England will go out and attack Wales at Twickenham on Saturday in a game they are treating as a quarter-final, according to attack coach Martin Gleeson.
Eddie Jones’ side know they must win if they are to have a chance at lifting this year’s trophy and Gleeson says they are playing knock-out rugby for the rest of the Championship.
“We have been treating it like a quarter-final all week,” said Gleeson, who joined Eddie Jones’ team last year.
“We have to. If we don’t get the result on Saturday, we are out so it’s a quarter-final for us.
“We know Wales fight really hard and are going to make it really difficult for us, so we have got to go into this with that quarter-final mentality and we have got to go after Wales this week.”
England bounced back from defeat to Scotland in Round 1 with a 33-0 win over Italy in Rome in which backs such as Marcus Smith and Harry Randall starred, something they’ll be hoping to replicate on Saturday.
“We want to play quick, we want to play with some pace on the ball, and we want to be positive in the way we want to play and not wait for opportunities we want to try and create them,” added Gleeson.
“Wales will pose a big threat with their defence and the way they dig in for each other, so we are going out there with an attacking plan.”
England’s attacking efforts will be boosted by the return of Manu Tuilagi now he’s back to full fitness following a torn hamstring.
Gleeson is keen to utilise the powerful 30-year-old and says he can help take England’s attack to another level.
“Manu adds a lot; his physical presence, his footwork, his leg peed and just the things he can do not many other people can do,” he said.
“He just gives you a different dimension to potentially play off. It’s great to have him back in the mix for selection. He just gives us that little bit of flexibility in what we can do.”
A final boost for England ahead of the match at Twickenham on Saturday is that Jones will be able to pick from a full squad, including the return of experienced forward Courtney Lawes.
“Everyone has trained today. A big session today and everyone has pulled through fine so we are in a good spot,” said Gleeson.
On Lawes, Gleeson spoke of the value the 90-cap man can add both on and off the pitch.
He said: “He has been brilliant. He’s started training back a little while ago and he’s been ramping it up slowly and he was back out there today doing what he does: leading by example.”
