‘Prop star generation are not waiting for anyone’published at 15:25 GMT
15:25 GMT
Scotland v England (Sat, 16:40 GMT)
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On his development as a prop: “Developing as a young player, with Dan Cole, Will Stuart, Kyle Sinckler in the England set-up, it has always been difficult for me to get my foot in the door, but equally these guys have been setting standards and I have been trying to base my game around the good bits of what they have been doing. It has been a long wait, patience and diligence for me, but I have just been sticking at it and every time I got an opportunity, it wasn’t do or die, but I really wanted to do my best.
“Traditionally, you might think that tight-heads are at their best at 27,28, but you look at this new generation of England props – Asher Opoku-Fordjour, Billy Sela and Afolabi Fasogbon – there is no way they are waiting. If you are that good why wait.”