Jean de Villiers does not doubt where Tony Brown’s loyalties lie after his influence on Vusi Moyo’s first appearance for the Springboks against the Barbarians.
Former Bath and Leicester star Anthony Watson has praised the current crop of wingers within the England squad as they set their sights on their upcoming Southern Hemisphere tour.
Discussing the upcoming Nations Championship, Planet Rugby joined Watson and Elliot Daly in the Hidden Den at the Fox pub in Twickenham, as they trialled the “sensational” Buffalo Trace, paired with a ginger ale that proved to be a favourite of theirs, as the intimate little bar prepared to open for the PREM final.
Not on international duty this summer, Daly has time to enjoy a tipple with his friends while the England squad are preparing for their opening match against the Springboks, but what does a typical gameday on the sidelines look like for the lads?
“So we’ll meet for some lunch, early lunch, about 11 somewhere local to the stadium,” Watson said ahead of the PREM final.
“I’d say a group of around six, that’s a good number. Elliot will be in my six. Who else will I rope in? Jonathan Joseph will have to get the call-up because if I don’t mention him, he’ll be upset. I’ll take Jamie George, just to make it more difficult for Elliot to select the other three.”
Daly added: “Mark McCall, we’ll give him a good send-off. And then, if he’s not in the England camp, Ben Earl, good craic, and Maro Itoje, he’ll open a few doors for us. Sophisticated gentleman, he might get us into a seat in some box.”
With the PREM final now complete, and the Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs lads having joined up with the England camp, there are plenty of potential spots yet to be claimed in the England starting 23.
“Probably the best it’s been”
Watson, now retired from the game after struggling with injuries during his latter years, expressed his excitement at the strength in depth within the current squad, labelling the back three options as being “probably the best it’s been that I can remember”.
He continued: “Anyone they go with, they’re going to have a back three that can compete without a shadow of a doubt.
“In my opinion, Tommy Freeman is the standout winger and has proved that across the Lions tour and this season as well. To back up what he did last year, with an unbelievable year carrying the fatigue of the Lions tour, which you know a lot of people don’t appreciate, is extremely difficult to handle. I think it shows what a special player he is.
“Once you combine that with Manny Feyi-Waboso, Cadan Murley, and there are guys who aren’t even necessarily in the discussion or in the squad, who are ridiculous. Guys like Adam Radwan, Ollie Hassell-Collins, Gabe Ibitoye. So, I think it’s probably one of England’s serious strengths, the ability to select across any wing.”
The wide men all bring something different to the table, but what about the full-back options of George Furbank, Freddie Steward and Marcus Smith?
“We haven’t even touched on full-back,” Watson admitted, glancing at Daly.
“Obviously, the man to my left here, his skills are second to none in playmaking. From a full-back perspective, what will be appreciated is the experience he’s got and the ability to lead, probably what will be a relatively young wing group.
“I think that they are extremely blessed. The back-three and back-row for England is up there with the best in the world.”
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“You just lean on the people around you”
Daly will miss the summer tour due to injury, but has certainly not hung up his boots quite yet. Now 33 years old, if he’s recalled to the England squad later this year, the experienced head will be required to provide mentorship to those around him.
“When I first came into the England setup, I was trying to understand the way England were playing,” he recalled.
“We had guys like Mike Brown, who I was trying to learn from, who’d been there and got 50 caps, so you just lean on the people around you.
“And that’s the thing, the best England teams, the best club teams, are the ones that help each other. So when it does come to game day, even if you’re not playing, you’ve prepped that guy, whoever that is, on the wing or a fullback, to be in the best scenario for when hopefully they can get to a final, get to a semi-final, and win those both if they can.
“So you’re only going to do that by getting everybody in the squad up to the same level as everyone, really.”
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon is available across all Premiership Rugby clubs nationwide, in both hospitality and general concessions, served neat, on ice or as a Buffalo Trace & Ginger.