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Ben at the World Cup
06/10/2011The Rugby World Cup is the biggest tournament in the sport and after a superb season with Northampton Saints, Ben Fodenis currently enjoying his first taste of the show-piece in New Zealand.
England’s progression from the Pool stages means they are still in with a shout of qualifying for a third straight final. Full back Foden has been his usual threatening self with the ball in hand, though is keen not to get carried away with how he has played so far.
“I’m happy,” he says, “but I think there is still more to come from me by all means. I don’t think I have necessarily shined so far. It’s all about the team performance at the end of the day – but that’s not to say I’m not hopeful for a few more moments of individual magic and maybe I can set up or even score some more tries for the team.”
One of those hoping to benefit from Foden’s good work is Saints team mate Chris Ashton. At time of writing the winger is the tournament’s leading try-scorer and chasing Jonah Lomu’s tournament record, an accolade Foden says is a double-edged sword.
"I was really hoping someone else might have overtaken him,” he laughed. “He's unbearable at the best of times. Now he'll be even worse. Totally insufferable.
"If anyone can do it though, it's Ashy. He's definitely hungry and greedy enough. And he loves all that record-breaking stuff. He thrives on it. If it drives him on, as it will, all the better for England. Hopefully, we will be seeing a few more ‘Ash Splashes’ before the tournament is out."
England fans at least will be hoping their tournament lasts for a little while yet, but despite the obvious pressure of potentially heading home after every game, Foden doesn’t let it get to him, an attitude that has served him well in the past 12 months or so.
“I’m pretty chilled out and mellow before games. I’m one of those guys who takes everything in his stride, but there’s always a little bit of nervous tingling the night before big games. I always do my homework and analysis beforehand to make sure I do what is asked of me, so hopefully the adrenalin will kick in when it’s needed most.”
As previously mentioned, England’s form at the last two World Cups makes them prime targets in the knockout stages. It is key, however, that the focus remains on how they play themselves regardless of the opposition.
“I think every team raises their game when they play against England, it just comes with the territory,” Foden added. “It’s up to us to focus on our own game and make sure we are doing the right things to make sure we are successful and we’ll see how far that takes us.”
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