
Inside the brutal world of the England scrum: ‘Stay in the abyss'
Head half a world away to La Plata in Argentina and the state-of-the-art installations are not as easily located, but at Club San Luis, in the outskirts of the city, Steve Borthwick has found a stunning ground where the massive operation of training the best of the best can begin.
Borthwick is renowned for his attention to detail and every moment of a match week is planned out meticulously.
Considering the value placed on intellectual property by high-performance sports teams, a training session such as the one taking place this Tuesday after the opening Test victory would usually be off-limits to prying eyes. But, luckily for us, Borthwick has invited a trio of travelling journalists behind the curtain to see exactly how his team are preparing in their bid for a series victory over Los Pumas.
As we enter the club where Argentina's most capped player, Agustin Creevy, first picked up a rugby ball, the worry is that the mist covering the ground will make this rare access worthless.
Thankfully, around midday, just as England are preparing to begin their main session of the day, the fog lifts and we are treated to near-perfect training conditions.
For an hour and 40 minutes, the England squad are put through their paces during a session which features full 15 on 15 action played at beyond match intensity.
By the time they jog out onto the pitch at San Luis in front of a group of intrigued youngsters from the local club, not to mention, a few equally attentive members of the media, the England players have already been in the gym, carried out a full-on contact skills session and for the forwards, a detailed run-through of the lineout.
The players warm up with a range of different exercises and it is all hands to the pump. Analyst Joe Lewis is up the ladder collecting the hookers' practice throws, while Borthwick tests Chandler Cunningham-South's reactions with a few tennis balls. Team manager Richard Hill is here, there and everywhere throughout the session, as are the five assistant coaches.
What is immediately evident is the lack of down time. When the players are warmed up and the music stops, it is all business.
Of the drills, the most entertaining is one for the skiers in the squad. It involves the forwards collecting a pass and running at slalom gates and having to change direction at the last second depending on which gate is unblocked.
By this stage, Lewis has left the ladder and is on the sidelines controlling the drone that is getting the bird's-eye view of the action, relaying immediate feedback to the coaches to influence the session.
The attention to detail of George Ford is apparent on another drill. As the forwards and half-backs work on their attack close to the gainline, the fly-half stops everything when a ball played out of the back hits the deck. Quickly and concisely, he explains exactly where each player is meant to be for the pullback and when the drill is run again, it is seamless.
That quick explanation is virtually the only opportunity for the players to draw breath in the first half-hour.
Everything is done at a relentless tempo.
England skipper Jamie George explains the thought process behind it: 'The aim is still to go above Test match intensity. You often hear Steve talk about trying to replicate the hardest Test matches we've played and try to take it above that and see where we can go with that.
'You probably end up with four-minute blocks. If the ball goes dead or you drop the ball and other ball comes in straightaway. The ball is never in play for four minutes in a Test match but we want to work in four-minute blocks so it's above that intensity. He constantly talks about driving habits under fatigue.'
Those four-minute blocks come during 15 on 15 play, which features the Test 23 up against those who will not feature on Saturday in San Juan. The majority are in for the duration, although front-rowers and scrum-halves tend to rotate in and out.
While the first team look as slick as they did during the 10-minute burst after half-time that swung the first Test, the reserves have a few moments of their own.
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who will be back from suspension for the USA next weekend, wreaks havoc each time the ball reaches him, while one Harry Randall kick-pass to Arthur Clark draws disbelieving remarks from the touchline.
Then we come to the scrum session. This is what we were initially brought in to watch, a chance to see six props all desperate to prove what they can do in the absence of Ellis Genge and Will Stuart on the Lions tour.
The fact that they are scrummaging at the end of the session is no coincidence.
Harrison explains: 'Tuesday is testing under fatigue; long scrums. We review that, ask what we learnt, so that Thursday we can tweak it. It's teach, test, tweak; that's the framework I use.
'I like them failing, I like there to be a problem coming out of Tuesday's session. Where they go: 'Ooof, that wasn't quite right.' Then we have something we can focus on. If it's all really nice then I'm asking myself whether we got the challenge right.'
Even with the lactic acid coursing through their legs, the desire to get one over on their teammates is evident.
The props work in combinations – as is usually the case in games. During the Six Nations, first Test starters Fin Baxter and Joe Heyes worked in tandem for every scrum they faced. Here, they combine with George, with the three front-row combinations alternating with the two back fives.
The limit for a session like this is just seven live scrums but on this occasion they do not even get that far.
Harrison is at the heart of it, demanding that his props keep the scrum up and extending the pushing period as much as possible with cries of 'Stay in the abyss'.
The final scrum of the session is an even bigger test as the two props on the sidelines join one of the packs to increase the pressure on the other side.
Harrison explains: 'If we're playing against a team which scrummages for penalties, and a heavy pack, then I'll go 10 versus eight and stick two extra No.8s on and have a longer time under tension.'
