What's Your EPC Mentality?

Tomorrow sees the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final. England seek to avenge their 2007 loss – and incorrectly disallowed try, I’m telling you – from 2007 against S Africa.

The week’s build up features plenty of mouthwatering mindset morsels.

England’s Aussie coach Eddie Jones to the fore, mischievous yet focused, as usual.

Here’s a selection of what players previously involved in champion squads and Eddie’s World have contributed.

You must have an EPC mentality; every point counts.

Realise that ‘less is more’, the hard work must already have been put in and this last week is more about refining what you’ve been preparing for, not going crazy on the training pitch.

Players that succeed are “self sufficient”.

Winners are not mere 9-5ers, but those thinking 5pm to 9am too.

They are also proactive, not reactive (obvious yes, but worth re-stating).

Know that “soft food makes soft players”.

& a personal favourite; no phones at the team dinner table.

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As an added build-up extra, one set of broadsheet columnists provided this pre-match assessment:

If you had to sum up each team in three words what would they be?

[fmr NZ international]
England: squeeze, suffocate, strangle.
South Africa: bully-boy game.

[fmr England international]
England: physical, confrontational, disciplined.
South Africa: physical, emotional, relentless.

[Olympic Gold Medal winning 7s coach]
England: polished, powerful, precise.
South Africa: united, stubborn, driven.

Always an entertaining internal sales meeting mini-task, asking for a 3-word description of something relevant in this instance results in all but one favouring the hendiatris.