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'I definitely see him a lot more in that England jersey': What the Leicester dressing room thinks of new Test cap George Martin
Leicester back row Hanro Liebenberg has hailed the impact teenager George Martin has been making at Leicester since he returned to the club following his England Test level debut last month. The 19-year-old was capped by Eddie Jones in the England loss to Ireland in Dublin on March 20.
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Martin returned to the Leicester ranks with a bench appearance in the March 28 Gallagher Premiership win over Newcastle – just his seventh-ever game for his club in the league. He then followed it with a dominant start in the Challenge Cup round of 16 success versus Connacht, the blindside making 43 metres off a dozen carries and putting in a chart-topping 24 tackles.
Then in the quarter-final win over Falcons, he made a team chart-topping 16 tackles along with a starting pack high of eleven metres off nine carries. Liebenberg reclaimed the No6 jersey for last weekend’s Gallagher Premiership defeat to Northampton, switching in from the No8 berth he occupied in the European quarter-final success over Newcastle where he got to see at close quarters the growing value that Martin and his fellow rookie, blindside Tommy Reffell.
Asked which young players have most caught the eye in the recent Leicester revival, Liebenberg said: “I would definitely say George Martin and Tommy Reffell, especially because they are back rows. Two quality players and they are still only scratching the surface. They have got so much potential in them and I can’t wait to see them more out in the field.
“For me, George is just a brilliant ball carrier, solid on defence. That is why he has been called up to the England camp as well. He only got a few minutes in his first game but I definitely see him a lot more in that England jersey.”
Look what Eddie Jones has been getting up to on annual leave??https://t.co/5f2AfjncKM
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 28, 2021
It was summer 2019 when Liebenberg first arrived in the doors at Welford Road from the Bulls. Similar to Leicester, his old team in Pretoria has been enduring a slump following past glories. Two years later the Bulls are now back winning trophies under Jake White and the same could soon be said for Leicester now that their new boss Steve Borthwick has them poised just 180 minutes away from a potential European trophy, starting with Friday’s semi-final at home to Ulster.
“They [Bulls] recently got in a new coach as well, recruited a few players so they are definitely building something quite similar to us here. I guess there is a lot of clubs that go through these phases, the ups and the downs, and it’s just how quickly you can get from those downs and get back on top again.
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“Nothing has changed at all (for me at Leicester). It’s still probably one of my best decisions to come here. These last few months confirmed the point why I came here, just the way we go about the way we are training, the way the guys are starting to believe in each other, the way we are playing. I still think there is a lot more in us but I’m so excited for what the rest of the season and next season holds. The guys that we have and the management that we have we can really go and show something.
“It [attitude] has changed dramatically. We spoke about it after the game last weekend against Saints (an 18-23 defeat). Let’s say nine months ago we would sit back in the changing room after a loss and not really be disappointed or we felt a bit sorry for ourselves.
“Now we have got that belief and we know there is much more left in us, that that is not our standard, that we left a few opportunities go the last few weekends. We just know there is so much more in us as a team,” he said, adding that he has his own priority in the bigger Leicester picture.
“That is one of my key work-ons, to get the ball in my hands. Sometimes I struggle with it just the way the game goes, just the way we play against certain teams, but that is definitely one of my work-ons. Overall the management is just so professional in what they do. They are always trying to bring out the best in the players and see what works best for us to go into a game and what gives us confidence.”
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"He [Henson] then stood up and said he would knock me out and said your missus wants to get with me"
– New Newcastle signing Carl Fearns has made an incredibly entertaining appearance on this week's @TheRugbyPodhttps://t.co/OmZMnacsH2
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 27, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
The 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….
76 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!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 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
12 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.
9 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.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 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 commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments