Breaking News: Letter from first coach inspires Foden
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Saints star Ben Foden has revealed that England coach Stuart Lancaster asked family and friends of the players to send letters to them to re-ignite their love for the white shirt.
After the fall-out from a controversial World Cup players could be forgiven for thinking that playing for England was a pretty hefty double-edged sword.
Lancaster has been working hard on restoring the national side’s public image and instilling a new pride in the players.
One tactic has been to ask family, friends and former coaches to write a letter to the players telling them of their pride and what it means to them to see them wearing the England shirt.
Foden, who received responses from his parents, brother, sister, godfather and former team manager at his first club, Chester, says it has had a big impact on the players.
“All the boys have appreciated it, it was a really nice touch,” said Foden, who will win his 23rd cap for England in the Six Nations opener against Scotland.
“I think Stuart probably thought long and hard about it. He wrote to all the parents and spoke to some on the phone. It will certainly be at the back of my mind on Saturday.
“Little things like that stick with you when you realise that you are playing for a lot more than the white shirt. You are representing your country at the end of the day. It is the highest level and there are millions of people who would love to do what you are doing.
“We need to play with a smile on our faces. We make a lot of people happy, especially our family and close friends, and to be given that opportunity is a massive honour and something we should remember forever for the right reasons.”
The thoughts of Foden’s former coach at Chester Dave Walsh chimed the biggest for the England full-back. He joined the club as a seven-year-old and has hung the framed letter on a wall at his home near Harpenden, in Hertfordshire.
“My dad is a massive rugby enthusiast anyway so I know he is always behind me but when I saw the things written from Dave Walsh, my old team manager at Chester, the club I played for from under-eights, it really made me think,” said Foden in the Daily Telegraph.
“I forgot it means a lot to guys like that who were a big influence on my career when I was a young lad. It is nice to know that guys like that are watching the game and supporting me. Reading the messages that Dave wrote made me laugh in some ways as he quoted Vince Lombardi [the legendary American football coach], which is so typical.
“It is great to see the level of support runs deep and that you affect a lot of people’s lives when you step up to represent your country at international level.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Love Child
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 11:33 AMLetters?? Most of us would play for England for nothing, in all forms of sport, why do they need this additional motivation, pathetic money grabbers, I would not class any of the Saints boys in that catagory, they are the worst paid in Rugby based on their position in the game, they all give 100% good ridance Ashton, he will feature in a few games for Sarries then disappear
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