'I don't quite have a Stephen Donald story'
Ben Spencer was feeding his children at home when he took a phone-call that could change the Saracens scrum-half’s life. A week after watching England demolish semi-final opponents New Zealand on television, Spencer will be on the bench in a World Cup final.
He admits it has been “a crazy few days” after answering England’s World Cup call when Willi Heinz was ruled out of the tournament due to a hamstring injury. Spencer will provide cover for Ben Youngs against South Africa in Yokohama on Saturday when England aim to become world champions for a second time.
“It’s been a crazy few days, and a brilliant few days. I have loved getting back in with the squad,” he said. “I don’t quite have a Stephen Donald story (the former New Zealand fly-half who was called up from holiday and then kicked a match-winning penalty in the 2011 final), you know, on a boat, fishing.
“I was just at home, feeding the kids, then got the phone call (from England’s team manager). They are a bit too young to understand, but my partner was thrilled. They actually got here (to Japan) this morning. It’s an exciting week for all of us.
“I trained all week with Saracens, and then we were due to play Leicester on the Sunday. I got the call on Saturday afternoon and then was on a flight Sunday morning, and arrived Monday morning. When I got the call it was a bit of ‘right, let’s get ready for a World Cup final’.”
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Spencer, 27, made his England on debut on tour against South Africa in 2018 and was a key performer as Saracens were crowned English and European champions last season. He narrowly missed out on World Cup squad selection but now has a dream opportunity to be involved in England’s latest bid for global glory.
“The good thing was that I had spent quite a lot of time with the squad in pre-season, so I know what’s going on and I’m not too out of the loop,” he added. “It’s not been too difficult to get up to speed, and Benny and Willi have helped me out with what is going on this weekend. It’s been good.
“In terms of the jet-lag I’ve actually been okay. The first night was tough, but I seem to be in the swing of things now. I think they (England) have been brilliant, every week the team has got better and you saw that against New Zealand.
‘If you’re sat at a table and one bloke says it, it is actually the other people at the table who will say, mate, that is not okay, that is not where the game is now’
– @RachaelBurf12 of @HarlequinsWomen and @BurfAcademy on how World Cup changed attitudeshttps://t.co/xH4g4kmljz— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 30, 2019
“I mentioned before the previous games, what I have taken from them is a constant want to get better from the squad, to want to improve week in, week out. It’s hugely exciting. It is every kid’s dream to play in a World Cup final, and for me to be out here and hopefully on Saturday, yeah, it’s amazing.
“I can’t say enough about the lads this week and how they have welcomed me into the squad and made me feel part of the squad. There is huge excitement about this weekend. The lads just can’t wait to get out there and get stuck in.”
– Press Association
WATCH: Get set for plenty more high balls on Saturday – both in the bars and on the pitch
Comments on RugbyPass
Good to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
17 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike 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.
17 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.
14 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?
7 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.
7 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 🤐
17 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….
17 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!
7 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
17 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
14 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.
17 Go to comments