Impressively, the eight more than hold their own and even start to move forward by the end. A final flourish to a demanding session.
With that, they are done. Everything is packed away, the team head back to the bus for the team hotel before a flight over to San Juan and acclimatisation to a new environment.
England know Los Pumas will come at them with everything in the second Test. If they are to make it 2-0, then the work done in San Luis will have played a big part.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Napoli ready to hand Raheem Sterling transfer lifeline with Chelsea locked in talks over two MORE arrivals
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RAHEEM Sterling could be offered a Chelsea escape route by Napoli. But the Italian champions, who already have former Premier League stars Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour on their books, want a loan deal for Sterling on similar terms to Arsenal last season. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Chelsea are desperate to find a permanent home for the ex-England man Credit: Getty And Chelsea have made it clear that they want to find a permanent move for the former England international. Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen are also interested in Sterling, 30, who has two years left on his £325,000-per-week contract with the Blues. Chelsea paid a significant proportion of the ex Manchester City winger's wages after he joined Arsenal in a last-minute deal last summer. There may have to be compromise on all sides if Sterling is to relaunch his career away from Stamford Bridge again this year.. Napoli have turned their attention to Sterling after being frustrated in their efforts to sign winger Dan Ndoye from Bologna. Ndoye is also a target for Nottingham Forest and Napoli are losing patience with their Serie A rivals. Napoli offer Sterling a great example of how a new start abroad can work for Premier League stars. Former Manchester United midfielder McTominay in particular has reinvented himself as a hero in Naples after playing a key role in last season's success. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Meanwhile, in another frantic summer of coming and goings at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are locked in talks with Ajax over teenage defender Jorrel Hato. The Blues are thought to have indicated they are prepared to pay around £35m for Hato, 19. Man Utd hunting Jackson as Chelsea's demands revealed | Transfers Exposed But Ajax say they want £50m, and former player Danny Blind, who is in his second stint on the club's supervisory board, has a history of playing hardball. Back in 2022, Blind negotiated a deal with Manchester United for Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez which saw United pay an initial fee of £48.3m, rising to £56.7m. Chelsea are said to be moving closer to a deal for RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons. The Blues are yet to make a formal bid and Leipzig are said to be sticking to their £60m valuation of the Dutch international. But there is increasing confidence at Chelsea that a compromise will be reached and Simons will be added to the club's formidable array of attacking talent.

South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
England won't dwell on World Cup defeat in Euros rematch, says Walsh
The Lionesses fell to 1-0 loss at Stadium Australia two years ago owing to a 29th-minute strike from Olga Carmona. But that will be out of their mind as they prepare for a fresh challenge against Spain at St. Jakob Arena in Basel with a second consecutive European Championship title at stake. '[The World Cup] was a massive disappointment and as a collective we feel we didn't have our best performance that day,' reflected Walsh. 'But as a football player, you can't become too emotional and have too many things going on. For us, it's a new game and a new team and we know what we've been bringing to this tournament so we're just going to focus on that. 'Obviously, you think about it a little bit, but for us it's put it aside and focus on Sunday.' Having played out a 2-1 extra-time victory over Italy on Tuesday, the Lionesses had to wait to find out who they would face to compete to lift the trophy. As Germany fought to fend off the Spanish in Zurich on Wednesday evening, the Lionesses watched on to witness a 1-0 victory after another 120 minutes of football as Aitana Bonmati eventually found the winner in the 113th minute. 'We were all sat in the players' lounge, Jill Scott was there as well as she always is,' laughed Walsh. 'It was an intense game. Germany had chances as well, but the Spanish team are incredible and they've got some really good players. 'We also know what we're capable of and where we can hurt them, so it's going to be an interesting game.' It was double Ballon D'Or winner Bonmati who, having recovered from being hospitalised by viral meningitis just days before the tournament, once more proved her brilliance to help Spain to a final. Her goal was no less sublime than the player as she spotted Ann-Katrin Berger had left space at her near post as she raced into the box at the byline and struck from a seemingly impossible angle to break the deadlock. But despite the individual brilliance of the Barcelona maestro, Walsh insists England will not be focusing their efforts solely on Bonmati. 'She's an incredible player but if you try to nullify her, I think Patri [Guijarro] has been one of the best players at this tournament,' she explained. 'So you can focus on Aitana but then you've got Patri and Alexia [Putellas] and Mariona [Caldentey] so we're not focusing on one player. 'We know what we can bring defensively and we're confident in that, so it's just about focusing on what we can do. We're going to have chances as well that we need to take.' England's own route to the final has not been straightforward. They have twice had to fight back from behind to avoid an early exit. It was a two-goal deficit they clawed their way back from in the quarter-finals against Sweden before winning on penalties, and they also came back from a goal down against Italy to win in extra time. But Walsh reinforced that such a fight and refusal to be beaten had become a key trait of the England side. 'It's part of being English. That's what we feel when we put the shirt on, we give everything and we run ourselves into the ground,' she said. 'That's the beauty of this squad, we know that if we have to come off because we're tired, there is going to be someone else to come on and finish the job. 'That English resilience is what we speak about as a team. It's something that we really pride ourselves on.' Now, having faced Spain twice already this year with a win and a loss each, Walsh is ready to take that fight into the final and apply the lessons that have been learnt along the way. As England take confidence from their own displays and abilities against the world champions, they are once again ready to contest tooth and nail until the very end. 'One thing I would take from the previous times playing against Spain is that we've not been as confident as we could be on the ball,' explained Walsh. 'We've got unbelievable strengths on the ball, so we need to take more pride in that and keep the ball for longer periods. We're going to get chances, so it's about taking those and being confident. 'It's another final and I want to win it. It's like we're doing it all over again - it's a different country, a different tournament and a lot of different players so it feels like a fresh start. 'When you play for England, you always want to win every game.'

