Adding to the ignominy of its Rugby World Cup failure, England's last match in the tournament is being held the same night and in the same city as a major final in a rival sport.
Rugby League clubs Wigan Warriors and Leeds Rhinos have it all to play for on Saturday at Old Trafford in the grand final of the 13-a-side format. England's Pool A match against Uruguay, only a short taxi ride away at Etihad Stadium, is destined to be an anticlimax, with next to nothing at stake.
When the schedule was originally drawn up, Rugby World Cup organizers would no doubt have hoped England would still be in quarterfinal contention and it would be a festive occasion. Instead, England becoming the first host team to fail to reach the Rugby World Cup knockout stage has dampened the spirits of the fans.
Still, England's players and coach Stuart Lancaster are doing their best to sound upbeat.
"I was at the Super League Grand Final this time last year in Manchester, so I know how busy the city was," Lancaster said Thursday. "When you throw in all the England rugby supporters, I think it's going to be a fantastic weekend. It's a shame there are only two hours difference (in the kick-off times) but it's going to be good for the city."
England scrumhalf Danny Care took the lead from his coach.
"Like Stuart said, it's two great sporting events up in the north, which is great for this country," Care said, before inadvertently talking up the other match. "I'm a (Rhinos) fan and I always loved going to Headingley Stadium to see the lads play. Hopefully Leeds will lift the trophy and get what they deserve."
England lost last weekend's must-win match against Australia 33-13, following the 28-25 defeat to Wales. It led to scathing criticism, particularly regarding Lancaster's tactics and selections.
Getting away from London — where England played its first three Pool A matches at Twickenham — must have felt almost like a welcome relief from the unrelenting negativity surrounding that loss.
"It's been good to get a change of scenery. We have a community coaching event tomorrow afternoon and I've got to get my whistle out and shout at a load of under-15s and motivate them," Lancaster said, referring to a school clinic Friday. "It's been nice to get out."
England's players are being upbeat about their trip to the north of England, where soccer and rugby league are traditionally more popular than rugby union.
"We hope it is a positive experience," lock Joe Launchbury said. "It's going to be exciting for the crowd and encourage people to take up and play rugby union."
The local media may take a bit more convincing.
Before the Australia match, Manchester Evening News — the city's main newspaper — delivered a prophetic-sounding online warning of what might happen if England lost.
On Oct. 3, under the headline "Why Manchester is praying for an England win tonight" and alongside a photograph of a stern-faced Lancaster, were the words: "World Cup defeat to Australia would render England's much-vaunted Etihad Stadium clash with Uruguay next weekend as a meaningless fixture."
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