And even taking into account yesterday’s Ashes First Test defeat, it is the parallels between the men’s
cricket and rugby teams over the last four years that could really make this a year to remember.
The culmination of four years of rebuilding proved to be the Cricket World Cup trophy for Morgan, Trevor
Bayliss and the rest of England’s cricketing heroes this summer, but that all started by stripping back the
flesh of the 2015 World Cup embarrassment and working out what went so wrong in failing to make it out
of the group stage.
But if their World Cup failure was embarrassing, the rugby side’s was all the more spectacular. While the
world’s best cricket teams were gathered on the other side of the world in the Antipodes, the rugby side
were blowing their home tournament, following suit and crashing out at the group stage via a painful defeat
by Wales.
Again, the RFU asked what went wrong, and part of the solution was very similar to the ECB’s: bring in an
Australian coach and let the players start to take on responsibility. The product has been success for both
sides and the belief that “team culture” is at the forefront of those revivals.
So it was not surprise to see the England rugby squad sat together to watch and celebrate their cricket
counterparts’ triumph at Lord’s last month. “We were lucky that Eddie is a cricket fan so he pushed a
meeting back as it went into the Super Over,” revealed England hooker Jamie George, a self-confessed
cricket lover. “I don’t know if jealous is the word. I am quite lucky that I know a couple of the guys involved
in the team and I was just so so happy for them.
“What that England cricket team has done over the last four years has been incredible and there were a lot
of parallels between us and them. I spoke to a few of their guys about it before. We have been through very
similar challenges. To see them come out the other side and be crowned world champions is fully deserved
and I’m very proud of them doing that.”
There are close ties between the two teams beyond the Australian coaches, with Elliot Daly playing
alongside Jason Rou at Surrey early in their careers and George himself rooming with England batsman Sam
Billings at Haileybury – bagging himself a charity match appearance at the Home of Cricket long before his
international rugby career took off.
Eddie Jones has transformed the culture within
the England camp since taking over in 2015
(Getty)“I know Eoin Morgan through Saracens and Jason Roy through my mate Sam Billings,” added George.
“[Morgan] is a Sarries fan so I have met him quite a few times through Saracens. I know him through that
and I was at Lord’s watching him play, sent him a text and he was around for a beer afterwards.”
Through these links, it is easy to see why the teams have been able to progress along the same recovery