South Wales Argus
an hour ago
- South Wales Argus
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett put England in charge after Ben Stokes' five-for
England's openers reprised their Headingley heroics, which helped them draw first blood in last month's series opener, putting on 166 in 32 overs after India were all out for 358 at Emirates Old Trafford. Neither was able to get to three figures as Duckett fell six runs short and Crawley was out for 84, with England going to stumps after day two of the fourth Rothesay Test on 225 for two. That they only sit 133 behind and in a favourable position to move into an unassailable 3-1 series lead owes much to Stokes, who claimed five for 72 to restrict an India side who were able to call upon Rishabh Pant as he defied an injury to his right foot. A brilliant day for England! 🏴 We trail by just 1️⃣3️⃣3️⃣ runs with 8️⃣ wickets in hand. Roll on tomorrow 💪 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 24, 2025 Less than 24 hours after retiring hurt on 37 and being taken off the field on a golf buggy, Pant resumed his innings although substitute fielder Dhruv Jurel is taking on wicketkeeper duties for the rest of the Test. Amid reports of a broken metatarsal – India have not publicly confirmed the severity of his injury – Pant limped every time he moved forward before being bowled for 54 by Jofra Archer, who claimed three for 73. Archer struck in his first over with the second new ball after squaring up Ravindra Jadeja and drawing the edge but Shardul Thakur and Washington Sundar took India from an overnight 264 for four past 300. Stokes ended the union when Thakur was excellently caught at gully by a leaping Duckett for 41, leading to Pant's slow march to the crease, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd for soldiering on. He wore a blow to the gloves from his third ball and runners being outlawed in Tests meant he had to hobble through for singles. His movement was severely restricted but the danger remained as Archer's slower ball after lunch was launched over deep midwicket en route to Pant reaching a courageous fifty. Stokes claimed five wickets to restrict India (Martin Rickett/PA) But then, he was running out of partners as Stokes bounced out Sundar for 27 and nicked off debutant Anshul Kamboj three balls later for his first Test five-for since a career-best six for 22 against the West Indies nearly eight years ago. With Jasprit Bumrah for company, Pant refused a run after smashing Archer only to be cleaned up next ball in a carbon copy of his second-innings dismissal at Lord's, with his off-stump sent flying. After Archer finished proceedings as India lost their final four wickets for 21, Duckett had his heart in his mouth when he gloved his first ball down the leg-side, just out of reach of the diving Jurel. Duckett then flung his bat over his shoulder close to his stumps but he ended Kamboj's eventful first over in an India jersey with back-to-back clips for four and did not look back. A close call for Ben Duckett 😅 Have you ever seen this before? 👀 — England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 24, 2025 Even Bumrah struggled for containment after being dispatched twice to the boundary in an over, with all of India's seamers coming in for punishment for drifting into Duckett's pads far too often. Crawley took 14 balls to get off nought at a ground where he made 189 in the 2023 Ashes and was initially happy to swim in Duckett's slipstream but he gradually started to assert himself with several fantastic cover drives. While Duckett was first and quickest to fifty, Crawley overtook his partner and hammered Jadeja for a meaty straight six after the slow left-armer was brought on to offer a semblance of control. But Jadeja got the breakthrough having been required to bowl an extra ball after overstepping moments earlier when Crawley hung out his bat and nicked low to KL Rahul, who clung on inches above the turf. Pant was bowled by Archer after batting with a foot injury (Martin Rickett/PA) Nevertheless, Crawley had been at the centre of the timewasting row that erupted last week at Lord's and was once again under pressure after four successive scores under 25 so this knock was some riposte. Having looked short of ideas, India celebrated with a huddle after ending the Crawley-Duckett onslaught – their second best of the last few weeks having made 188 together in Leeds. Duckett made a match-winning 149 on that occasion but he could not ton up here after a wild slash to a Kamboj long hop took the edge through to Jurel to end a fine 100-ball innings. There were no further alarms as Ollie Pope ended the day unbeaten on 20 and Joe Root on 11 not out.