Fired up by some direct words of advice from Owen Farrell, Noah Caluori is determined to emulate Henry Pollock’s remarkable rise into Test rugby as he prepares for a Six Nations campaign with England Under-20.
Caluori, 19, trained with England’s senior team in November after being drafted into the squad before the Australia game, with the specific job of emulating Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s aerial threat.
The 6ft 4in Saracens wing, who subsequently started two England A games in the autumn, is not expected to be part of Steve Borthwick’s senior Six Nations squad, which will be announced at Twickenham on Friday.
Caluori sets tongues wagging as he runs in the fifth of the five tries he scored in a rout of Sale
EDDIE KEOGH/GETTY
A year ago Pollock was in much the same position. Aged 20 at the time, he too had just played for England A. The Northampton Saints tyro was drafted into the senior set-up for a Six Nations training week in Girona before being released back to the under-20s.
Pollock was disheartened with the demotion because he believed he was ready, but he applied himself, earned a recall from Borthwick and made a memorable Test debut in a record win against Wales in Cardiff. Three months later he was on the British & Irish Lions tour.
Caluori knows the secret lies in how he deals with disappointment. He views it as the biggest lesson of an exciting breakthrough season, a lesson Farrell taught him with some typically direct language.
Having started the season with two Gallagher Prem appearances, Caluori was omitted from the Saracens team to play Harlequins and sent on loan to play for Ampthill in the second tier. The news affected how Caluori trained that day.
The teenager earns the plaudits after touching down against Newcastle Red Bulls last September
BRUCE WHITE/COLORSPORT/SHUTTERSTOCK
“I would say I am usually quite bubbly in training and it wasn’t one of those days,” he says. “I could have been training harder so there is some truth to the story. We were doing a tackle drill and I was like, ‘My shoulder kind of hurts,’ just to myself.
“Faz [Farrell] was like, ‘Is there anything wrong with you?’
“I said, ‘I am fine.’
“He said, ‘Is there anything wrong with you?’
“I said, ‘I am fine.’
“He said, ‘Train like it then.’
Caluori demonstrates his finishing prowess for England Under-18 against Georgia in August 2024
ASHLEY VLOTMAN/GETTY
“He spoke to me later in the session and said, ‘You shouldn’t need someone to motivate you to train like you always do on a day when it is cold or on a day when you haven’t been selected.‘
“I didn’t take it in a negative way at all.
“Being able to experience disappointment [is the biggest lesson I have learnt]. When I went to the Champ after playing two Prem games, it was a disappointing thing to experience. But I treated that game like I was playing Harlequins.
“At first I was upset to not be playing in the Prem that week. No matter what ups and downs [I experience] in my career, I want to have the same mental focus and treat every opportunity the same.”
When Caluori returned to the Saracens team, he scored five tries in a 65-14 demolition of Sale Sharks. The following week he linked up with England.
“When I was in the England camp, I would have wanted my first cap in the Autumn Nations Series but I went into the As and treated those games the same,” he said.
Which is where Pollock’s example comes in. Caluori has never been shy of setting goals, or sharing them with his coaches. His immediate mission is to start every game for England Under-20 and win a grand slam.
Caluori’s ultimate ambition is to be considered England’s greatest wing, which would place him above the likes of Rory Underwood, Jason Robinson and Ben Cohen.
“I want to go on England’s tour this year and hopefully get my first cap either in this Six Nations or in the summer. I want to make the most of any opportunity I’m given,” he said.
Pollock has blazed a trail for other England Under-20 graduates to follow
BOB BRADFORD/GETTY/CAMERASPORT
“I know Pollock last year was in the under-20 camps, moved up into the Six Nations senior squad, went back into the under-20s and then made his debut in the Six Nations.
“Credit to him, he’s had a crazy rise and I would definitely like to follow in his footsteps in some of the things he’s done.”
With Will Stuart and Asher Opoku-Fordjour both injured — two of England’s top three tight-head props — Borthwick is considering a call-up for Bath’s scrummaging prospect Billy Sela along with Trevor Davison. Fin Baxter’s foot issue is likely to open a loose-head berth for Beno Obano.
Emeka Ilione and Greg Fisilau have been tipped for selection in the back row, while Seb Atkinson, Fraser Dingwall and Max Ojomoh are locked in a battle for the No12 jersey.