Cardiff effect could put end to Slam dunk

By Jon Newcombe 
Win in Wales on Saturday and the Grand Slam is all but England's for the taking, according to former flanker Peter Winterbottom.
England head to Cardiff with a maximum ten points from the first two rounds of the Six Nations, two clear of Wales, following convincing victories over Ireland and France and are on course for only their third Grand Slam since the competition became the Six Nations in 2000.
With home games against Italy and Scotland to come in the final two rounds, 58-year-old Winterbottom believes the overall outcome rests on the Principality Stadium clash.
Winterbottom, a Grand Slam winner in 1991 and '92 told The Rugby Paper: “Can I see England losing to Italy? No. Can I see Scotland winning in Twickenham? Not really. So if they can keep the performance high against the Welsh, we can get the win down there. If we do that, the Grand Slam is not in the bag, but it'll be pretty close.”
Winterbottom knows how hard it is to beat the Welsh, only coming out on the right side of the result once in four attempts, and he expects Saturday's game to be no different.
“I know it was a massive test in Dublin, but I think it is probably an even bigger test in Cardiff,” he said. “They haven't lost for 11 games, and they're on a high. It was effectively a second team that beat Italy and didn't play so well.
“They think at the moment that they've got quite a good side, which they probably have, but we'll just have to see what happens, especially up front.
“Wales are never going to play badly when they play England in Cardiff, they're going to come out all guns blazing and make it as difficult as possible for England.
“Going to Cardiff is a banana skin you can step on. I always felt that with England if we got our attitude right, we'd come out with a win, but anything can happen there.
“The pressure, the singing, the anthems, the fervour … it's all in the mix when you go to Cardiff. It's a cauldron that's very difficult to deal with.”
Winterbottom's only success in the Welsh capital came in 1991, Simon Hodgkinson's seven penalties and Mike Teague's try, the only one of the match, enough for England to prevail 25-6.
“We hadn't won in Cardiff for 28 years and I do remember Geoff Cooke (England manager) having Bread Of Heaven blaring out over the loudspeakers at Gloucester while we were training there. He said every time you hear that song, I want you to be sick of it and hate it, and we did. It seemed to do the job because it gave us a taste of what the atmosphere can do to you. In fairness, we were by far the better side, but we still had a tough battle.”
Considered one of the foremost opensides of his generation, Winterbottom won 65 international caps, 58 for England, seven for the Lions spread across three tours from 1983 to '93.
In Tom Curry, the former Headingley and Harlequins man believes that England have an unbelievable talent on their hands.
“I thought Curry was outstanding against France; his work rate was high, his tackling was good and while he didn't get many turnovers, it seemed that he was at every breakdown, slowing the ball down and making it very difficult for the French.
“I guess over the last few years we haven't had a high work-rate seven, and he is only 20 so that's very encouraging. Curry pushes the boundaries and lives on the edge, and he has been penalised in the last couple of games, but the pressure he put on Johnny Sexton in that Irish game – he was constantly in his face – meant Sexton's influence was minimal.
“He is playing more of a traditional seven role. It appears he has a licence to get ahead of the line and get into people's faces and force them into mistakes which I think he is doing.
“He is probably a better link player than Sam Underhill at the moment and I think it is going to be very interesting when Underhill comes back and is fit. The two of them fighting for the same place will be some battle, and one that will go on for a number of years, not just matches.”
Winterbottom is equally effusive in his praise of late developer Mark Wilson, at six.
“He is to me an abrasive blindside flanker, he doesn't take a backward step and carries hard and is a big strong boy when he gets over the ball and is difficult to shift. He is another with a very high work rate. You look at him and look back to the old days, and he sort of fits into the same mould as a Mike Teague or Micky Skinner.
“He is in his late 20s, so he's done the hard yards, and now he is reaping the rewards.”
With the “world-class” Billy Vunipola backing them up at No.8, Winterbottom believes they have the right back row blend ahead of a World Cup campaign that he has high hopes for.
He added: “They appear to be a very happy camp at the moment, where the guys look to be enjoying each other's company, and if England can go through the next three games without a loss and build on their confidence and their game-plan, then it's very encouraging.”