Six Sale players at England camp this week- Tom Curry, Bevan Rodd, George Ford, Raffi Quirke, Jonny Hill and Manu Tuilagi. Not all of them tested fully.
BEN CURRY’S FORM AND JOY AT HIS FORM
“He has dipped in and out of injury unfortunately for him prior to the Leicester game in the month block before. If he continues to string consistent performances like that I don’t know how you could ignore him. Go back a year and a half I think there was perhaps a big contrast in the playing styles of Ben and Tom. I think Tom was more contact orientated and focused and Ben largely existed in those wider channels. I think there has been a coming together of their playing styles in recent months and that was evident at the weekend. They were both brilliant through contact, cutting lines and winning turnovers. They are complete rugby players.
“It’s the biggest reinforcement of why I do the job. I have worked closer with Ben than I have done with Tom because he is here more often. To some degree he is a lot more open to taking on the responsibility within this organisation because Tom gets a lot put on him on an international basis. So we have worked hard to improve Ben’s leadership and communication skills as well as some of his reflection on selection. I have learnt a few things as you do when you are working with these lads. It’s been a period of growth for me as it has him so I have been really impressed with the man he is and his commitment to continue striving to improve. It has helped me along the way as a coach.”
ROBERT DU PREEZ’S FORM
“The South Africans haven’t been in touch. They are good communicators when they are in the country or in your organisation but outside of that I don’t speak to them too much. Having said that, I did speak to Andy Edwards last night who is an old friend of mine. He is their High Performance Director. I put a quiet word in and I asked what the buzz was and he mentioned to me ‘How are we not looking at this guy?’ So he has been talked about in inner circles, that much I know. But there has been no outward communication as to his future involvement.”
IS HE SURPRISED AT ROB’S FORM?
“I believed there was more in Rob than we were seeing because you could see it in training when the gloves were off and the shackles were off. Even in terms of his execution and some of the conversations we had at the back end of last year as to how we could get consistent performance in training and how that could be transferred into games. We used to have catch-ups because I’m not the type of guy who would be able to give him advice on what the right or wrong decisions are in terms of what to do at the line with the ball. I got feedback off him after every session as to how he felt it went to make sure we were aligned. I don’t do that anymore, whether or not that has built up an understanding of trust and alignment through his performance, I hope it has. I hope I have had an influence. I sat down with him yesterday as he has started every game and I asked him how he was. I tend not to ask you because he is playing so well and is in such a flow you don’t want to break it. He feels good, he has got more ownership than he had hence why we made him captain. Whether or not that has led into his state of flow and form or whether it is his state of flow and form that has enabled him to take more ownership I don’t know which but I’m sure the two are related.”
SELECTION DECISION AT 10 WITH FORD NEARING RETURN FROM INJURY
“It’s a challenge particularly with how well Sam James played because as we know Rob can play 13 as well. I do think with Rob’s sabbatical at 13, going into this year, with a wider understanding of where the space existed. He has an increased ability to drive at the line which he is doing. I think it has improved his overall performance at 10. Couple that with the responsibility he has with George not being there he has elevated his game. With George coming back in again and the opportunity to play Rob at 10 and 13 that’s something we will have to experiment with. In all honesty, I feel like George is going to go straight to the Six Nations or after a game or two as he should do. So Rob would then hold the shirt until March and then we will let them play it out.”
GEORGE FORD’S RETURN FROM INJURY
“He went to the England testing this week. If I were Steve Borthwick what would I do in his sizeable shoes. I would go back to a game model that works and employ some of the people that enabled it. His invitation to go straight back into the squad despite him being injured and not being able to do tests would be an indication of his inclusion during the Six Nations. Whether or not he goes straight back into an international shirt or he plays some time for us that is something for me and Steve to thrash after the decision. I haven’t asked him yet, I have just said let’s play it by ear as we get there. He is obviously quality enough to come back in having not played in a long time but there are more things to consider as well. You will see when he comes back he is stockier than ever, his metrics and strength testing are off the charts so he is coming back fitter and stronger, probably more robust than he was. Of course Toulouse is a big game for us, but if he hasn’t met certain metrics in his return to play and his rehabilitation programme even if he is kicking goals from 50 metres and doing spiral bombs which he is we are not going to risk him. We will make sure he is robust enough to play.”
George, Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell all competing for England 10 jersey- “It will be a love or hate triangle”
CONVERSATION WITH STEVE BORTHWICK LAST WEEK
“It was a catch up around the players in and around some of the conversations already had with some of the lads or his past experience with them when he was on the coaching staff at England. And to get some of my feedback on them before heading into camp.
“It ended up being a more detailed conversation around 3 of the 6 players who were in camp this week. I caught up with him about an hour before kickoff last week and we spoke for about half an hour about Bevan Rodd, Tom Curry and Jonny Hill. It was part specifics in terms of what they are going after from a rugby point of view. Another part was mentality as to conversations they have had in the past and conversations I have had with them which we believe has got good performances out of them which I found really interesting. Where they are at right now, what helps them prepare mentally and what they are going after from a rugby point of view.”
REFLECTIONS ON SPECIAL NIGHT LAST FRIDAY AGAINST LEICESTER
“It was one of those golden nights of rugby union in the North West. It seemed like all the planets aligned right at the end of the year for us to finish the year in the way we wanted to. It continued when we went to Hale, when I took my dad to a pub there and continued to revel in it for a few hours after.”
Wary of the challenge this weekend away at Harlequins
ANY PLANS TO RECRUIT ANOTHER SCRUM-HALF AFTER JOE SIMPSON’S RETIREMENT?
“As it stands right now we are content with the options. There are no plans to bring anyone else in. Will Cliff has been training the last couple of weeks. Nye Thomas, who was the England Under 20’s scrum-half last year, has been out on loan and getting some serious game time under his belt. He was a travelling reserve last year so these young lads who are the reserves don’t get any game time and it is difficult for them to improve so that is why we brought Joe Simpson in so we could increase the rate of Nye’s progression. We believe he is there or thereabouts now. They are both up for selection and we are happy with our stocks.”
INJURY LATEST
No fresh injuries from victory over Leicester
Joe Carpenter and Bevan Rodd back up for selection this week
Dan du Preez- metacarpal injury, should be back for Bath game at end of January
Jason Woodward- still on way back to fitness, hopefully fit for end of this month, start of February
Ben Curry- plantar fascia in his foot, painful but won’t put him out any length of time, only recovers when it tears, tore it going into the game and during the game- that’s why it looked like he had broken his ankle, good to go for this weekend, trained well this week
Raffi Quirke- training today (Wednesday 4th January), a week or two away
George Ford- fit around Bath game at the end of this month, has been out kicking in training
Tom Roebuck- another week or two
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