Proud Peacock and Neville proved inspiration for new-look England

The influence of Jamie Peacock knows no bounds.

Not only is the Leeds Rhinos forward and England captain a leader by example, a forthright speaker and a principal ambassador for rugby league, but his stock is also now greatly revered in the world of rugby union.

For Peacock was one of the sportsmen chosen by Stuart Lancaster to address his England rugby union squad during their week of soul-searching and fact-finding in Yorkshire last month.

Peacock, along with former England footballer Gary Neville, spoke about the honour of representing your country, and in the wake of England’s Calcutta Cup win in Edinburgh last Saturday, it was clear his message had been heeded.

England fought like lions to give Lancaster a victory in his first game as interim head coach, and the country a first win north of the border for eight years.

It also added substance to the promise of a new dawn that Lancaster had been carefully nurturing.

And in the bowels of Murrayfield last Saturday night, Peacock’s words of wisdom were revealed.

“Jamie spoke about when he was playing league against the Aussies,” began Brad Barritt, England’s impressive debutant centre.

“They had a very big guy lined up against him and he took it upon himself to run at him hard, time and time again.

“Peacock said the first time he did it, it took the wind out of him but by the fifth time he did it he could soak it up .

“Listening to that, our team really took that on board.

“It resonated a lot with the guys that if you put your body on the line it strikes a big chord for the guys around you and really enthuses them.”

The other former England international whose words left an imprint on Barritt and this new-look England was much-decorated former Manchester United defender Gary Neville.

He said: “Gary spoke about what difference it makes when you are playing for your country with your country behind you.

“Of all his caps, Gary said the best time was when they have the nation behind you and you’re performing well. That all derived from people playing for the right reasons and playing for the cause and for the jersey.

“That is something that has really been evident with this team, the guys have mixed well, there’s no-one sticking with club-mates, everyone has mixed well.

“And we want to earn the respect of the English people.

“Gary said it’s about winning trophies and that’s what we want to be as a team, constantly striving for the best.

“We haven’t gained the full respect of the English public yet. But, hopefully, we’ve gone some way to getting them back behind their rugby team. And, hopefully, we can take another step forward against Italy in Rome.

“With any new team, if you get an early win under your belt it is a boost to confidence, for team morale.

“The guys know there’s a lot of improvement to be done. But winning in Scotland was a great first outing and something we can build on.”

Barritt might have been born in South Africa but he left no-one in any doubt about his commitment to the Red Rose with his tough-tackling display at Murrayfield.

He is likely to continue in the No 13 shirt alongside his Saracens team-mate and fellow debutant Owen Farrell when Lancaster names his team tomorrow to take on Italy.

Farrell kicked eight points to add to the try scored by another team-mate from the Premiership champions, Halifax-born Charlie Hodgson.

Barritt said: “We all know what a cool, calm, collected customer Owen is and he showed maturity beyond his years.

“We’ve struck a great partnership and really enjoy playing with each other, and Charlie as well.

“We’ll grow from this experience and gain some confidence from it.”

As for his Saracens colleague, Farrell said: “We have come together and gelled so well for the team. We fought for each other, we had each others’ backs.

“But we can get a lot better.”

Meanwhile, Farrell’s dad Andy, who is one of Lancaster’s assistant coaches, has reinforced the need for England to avoid tip tackles after Bradley Davies and Stephen Ferris were cited for foul play over the weekend.

Both players were sin-binned in Wales’ dramatic victory over Ireland, although Davies was fortunate not to be sent off for his off-the-ball clash with Donnacha Ryan.

Ferris’s tackle on Ian Evans handed Wales the match-winning penalty but was deemed by many to be less severe, though the flanker has been cited nonetheless. The minimum entry-level suspension for any player found guilty of an illegal tip tackle is three weeks, rising to at least 10 for the most serious cases. The maximum is a one-year ban.

As England began their build-up to Saturday’s game with Italy in Rome, Farrell hammered home the need for his men to keep their discipline in defence.

“There is no point debating it. The rules are the rules,” said Farrell, England’s assistant coach.

“If you take anybody over the horizontal, whether you put him down gently or hard into the floor, you are going to get penalised and a yellow card or a red card.

“We need to be aware of the rules. Everybody is aware of the rules and watching that game it highlights it even more.”

Ferris and Evans face the disciplinary panel today.