The result of the 2024 Ballon d’Or was remarkable because, for the first time in almost 30 years, the award for the world’s best footballer went to a “glue player”. Rodri, the defensive midfielder from Manchester City, claimed an award won almost exclusively by creative, attacking players; the flair boys with the dazzling highlights reels. Rodri broke the mould, striking a blow for the unglamorous and unheralded.
To be termed a glue player can feel like a backhanded compliment: a good team man, just not particularly special in your own right. But that ability to make others play better, to be quietly influential while others take the glory is increasingly being recognised as a super skill in its own right. Steph Curry was the face of the Golden State Warriors’ NBA dominance but Draymond Green was the heartbeat. Erling Haaland was the goal-scoring hero for City but Rodri made them tick.
England believe that in Fraser Dingwall, one of the nicest and most unassuming men in professional rugby, they have uncovered their Rodri equivalent; a modern day Mike Catt whose communication, rugby IQ, emotional intelligence and lack of ego can bring the best out of those around him. Plus, he’s a mighty fine centre in his own right. Underappreciated and unfashionable? Yes. But that tends to be the way with glue players.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri, who like many glue players is sometimes underappreciated, won the Ballon d’Or last year to buck the recent trend of the prize going to flair players
RICHARD PELHAM/GETTY
Dingwall missed England’s summer tour with a calf injury but he returns to the No12 jersey for Saturday’s Test against Australia, operating as an extra pair of eyes for George Ford at fly half and helping Tommy Freeman adapt to the different demands of playing outside centre.
For 40 minutes on a comfy chair at England’s training base, we discuss the art of the inside centre. Some coaches want a power athlete in the role, others a second playmaker. To construct the perfect No12, Dingwall would pull the best qualities from three of the greatest inside centres.
“If you could make the perfect player you would have power, ball-playing ability and chat,” Dingwall says. “De Allende’s power is his super strength. For ball-playing ability and kicking game, Jordie Barrett. Even when Damien Willemse played there for South Africa recently and look at the ball movement they got with him there.
“Matt Giteau is a throwback but what he gave Australia was so much organisation, the eyes for the fly half inside of him. He is a 12 who has not necessarily been the biggest but has a huge impact on their team through stuff you might not see most of the time.
“Those who know the game understand that. Things are not always black and white around stats or line breaks but he is making a huge impact to that team in a way that we might not necessarily see.
Dingwall is in line to earn his fifth England cap against the Wallabies at Twickenham on Saturday
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY
“Realistically I think that is my game. I love a No12 to be that second link, to give information to the fly half and to connect the inside part of the chain — forwards and half-backs — to the talented individuals you have got from No13 out, and move the attack to where the space is. Some guys have freak athletic ability.
“What am I looking for? Numbers in front of you and where the space is; whether it’s the edge, whether it’s back on the short side. You are almost playing a phase in advance. If I can get the best out of guys around me then that is me having a brilliant game.”
Some players change character when they cross the whitewash. The way Dingwall plays is reflective of his personality. He does not need to be at the forefront of everything. “There are not many people like Henry Pollock,” he laughs. “When Fordy won his 100th cap he said he played the game for two reasons: for his family but also to gain respect from team-mates and coaches.
“That resonated with me because it is how I feel. I want the team to do really well. How can I contribute to that for the better of the team? I don’t think I desire it being reflected on me. I would hope I have the respect of those around me and they value what I can bring to a team.”
Dingwall watches a lot of rugby. He has taken to following the NRL along with Fin Smith and George Furbank, fascinated by the running lines in rugby league and how they drift with the ball so they catch a pass in space. England will need to be hot on those traits on Saturday, with Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii lining up against them in the Wallabies midfield.
Twelve months ago, Suaalii played his first adult game of rugby union against England at Twickenham and was named man of the match for his exquisite distribution and aerial prowess, nicking restarts off Maro Itoje like a pickpocket on Oxford Street.
Suaalii produced a brilliant man-of-the-match display against England last year on what was his senior rugby union debut after having made the switch from rugby league
DAVID ROGERS/GETTY
“One of Suaalii’s best traits is getting to the man outside him, getting to that next defender so he can create a two-on-one,” Dingwall says. “And he has really good qualities in the air, which was honed in the NRL. They have been ahead of rugby union in that area but I think we are catching up rapidly. Tommy has been doing it for a while and it seems to be coming ever-more present in the game.”
Dingwall will talk through the game on Saturday, almost commentating at times. TNT Sport captured this superbly when Dingwall wore a mic for a couple of games in the 2023-24 season, which culminated in Northampton Saints winning Prem title.
Dingwall’s role as the team’s eyes and ears are shown in this mic’d up footage of the centre
“I can’t think of times when I couldn’t want to be commentating,” Dingwall says. “We mic up people in training at the club, partly as an education piece for younger players because it a skill that can be worked on, in the same way you can work on your catch-pass. Being clear and direct around what you are wanting from people and how you feed information.
“My favourite try I have been involved in with England was against Wales [in last season’s Six Nations]. We broke and got to five metres out. Rather than playing direct through the forwards, I called for a ball out the back from Tom Curry. I passed to Fin who passed to Freeman who scored.
“That was a try I was proud of because it is easy in those scenarios to keep it tight. But everything we had spoken around was having the attitude to move the ball to the appropriate space, irrespective of where we were on the field. That was a good example.
Dingwall featured against Wales and Italy at this year’s Six Nations
TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER MARC ASPLAND
“In the two Six Nations games I was involved in, we had very good mindset around wanting to challenge the defence with ball movement and intent. We had prepared in that Wales week to believe in each other’s chat and a mindset of the attack being dynamic.”
Dingwall has had to fight for his England opportunities, winning four caps in five years of being involved with the national team. Missing the summer tour stung. He watched from home as Seb Atkinson performed impressively at inside centre. But, true to form, Dingwall’s overall reflection was team-first. “It has driven competition and added depth,” he says. “Ultimately, that is beneficial.”
Dingwall and Atkinson will be jousting for the No12 jersey through to the World Cup; different players with different strength. Not everyone would have stuck around for the fight. Lucrative R360 deals are being offered. Tom Willis quit England to sign for Bordeaux Bègles because he was not convinced of his place in Steve Borthwick’s plans. But Dingwall has followed Ford and Fin Smith in committing his future to the red rose by signing a new deal with Northampton Saints.
“To get my first cap took a long time. Then I went another year to get another two,” he says. “There have constantly been challenges but it is not something I would ever give up. To play for England, you are representing your country, you are representing all those who play rugby around the country.
“I am just desperate to play for England and that is the driving force behind all the rugby decisions I make. I would never take that for granted. I would never take for granted how much goes into it. I have had to learn that potentially a harder way than some others at times. That resilience is something I am proud of.”
England v Australia
Twickenham
Saturday, 3.10pm
TV TNT Sports