'Alex is ready but it's one thing me saying that - it's up to Eddie'
Chris Robshaw knows what it takes to win over Eddie Jones and is backing Harlequins No8 Alex Dombrandt to convince the England head coach he deserves a first cap in this autumn’s series of Test matches.
Dombrandt is currently training under the watchful eye of Jones at the Lensbury and will be expected to wear the No8 jersey for the non-cap match with the Barbarians at Twickenham on October 25, a game that will see Robshaw lining up for the most famous invitational club team in the world in his final game in the UK.
Robshaw played his 300th and final Harlequins game against Leicester alongside Dombrandt and will now get the chance to see just how difficult it is to shackle a powerful ball-carrying alternative to Billy Vunipola and Tom Curry, the Sale openside who has been used at No8 by Jones.
The England boss has very strong views that can be difficult to change, although Robshaw achieved that significant feat after the former Australia and Japan coach called him a “club player” during the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the tournament that became the low point of the flanker’s career.
Robshaw was captain as England failed to get out of their group but the following year he was part of the 2016 Grand Slam-winning team that Jones had assembled in his first year in charge.
Parting of the ways https://t.co/x2en3g93Jp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 8, 2020
Four years later, Dombrandt not only has to win over Jones but he also has to impress while up against a raft of outstanding young back row talent all desperate to break up the World Cup trio of Sam Underhill, Curry and Vunipola. What Dombrandt brings to the table is ball carrying, a lineout option plus a try-scoring instinct, and he has also proved to be an impact player off the replacements bench for Quins.
Having handed over the key to his Harlequins locker at their Surrey training base to Dombrandt as he cleared out his things, Robshaw has seen the No8 transform what club boss Paul Gustard called a “university rig” into a body capable of making an impact at any level of the sport.
Robshaw, who captained England 43 times in his 66 Test outings, will join the San Diego Legion in the USA’s Major League Rugby competition in January and is relishing one more game at Twickenham – even if there won’t be a crowd to mark his farewell.
He told RugbyPass: “It’s great to have a Twickenham send off and I had a joke with Alex about the chance of playing against him for the Barbarians… I gave my locker at Quins to Alex. I thought it would be in good hands. It’s special to get the chance to play against your friends and Alex does have real pace and since lockdown, he has transformed his body. We knew about his attacking ability and handling and he is picking fantastic lines.
“We can all praise players but at the end of the day, it is down to one man’s opinion that matters. If you want to play for England and that is Eddie. I hope Alex gets his opportunity and if he does I’m sure he will be ready for it.
“Alex needs to continue to work hard and be patient because it can be frustrating when you’re in and out of squads, so you must take every opportunity with both hands. Alex is ready but it’s one thing me saying that – it’s up to Eddie. For me, it was about performing every week and for Alex, he is up against pretty stiff competition every week in the Premiership and the talent and depth available to England is pretty phenomenal.
“You can probably pick ten players and put them in an England shirt in the back row and they would deliver, and that is a very fortunate position. You have these waves in certain positions and the back row is now where we have so many players under 25 and there is so much talent.”
Despite heading to San Diego, Robshaw will not be getting away from Jones who has agreed to work as a consultant to Legion in the MLR. He added: “Eddie will be great for the club and also the league. I don’t know how much time that will involve or if he will be sending training plans and all that sort of stuff. He will be fantastic.”
Robshaw’s appearance for the Barbarians will be his 32nd in a season disfigured by Covid-19 – that equals the highest number of matches he has ever played in a season. By opting to continue his career in San Diego, Robshaw will play a maximum of 16 games in a squad that also will include Blitzbok sevens legend Cecil Afrika.
Instead of heading home to South London after Quins training, Robshaw will be able to use the surfboard his new employers have had specially made to mark his arrival in the USA. “They do their recovery on the beach,” explained Robshaw.
“That will be very different from an ice bath in a wheelie bin. There is a group of players who surf and it’s certainly different from life in London. There are a lot of Pacific Island boys in the MLR along with really talented athletes and the league is continuing to grow. Playing a maximum of 16 games is fantastic when you talk about the load on players.”
Welsh favourite Jamie Roberts provided excellent insight on RugbyPass Offload about the disease that is stalking the game https://t.co/Ujvhc5aBGL
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 8, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
You know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
2 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
2 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
7 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
5 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
5 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
5 Go to commentsNot sure exactly what went wrong for him at Glasgow but it’s pretty clear he ain’t Franco’s cup of tea. Suspect he would have been better served heading out of Scotland around the same time as Finn, Hoggy and Jonny!
1 Go to commentsBulls disrespected the Northampton supporters and the competition. Decide quickly, fully in or out.
25 Go to commentsI wonder if Parling was ever on England’s radar as a coach? Obviously Borthwick is a great lineout coach, but I do worry he might be taking on too much as both head coach and forwards coach.
1 Go to commentsJason Jenkins has one cap. When Etzebeth was his age he had over 80 caps. Experience matters. He will never amount to what Etzebeth has because he hasn’t been developed as an international player.
2 Go to commentsSays much about the player picking this gig over the easier and bigger rewards offered to him in Japan. Also says a lot about the state sanctioned tax benefits the Irish Revenue offers pro rugby players, with their ten highest earning years subject to an additional 40% tax relief and paid as a lump sum, in cash, at retirement. Certainly helps Leinster line up the financial ducks in a row to fund marquee signings like this!!! No other union anywhere in world rugby benefits from this kind of lucrative financial sponsorship from their government…
5 Go to commentsTrue Jordie could earn a lot more in Japan. But by choosing Leinster he’ll be playing with 1 of the best clubs in the world and can win a champions cup and URC…..
6 Go to commentsThanks for that Marshy, noticed you didn't say who is gonna win it. We know who ain't gonna win it - your Crusaders outfit. They've gone from having arguably the best Super Rugby first five ever, to having a clutch of rookies. Hurricanes all the way!
1 Go to commentsGeez you really have to question the NRLs ability to produce players of quality. Its pathetic. Dont the 25mil in Aus produce enough quality womens players. Sad.
1 Go to commentsBulls fan here, and agree 100% with the conclusion (and little else) of this article. SA sides should absolutely f-off from the champs cup until we get fair scheduling, equal support for travel arrangements and home semis. You know, like all the european teams get.
25 Go to commentsI’m yet to see why Grace would be an ABs contender. He’s pedestrian and lacks the dominance required of a top flight 8.
11 Go to commentsGee my Highlanders were terrible. They have gone backwards since the start of the season. The trouble began when we left Millar behind to prep as the 10 against the Brumbies and he was disconnected from the team that came back from Aussie. We rested Patchell for that game and we blew an avalanche of ball in good attacking positions in the 1st half. Against the Rebels we seem to of gone into a pod system with forwards hanging off from the breakdown leaving Fakatava to secure our ball!
80 Go to commentsPot Kettle, the English and French teams have done it for years.
25 Go to comments