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Biggar as a 19-year-old: 'Dan would lose his head quite often...'
Worcester boss Jonathan Thomas has compared his upcoming teenage out-half Fin Smith with the young Dan Biggar that he knew coming through at the Ospreys in Wales many years ago. Now 32, Biggar had Smith as his direct opponent last Friday night when Northampton hosted the Warriors at Franklin’s Gardens.
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The evening didn’t go well for the visitors as Worcester were crushed 66-10 but Biggar showed his class in the aftermath, spending some time on the pitch post-game for a quick encouraging chat with Smith who endured a difficult time with his forwards on the back foot throughout.
A 19-year-old grandson of Tom Elliot, a 1955 Lions tourist from Scotland, Smith started this season on loan at Ampthill in the Championship after guiding England U20s to summer Six Nations glory, but he was recalled earlier this month by his parent club after Owen Williams suffered a serious hamstring injury.
The match at Northampton was just Smith’s fifth-ever Premiership start for Worcester and while the result was painful, his coach Thomas, an ex-Wales back-rower, saw enough to be able to compare Smith with the younger version of Biggar that he encountered in the late noughties at the Ospreys.
“It was quite ironic that Fin was playing against Dan because I was playing at the Ospreys when he came through at 18. There are some similarities but Fin is probably a little bit more composed as a 19-year-old than Dan was and I mean that in a nice way. Dan would lose his head quite often and be shouting at the forwards at half-time. He was a little bit more animated.
The man is a class act ? https://t.co/DlUm0EoAz7
— Northampton Saints ? (@SaintsRugby) October 22, 2021
“But where there are a lot of similarities is both are very assertive and articulate for young men at the same age. Both have got a good all-round game at that age, a really good balance and the really good thing at nine and ten is you need leadership and the challenge for any young ten is to lead or drive a team when you are that age because naturally, you are playing with a lot of guys you have looked up to over the years.
“That is always a challenge but it is something that comes quite naturally to Fin and certainly to Dan at the same age. It was quite ironic that they were on the field at the same time (last week). Fin had a really fine game in terms of when you are playing on the back foot it is a massive challenge for your backs and particularly your nine and ten, so you have got to be brave in those situations.
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“If you are a 19-year-old No10 you know that most opposition coaches are talking about, ‘Let’s rough him up, let’s run over him’, and that is something that Fin deals with pretty well. Listen, there are areas of his game that he needs to work on and he knows that. He is pretty self-aware but that is an ongoing thing. It’s just about game time for young players and growing in the areas that you need to improve.”
Worcester were "astonished a player got a three-game ban for essentially getting kicked in the neck" and wanted an audience with World Rugby. They got it… #Warriors #WorldRugby #GallagherPrem
https://t.co/NL23dul0UX— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 26, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Like tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
14 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
14 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
14 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
14 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
14 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
14 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
14 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to comments