there may be a few more involvement in the series.
PICTURES: World Rugby
In the pathway, from U17 level we have always had the principles of Speed, Attachment and Space but each new match week gives a new key focal point of preparation. This week against Fiji for example, we wanted to target them in the set-piece and smother and stifle them in the contact. Our maul and scrum gave us the platform to assert ourselves physically, and we’re happy with how that played out for the most part. Our foundations and principles remain consistent, but it’s important to tailor our focus every week. Our captain Finn Carnduff always says to ‘train the game plan’ and apply that to your role, so in my mind as a lock forward, it’s about being a presence in the lineout and scrum. We have the bigger task at hand in winning the game, but breaking it down into smaller parts and chunks makes the wider plan a little bit easier to process. It’s testament to Finn’s leadership qualities.
Heading into the Fiji game, we knew we didn’t start fast against Argentina and they surprised us with two tries to make it harder for us. But we stuck to our game plan to get a foothold into the game and it was important to come away with five points to start the tournament well. Taking stock from that first game was important and applying those learnings served us well in our test against Fiji. We had to be relentless in our processes and the way we played, we couldn’t be complacent and had to take advantage of our opportunities.
Fiji was my first start in the U20 Championship, so on a personal level, it was an occasion that meant a lot to me. Playing out the full 80 minutes was a privilege and to do so with a pack that imposed ourselves on the game made me even more proud. Walking out, singing the anthem and knowing you’re remaining on the field to face the opposition a few minutes later was a cool moment, particularly on a big stage like this.
I’m always grateful to represent my country, I knew my family would be at home screaming at the TV because they’re all such big England fans. We had a private moment on the phone after the game which was very emotional, and made me appreciate all the sacrifices from me and my family to make moments like those a reality. It’s also important to recognise the achievements of those around me, so a big shout out to Cam Miell, Kane James, Arthur Green, Ben Coen and Angus Hall on their first starts and to Kane and Angus chipping in with the tries too.
Looking forward to Tuesday, we appreciate the task at hand in facing South Africa on home territory in the final pool game. It will determine both of our semi-final hopes and it’s a big game that every rugby player would want to play in. We’re basically in a knockout competition where every game counts, so there’s a bit of pressure on. That’s the type of rugby I really enjoy and thrive in, where there’s such high stakes involved. We’re a team that enjoys the pressure, we went to France knowing we needed five points to win the Six Nations and we did it. I know the team will rise to the challenge when showtime arrives, and it’s something we’re looking forward to.
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