It was the basketball great Kobe Bryant who best summed up the precarious status of the dead cert. His multi-talented LA Lakers team came into the 2004 NBA finals as clear favourites to beat the less fashionable Detroit Pistons only to lose 4-1 in the series. \u201cTalent doesn\u2019t get it done, you have to be able to execute,\u201d reflected Bryant. \u201cWhen you have talent AND you execute, that\u2019s when you win.\u201d<\/p>\n
In other words there is no such thing in sport as an absolute certainty, no matter how good you are. Pretty much everyone is assuming England\u2019s women will prevail at the current Rugby World Cup on the basis they have been unbeatable for the last few years. A record-equalling 30 wins on the trot, however, does not automatically guarantee fulfilment over the next three weekends. The knockout stages have arrived and, to a great extent, the tournament starts here.<\/p>\n
That is not to say the Red Roses have been unchallenged against the United States<\/a>, Samoa<\/a> and Australia<\/a> in their pool, merely that the stakes are about to rise significantly. There is a reason why England, with all their resources and talent, have not hoisted the women\u2019s World Cup for 11 years and it is not all down to the opposition. At some stage they are going to have to front up against the toughest opponents of the lot: themselves.<\/p>\n At which point all the Barbie hats and officially-licensed Spice Girls apparel in the world will be only so much help and the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino\u2019s 1997 movie Jackie Brown will spring to mind. \u201cYou don\u2019t know what you\u2019ll do until you\u2019re put under pressure,\u201d sang the late Bobby Womack. \u201c\u2019Cross 110th Street is a hell of a tester.\u201d So is falling behind in a sudden-death World Cup game when anything less than victory is sufficient.<\/p>\n It remains the biggest challenge facing the Red Roses head coach John Mitchell and always has been. This time around England are blessed with some outstanding talent, significant depth, enviable financial backing and, last but not least, home advantage. None of it will count if fingers stiffen with nerves, knees turn to jelly and the team on the other side of the halfway line scent even the tiniest hint of panic.<\/p>\n Could it happen to Mitchell\u2019s England? Surely not this week. The last time they played their quarter-final opponents Scotland in April the result was 59-7 to the Red Roses<\/a>. But thereafter they will be up against sides who will present stiffer tests. And while the scars of past knockout disappointments will help to some degree there is no avoiding the existence of a few jangling skeletons.<\/p>\n Take the 2017 World Cup in Ireland where they averaged almost 49 points per game in the group stages, breezed through the semi-final 20-3 against France<\/a> and then saw their hopes and dreams disappear with a 41-32 final loss to New Zealand<\/a>. Or the last edition in New Zealand three years ago when, again, England splashed their way to a comfortable 41-5 win in a wet quarter-final against Australia<\/a> only to stutter to a 26-19 win over Canada<\/a> in the semis and succumb 34-31 to the Black Ferns<\/a> in the last seconds of the final.<\/p>\n That shattering loss, incidentally, was the first time in 31 games they had been beaten, precisely the record Mitchell\u2019s team are looking to surpass this weekend. Since then, a little like a reconditioned engine, every area of their game has been stripped down, re-examined and stress tested to try to ensure a happier ending this time.<\/p>\n What no-one can quite legislate for is the constantly changing tournament landscape. There is no hiding from the fact that New Zealand looked ominous in despatching Ireland 40-0<\/a> at the weekend, prompting high praise \u2013 \u201cThey played some incredible rugby\u201d \u2013 from the Irish co-captain Sam Monaghan. Could it be the Black Ferns are timing their run perfectly? As their head coach Allan Bunting conceded: \u201cThere\u2019s no point hitting your straps too early.\u201d<\/p>\n Stacey Waaka of New Zealand races down the wing during her team\u2019s impressive victory over Ireland. Photograph: Charlotte Wilson\/Offside\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Canada are another team likely to grow stronger the longer they are together. And all the while the lonely frontrunners just have to hope and pray they have enough left for the final sprint. Occasionally even the best can be reeled in. Take the 2008 NFL Superbowl<\/a> when the New England Patriots, having won all 16 of their regular season games including 12 by double digits, were floored by the unfancied New York Giants? As the Patriots\u2019 devastated quarterback Tom Brady put it: \u201cIt was a month before I really felt back to myself. It was a nightmare.\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week’s action reviewed<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com<\/a> to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n