The Northampton Saints second row Alex Coles, who lines up against Gloucester on Sunday afternoon, is quite possibly the least-hyped rugby player in England. True, his two-try haul in the Champions Cup final grabbed a few lines but — in doing so — detracted from the real worth of the 26-year-old, who has been capped ten times for England. A barge over the line from close range and an even closer-range effort just before half-time was nothing like a reflection of how well he played.
Henry Pollock had been named one of four Northampton players in the British & Irish Lions squad the week after the Saints’ epic semi-final victory against Leinster in Dublin. The combination of the Lions and Pollock left a lot of fans, pundits and writers blind to Coles’s performances. Indeed one commentator had a problem distinguishing the angular second row from the much shorter youngster. But the head bands looked the same, hair colour is similar. We see what we want to see and back in May it was all Pollock.
On May 3 the season’s sensation played his way onto the plane to Australia. Pollock did some fabulous things — there’s no knocking the precocity of the man — but people were blind to one of the outstanding English European performances, away from home, against the odds. Coles’ lineout work was stunning, his work rate superb; had this been Maro Itoje we all — myself included — would have hailed this extraordinary effort.
Coles has a chance to cement himself in the England squad – and perhaps should be given a chance in the starting XV
BEN STANDALL/AFP
Instead of hearing screams for a late Lions call-up, Coles was selected for the far lower-key tour to Argentina. Much like Itoje in the Six Nations, Coles was an ever present in England’s three summer internationals, bar three minutes at the end of the second Argentina Test and a yellow card in the first. When Steve Borthwick, the head coach, keeps players on the pitch, it’s a clear sign of trust. Critics might say “dependence”.
At Kingsholm on Sunday Coles comes up against Arthur Clark, the player he combined with to lock the England scrum against the USA in July. Although the Gloucester man is not in the immediate thoughts Borthwick for the forthcoming autumn internationals, Coles has a real chance to cement himself into the smaller squad, perhaps the 23, maybe even the starting XV.
Borthwick’s first-choice pair at lock at the start of the Six Nations was Itoje and George Martin. The heft in the scrum offered by Leicester Tigers’ Martin is perceived as a major asset to his game. But with Martin, who has suffered with neck and shoulder injuries, ruled out for the autumn Tests, Coles is one rung up the pecking order. Martin isn’t the only man missing at the moment either. Itoje suffered a head injury in the 27th minute of the third Lions Test in Australia and was still unfit to train with England in September. Borthwick has the option to ease his skipper’s workload through the autumn.
Pollock’s display in the semi-final against Leinster diverted attention from his team-mate’s performance
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Itoje has a history of clocking up minutes. At Saracens it takes a lot to get him from the field, both before and since he was made captain. If his career is to endure, would it be so bad for him to be absented for two, three Tests — maybe the entire autumn series? England would be forced to look for alternatives, a new captain, a new decision-maker. His head injury isn’t a threat to England, it is an opportunity to develop the squad.
A couple of club games played this side of Christmas and a couple of internationals watched from the West Stand would freshen up this ferociously hard-working captain. Coles is in prime position to fill any void in the England second row, despite it being a position of immense depth and quality, with the Ollie Chessum, another Leicester lock — and another Lion — also an athletic option. If Martin has a reputation for strength in the scrum, his club colleague is spring-heeled at the lineout. Coles and Chessum both offer much as starters, although there is a potentially fascinating alternative in the belligerent shape of Harlequins’ Chandler Cunningham-South.
In the 2025 Six Nations he was used off the bench on four occasions. Predominantly he replaced Tom Curry and Ben Earl but Harlequins selected him to wear the front-jumper No4 jersey against both Bath in round one and against Leicester on Saturday.
Harlequins have been playing Cunningham-South in the No4 shirt
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Coles, ubiquitous in the big games last season, is a bold fit alongside Cunningham-South from the start of a game. He offers his team control in the lineout and clarity around the field with his clever support lines and accurate tackle technique. Cunningham-South, in stark contrast, is almost anarchic with his bruising presence at the breakdown and his direct ball-carrying threat.
This column hasn’t even mentioned other squad members, the Bath pair of Charlie Ewels and Ted Hill. Both were injured on Friday night. Borthwick will be keeping fingers crossed. The latter, in particular, offers extreme speed. His height, dexterity and pace makes him another game-changing style of player. The thought of Hill waiting, à la Pieter-Steph du Toit for a George Ford cross-kick will stretch a defence and guarantee the attacking width required to create space in field for the likes of Ollie Lawrence. If opponents narrow in, Hill will leave them for dead down the flank. That is if he gets off those crutches soon.
Fans wonder at the strength in depth of South Africa but England have options to compete with the best, even without their likeliest lead combination. Coles and Cunningham-South to start with Hill and Chessum coming off the bench while Itoje rests and Martin recuperates. That would be relentless.