{"id":456413,"date":"2026-03-04T03:44:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T03:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/456413\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T03:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T03:44:15","slug":"meet-seb-atkinson-englands-new-six-nations-centre-and-perhaps-the-fittest-man-in-rugby","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/456413\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Seb Atkinson, England\u2019s new Six Nations centre and perhaps the fittest man in rugby"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By one metric, at least, Seb Atkinson has a claim to be the fittest man in rugby union. The so-called \u201cBronco\u201d test is the scourge of many a player across the levels, a gruelling test of physical readiness over five sets of shuttles over 60m, 40m and 20m that burns both lungs and legs. Until last year, the professional record was thought to have been jointly held by All Blacks Beauden Barrett and Cam Roigard \u2013 but Gloucester centre Atkinson went four seconds quicker. <\/p>\n

\u201cI did it in four minutes and eight seconds,\u201d the 23-year-old confirms to The Independent with a quiet sense of accomplishment and assurance that will serve him well as he makes his Six Nations<\/a> debut against Italy this weekend. \u201cIt\u2019s a bit of an unregulated test, so it\u2019s very unofficial.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Seb<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Seb Atkinson got his first taste of senior England action against Argentina in the summer (AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Atkinson may demur at any kind of grand tag over his physical fitness but that sort of hard-running has always come relatively naturally.<\/a> \u201cGrowing up, I did a lot of cross-country and a few triathlons,\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed that side of things. From U13s to U18s I was a relatively small player; I grew in size quite late. So I had to find other ways to impact the game. So, for me, that was with work-rate, and the coaches I\u2019ve had along the way have always rewarded that.<\/p>\n

\u201cRugby is a very physical sport not just in the collision but with work off the ball. Steve [Borthwick]\u2019s obviously valuing that at the moment and hopefully I can continue to use that as a unique point.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Atkinson<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Atkinson (left) was speaking courtesy of AG1, England nutritional supplement partner (AG1\/England rugby)<\/p>\n

Borthwick has handed Atkinson the starting No 12 shirt as part of an all-changed backline as England look to get their Six Nations campaign back on track after dramatic derailments against Scotland and Ireland. If not for injury, the Gloucester midfielder might have already had an all the more central part in this campaign after a breakthrough tour of Argentina last July, in which he started both games. Atkinson had been expected to reprise his role at inside centre in the autumn before a nasty knee and hip issue arrived with ill timing just before Borthwick\u2019s squad assembled<\/a>, enabling Fraser Dingwall to nail down the No 12 jersey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really enjoyed my year, culminating in Argentina,\u201d Atkinson reflects, speaking as part of England\u2019s partnership with nutritional supplement AG1. \u201cGetting my cap and having my parents there was an unbelievable feeling. It felt like the reward for all of the hard work I\u2019d put in not just that year but through the first four or five years of my career. <\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted to make the most of what I achieved out there by coming back and really nailing down my spot \u2013 but I got injured at the wrong time. That\u2019s our sport, unfortunately. I tried to stay as level-headed as I could and focus on my training, build on being a bit more powerful and some skills whilst I was injured. It was very frustrating, but you\u2019ve got to look long term.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Atkinson<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Atkinson hopes to prove himself as England’s all-round centre option (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

There is sense that Borthwick is doing exactly that with his selection in Rome. A bold backline features Atkinson alongside Tommy Freeman in an untried centre combination that nonetheless offers huge upside<\/a>. If other midfield options fit more neatly into certain archetypes, Atkinson prides myself on being more of an all-rounder. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve never really had someone growing up where I wanted to be exactly like them,\u201d he explains. \u201cMy mantra has always been to try and not have any weaknesses. You have your super-strengths that you\u2019ll be confident in, but I\u2019ve tried to be as balanced as I can.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably where I fit in the squad at the moment. You\u2019ve got guys maybe being more ball-players or facilitators, and others that are a bit more physical and dynamic, but I like to think that I\u2019ve found a good balance and can do a bit of everything depending on the situation or the opposition.\u201d <\/p>\n

Atkinson recognises, though, that part of the job for he and Freeman will be winning gainline against an excellent Italy midfield. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to have the balance between skill and then just brute force at times,\u201d he says. That has meant a physical transformation. \u201cI went away one summer holidays at school and came back about four inches taller and five kilograms heavier, so that definitely helped. <\/p>\n

\"Atkinson<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Atkinson featured for an England XV against France last year (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a consistent thing in the four or five years since coming out of school. How hard can I push myself in the gym? And how can my nutrition and fuelling back that up? My playing weight is probably about 97kg now. I came into the professional rugby environment at about 77kg. I think it is a good marker in terms of long-term gain, but it definitely wasn\u2019t an overnight thing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Those gains have come despite a disrupted start to life as a professional rugby player. Atkinson had been due to captain England U18s in 2020 before their campaign was cancelled due to Covid; two years later, what looked likely to be a breakthrough season for Worcester was halted prematurely by the club\u2019s demise. It caused Atkinson to think deeply about the future before Gloucester came calling. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had a difficult time at Worcester with them going under. You take a step back from it and think: \u2018Why am I doing this? What do I want to achieve?\u2019 Taking that step back at that point was a massive moment in my career without me really realising it. <\/p>\n

\"Atkinson<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Atkinson initially made his senior breakthrough at Worcester before the club’s demise (Getty Images)<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d been sat on my sofa for about three weeks hoping something would happen, thinking it was now or never, and then I got the Gloucester opportunity. Once I got the call, I knew not to take it for granted. I knew that being an academy player at any Prem club isn\u2019t a conveyor belt. You have to fight really hard and once you get those opportunities, that\u2019s not the end of it, you have to keep taking them.\u201d <\/p>\n

In a neat twist of fate, Atkinson will pull on the No 12 shirt outside of Fin Smith, just as he did in his final game for Worcester in 2022. The pair were age-grade allies born just 10 days apart, a connection that will help given the considerable upheaval. And Atkinson is desperate to seize this chance.<\/p>\n

\"Atkinson<\/p>\n

open image in gallery<\/p>\n

Atkinson will win his third England cap against Italy (AG1\/England rugby)<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time you get a chance to put on the England shirt is special, but there is something about the Six Nations, isn\u2019t there? The brutality in between the teams, how much everyone cares about it. It\u2019s a great tournament and I\u2019m very lucky to be as close as I am. Hopefully I\u2019ll take the opportunity now it has come.\u201d<\/p>\n

AG1 is the Official Daily Nutrition Supplement Partner to England Rugby Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s teams. AG1 provides support and guidance through nutritional education and wellness leadership across the England Rugby ecosystem, from the grassroots game to the England Men\u2019s and Red Roses teams, starting with the Guinness Six Nations. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":456414,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-456413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=456413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/456413\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/456414"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=456413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=456413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=456413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}