THE class of 2024 staged an England's Got Talent night at their recent training camp-but now Steve Borthwick's men must bring the X Factor to Twickenham.
Leicester double-act Ollie Chessum and Freddie Steward are England's latest answer to Ant and Dec, as the squad's new social secretaries.
The talent show helped a new group of players let off steam as well as form tighter bonds, even if some of the acts "got a bit weird", according to captain Jamie George.
Head coach Borthwick will judge his players all he likes, but the Twickenham crowd will always have the final say.
England were booed off the pitch the last time they played at HQ, in the 30-22 defeat by Fiji in August's final World Cup warm-up match.
Borthwick's side had previously suffered their record Twickenham defeat in last year's Six Nations, being ravaged 53-10 by France in March.
Go back to the end of 2022, and home defeats by Argentina and South Africa cost Eddie Jones his job. England's fans could not identify with their team, and the Red Rose men did not even recognise themselves, either.
Borthwick's side exorcised some demons by gaining revenge over both Argentina and Fiji at the World Cup, then so nearly toppled eventual champions South Africa in the semi-finals.
Denne historien er fra February 09, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra February 09, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Kylie Minogue loves the bar at Louie, startling Beefeaters and snooping in The Conran Shop
Currently it’s largely suitcase-based as I’ve been doing so much travel for work, but Melbourne, Australia, is home.
Are Spurs willing to invest what it takes to win trophies?
Criticism of the manager for the club's struggles misses the point-whatever he says, he's not been given a squad ready to push for the biggest honours
Crowning glory awaits Britain's golden girl
Odds-on favourite to win BBC Sports Personality, Keely Hodgkinson never doubted she was ready to conquer the world
Residents at war over £10 billion 'Shanghai-style' Earl's Court plan
Controversial proposals are causing a huge furore in west London
The secrets of selling the capital's £40m homes
Armed security, NDAs, a gold temple...inside the world of ultra high-end property deals
Jenny Packham on Amsterdam why is truly magical at Christmas time
The designer gets lost in the cobbled streets and is entranced by the city’s twinkling lights and unique spirit
Alfies Antique Market
Here is a place to blindly lose oneself in a labyrinth of staircases and thresholds.
Decline and fall: what comes after peak wellness?
The social elite are obsessed with devices that track their health but the backlash is building
The newest AI can arrange your holiday- but will it be a strictly woke one?
A lightning-quick artificial megabrain with an appetite for social justice? WILLIAM HOSIE has a chat with Claude Al
'Fame just isn't healthy
Mercury Prize-winning band English Teacher on the pressure of success, trying not to burn out and the challenges black women face in indie music
