The Saints head the Premiership table and are in the semi-finals of the Champions Cup with Leinster standing in the way of a first final in 13 years.
“There was a big onus at the start of the season on becoming a bit more player-led,” said Furbank, who took hold of the England full-back jersey from Freddie Steward in the last three rounds of the Six Nations.
“We were probably spoonfed a little too much and on game day we used to rely on coaches, but they are not on the pitch. We put more onus on ourselves and we have become more pragmatic as a backline in our game understanding and management and we are in a better space for it.
“We felt that in tight matches or games where we made slow starts and finished up on the wrong side that there was a reason for that. We wanted to take more responsibility in terms of watching training and giving more feedback to the coaches about what we wanted out of it as a group.
“We had little chats as players about where we could improve and little nuances we thought could change. It has allowed us to manage games and be more pragmatic. Fin Smith is pretty good at it and I have taken a bit on myself.”
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 21, 2024-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 21, 2024-Ausgabe von The Rugby Paper.
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Sleightholme shows he has pace to burn
OLLIE Sleightholme recently clocked his fastest sprint time and is racing to cement his spot as an England starter.
McGoverne says playing for Chiefs is her priority
EXETER fly-half Olivia McGoverne has opted for club over country which will rule her out of contention for New Zealand’s World Cup bid in 2025.
Trinity aim to get the culture right
HIGH-FLYING Trinity have made a remarkable turnaround this season after narrowly avoiding relegation last term, heading into this weekend unbeaten and are now eyeing up promotion from Level 7.
YOUNG GUNS
Louie Gulley experienced the environment of England U20s’ World Championship triumph up close this summerand now has a burning desire to become an age-grade star. The 19-year-old Exeter Chiefs hooker was part of Mark Mapletoft’s squad but didn’t manage to make an appearance during the tournament.
The Cherry & Whites lay down marker over Lucs
CAMBORNE maintained their lead at the top of the table with a bonus-point win against their nearest challengers in a pulsating game.
A brace from Botterill is key to victory for Esher
A highly entertaining and enthralling contest between two sides fighting at the foot of the table was eventually won by Esher after the lead had changed no less than seven times throughout an absorbing afternoon.
Chiefs in hunt for new investment
TONY Rowe has confirmed the search for new investors into Exeter Chiefs has begun as he looks to safeguard the longterm future of the Premiership club.
McParland keen to shine for England A
NORTHAMPTON scrum-half Archie McParland feels he has returned a better player following a nasty injury that denied him a World Cup winners medal and is now ready to fly into a new opportunity with England A.
Undercard get chance to show their A-game
ENGLAND’S A team today get their first major work-out after being resurrected earlier this year when Australia’s undercard provide the opposition at The Stoop.
England look like a clueless rabble
I WATCHED with a growing sense of bewilderment as England yet again took to the field against Australia looking to all intents and purpose as if they had just been introduced to each other on the coach into Twickenham.
