Pride in London powers rugby legend Leonard

England’s most-capped player tells 50 lucky readers at The Counting House that Stuart Lancaster can lead his team to World Cup glory next year, writes Steve Cording

Jason Leonard believes home advantage and the fantastic support of the Twickenham crowd can help England’s rugby team become world champions again in 12 months’ time.

England’s most-capped rugby player, speaking at the second Evening Standard event in partnership with London Pride, also said that Stuart Lancaster is the right man to be leading his country in to next year’s Rugby World Cup.

“I think we will do really well,” Leonard told the audience at The Counting House Pub in the City of London. “The pool that England are in is not perfect with us, Wales and Australia but the big thing for me is that it is all at home. England will fancy their chances against anyone at Twickenham.

“I think that Stuart Lancaster has done a fantastic job bringing through a younger squad, but he has been unfortunate with injuries. What I would like to see over the coming Autumn Internationals is a little bit more consistency in selection.”

“There will be a lot of pressure on their shoulders but we have a side who can run the best close and, playing at home, with the best fans in the world at Twickenham behind them, then we have a chance.”

In this week’s second Made of London event, celebrating the people of London that make us proud, Barkingborn Leonard said that his upbringing in Chadwell Heath had helped to keep his feet firmly on the floor.

“I went to Warren Comprehensive school which was in the middle of West Ham heartland where no-one played rugby,” he added. “I was thankful to a Welsh PE teacher who turned up and told us that we would start playing rugby and that changed me.”

Now, Leonard lives with his family in South-West London but he remains a big fan of central London. “If you are late at work or been on a night out and jump in a cab and drive down to the Embankment at night that’s when I think: wow, London is lovely. You’ve got the Thames there and all the lighting and that, for me, is the best view in the world.”

Catch all the latest stories from the Made of London series here.

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