Two best teams in the Six Nations Championship prepare for battle on March 9.
England coach Stuart Lancaster is confident history won’t repeat itself when his side face champions Wales in the Six Nations at Twickenham on March 9.
Last season, England arrived in Cardiff on the brink of a Grand Slam but their hopes fell at the final hurdle on the back of a record 30-3 loss at the Millennium Stadium.
Eight Tests have passed since then, with England now on the cusp of a Triple Crown.
“Looking back on it, the big lesson we learnt was keeping composure when the score started to turn against us and we’ve done that in subsequent games,” Lancaster said as he reflected on the Wales match.
“I deliberately remember saying at that time we made a bad job worse and in games against New Zealand, Australia and France since then we’ve shown we’re a lot more composed and a lot more experienced at dealing with those sort of situations.
“The trick obviously is not to put yourself in that position in the first place.
“Last year’s loss was hard to take, there’s no doubt about it, but no team goes unbeaten in international rugby,” he added.
“It’s how you respond to the loss that’s important and we went to Argentina and continued to develop our game.”
England go into their game with the Welsh on the verge of a Triple Crown after a 13-10 win over Ireland last time out.
“We’re obviously delighted to have beaten a high-quality Ireland team and it was a great game of rugby, but it counts for nothing leading into this game,” said Lancaster.
“On review and reflection the players understand there were opportunities left out there and areas we can improve on.
“Wales have quality players across the park. They are cohesive and well organised and have won big games, so it’s a big challenge for us.”
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