Tough decisions for under-pressure Robshaw

LONDON Nov 30, 2012 England captain Chris Robshaw admits his decision-making will be under the spotlight when his side face world champions New Zealand in their final match of the year at Twickenham on Saturday.

England have fallen to Australia and South Africa in their last two outings, and Robshaw's role in setting team strategy came under scrutiny after both defeats.

In the 20-14 loss to Australia on November 17, Robshaw was criticised for spurning a series of opportunities to kick for goal in the closing stages and pushing for a try instead.

Then, last weekend, he instructed Owen Farrell to kick a penalty when England trailed South Africa 16-12 with only two minutes to play. Farrell converted the kick, but England lost 16-15.

Robshaw, who led Harlequins to the Premiership title last season, subsequently faced questions about his ability to think clearly under pressure, but he believes the experiences will make him a better captain.

“It has been different to previous weeks and it has made me really appreciate the players and coaches and the back-room staff that we have in this squad at the moment,” Robshaw said.

“Everyone has been terrific. There have been a lot of lessons for myself to learn and move forward, whether it is decision-making or other things on the pitch.

“Over the last couple of weeks, myself and the other players have learned a lot about international rugby. We have learned the hard way and unfortunately, that happens in sport.

“We have to take those lessons and look forward. We can't be dwelling on what happened the last couple of weeks.

“We can't feel sorry for ourselves because if you fall off your game for 10 minutes, (New Zealand) will hurt us. They can damage you in 10 seconds.

“First and foremost, I need to go out and perform. As a captain, you will be put under pressure in these situations, but the whole squad have been terrific and really supportive.” Saturday's match pits Robshaw against one of the finest captains in the sport -- Richie McCaw, who has tasted victory in 69 of his 78 Test matches as All Blacks captain.

“You look at his record and he has won over 100 Tests and that record speaks for itself. He has won the World Cup and leads such a great side,” Robshaw said.

“All players look up to someone like that. It is a massive challenge for myself. They will be hard to nullify.”

AFP