'I have been very lucky to have been thrown right in at the deep end... I really enjoyed it'
Ted Hill will fly out to Argentina on Thursday thrilled with the breakthrough year he packed in since he last played at the World Rugby Under-20s Championship. The back row walked off in Beziers last June as a beaten finalist, England losing out to host country France in the final.
What lay ahead in the aftermath was supposedly a year on the fringes at Worcester, a year in the wider first-team squad where he would serve his apprenticeship, learn the ropes and be patient in the hope of getting a look-in at some future stage.
That never quite happened, though. Not only did he effortlessly earn his stripes in becoming a cornerstone of Alan Solomons’ Gallagher Premiership team, he leaped from obscurity to win his first England senior Test cap at Twickenham at the age of 19 just eight weeks after debuting in the league away to Leicester Welford Road where he scored the match-winning try. Incredible.
His cap was only a six-minute spin at the end of a contest England won 35-15 after trailing at the interval. But all the same, the fact he was suddenly rubbing shoulders in rarified surroundings more usually suited to older players demonstrated the very encouraging impression he had quickly made on Eddie Jones.
Hill is not hedging his bets on securing a World Cup training squad call-up. “It’s a tough question… we’ll see, we’ll see,” he told RugbyPass.
What he will admit as he settles down to prepare for a series of under-20s pool matches versus Ireland, Italy and Australia in Santa Fe is that he couldn’t have wished for a better learning ground than being part of a Warriors set-up that successfully battled against relegation.
In making 18 appearances and starting 11 times in Worcester’s 22-match campaign, the now 20-year-old became adept at thinking quickly to survive and thrive, a buoyancy enormously helped by his short stint inside the England inner sanctum.
“There were two stand-out moments this season. That cap and then away at Leicester, which was my first Premiership game. It has just been amazing. That England call-up was unbelievable and it was great to spend some time in there and learn what that was all about.
“I’m hoping at the moment to just keep improving, to keep pushing on. I’m massively keen to keep on showing the England guys what I can do and then hopefully push on to get a second cap. We’ll see how it goes.
“One of the main things (in playing Test rugby) was just how it was another step up, just another level up from the Premiership in speed, the collisions and the way the guys get themselves ready for the matches. Not just on-field stuff, but off-field when it comes to recovery. It’s just another step up, which is a great experience to have.
📋 Squad update | England men U20s have updated the original 28-player group for the World Rugby U20 Championship.
More: https://t.co/EUa6DnJ585 pic.twitter.com/CVOBvV59t7
— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) May 28, 2019
“At the start of the season I was just hoping for a first-team breakthrough in some sense, but didn’t realise to any sort of extent that it would be as much as it has. I have been very lucky to have been thrown right in at the deep end, which has been great. I really enjoyed it and if someone had said eight months ago (this would have happened), it would have seemed very strange.”
What helped was the unforgiving environment he found himself in. If Hill was playing at club that was winning more matches than it lost, he could perhaps have trundled along in a less pressurised situation, a small cog in a big wheel that was taking care of itself.
As part of the Worcester back row, though, there was no room for pleasantries. Not when they were weekly under the pump in search of the wins that would eventually keep them clear of relegated Newcastle. “It was a great experience,” he enthused.
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Coming to the end of an exciting season with @worcswarriors hoping to finish strong this weekend! ??
“Players can get into teams where they are always winning and they don’t really have to fight as much for their wins. It’s great to be involved in a team where there has to be fight, where we are not at the top. It’s great to in that environment.
“When you’re not always winning, you have to go through the tough times, you have to understand what losing is like, you have to know that with losses you have to learn and get better. It’s all really good to be a part of.
“It’s a really important thing to show that you don’t have to be a top four club to show what you can do. There is something to be said about someone who can perform in a team where they have gone through struggles. It’s not where we want to be as a squad, but it shows we have got a great academy set-up and loads of names who have come through.
“I’m usually pretty hard on myself (after a defeat). I think everyone is. You wouldn’t come across anyone in the game who wouldn’t beat themselves up for a couple of days. If I individually haven’t had a good performance, it would take me a good half week to a week (to recover).
“It usually takes me the amount of time until I can show a good performance. It plays on your mind if you haven’t shown the best of your abilities. It’s not the nicest, but it’s a great experience to have and to learn the things you need to work on if you haven’t shown what you can do.”
It was only December, the month after he was capped by England, that Hill got around to signing his first first-team contract for Worcester.
🕺🕺🕺 pic.twitter.com/HN0mssgvZD
— Worcester Warriors (@WorcsWarriors) April 28, 2019
He had joined the Warriors’ junior academy at the age of 14 and was part of the 2017 England under-20 set-up as a 17-year-old, a foundation that stood him in good stead when it eventually came to fast-tracking his way to club and country first-team prominence.
What further helped the 6ft 4in operator was his bulk. So, too, some quiet words of encouragement from coach Solomons. “I’m 110/111kgs. I’m lucky, I have been quite big since I was young, quite tall and just being in the environment where you are surrounded by good nutritionists who give you good advice on what to eat, you really get all the information you need.
👕 @Ted_Hill26 has donated the shirt he wore against @Saracens last week to a charity raffle to raise money for @ProstateUK
👉 https://t.co/6CPlkWFwRE pic.twitter.com/EAcXYa00DW
— Worcester Warriors (@WorcsWarriors) May 28, 2019
“The main thing for me is just knowing when you’re in an environment with so many good players – and in my position, so many very good back row players – that if you switch off for a second, people will be biting on your heels.
“You have got to constantly push and from a learning point of view, Saracens away was a great experience. We played some really good rugby in the first 60 minutes. We were winning at half-time but they showed strength as a team to revert back to their plan and take the win.
“One of the major bits of advice is you have got to be consistent in your game. You can’t have one big performance and then (drop off)… you’re only as good as your last performance. He [Solomons] always says that if you’re performing one week and then you’re not the next, you can very quickly get a reputation of being flaky and inconsistent.
Take a look at last week's #TrainWithYourHeroes session at @WorcsWarriors. Local winners @WolvesRUFC U12s had a tour of @SixwaysStadium as well as a session led by stars @Ted_Hill26, @JackSingleton14 and @GJvanVelze #GallagherPrem🏉 pic.twitter.com/fCdceiG9Yr
— Gallagher UK (@GallagherUK) April 16, 2019
“To be on top of your game when it comes to training and recovery is so important. You have got to take every week’s training seriously because it’s that old saying, we want to train how we play.
“In the Premiership you can’t go to sleep for one second, otherwise people will capitalise and make the most of your mistakes. It’s a great experience to know that you can’t fall asleep because you will be caught out.”
WATCH: The fifth episode of The Academy where the RugbyPass documentary series on Leicester Tigers visits Worcester’s Sixways
Comments on RugbyPass
Why cant I watch Rugby games please?
1 Go to commentsBeautiful shot from Finau, end of story. Gutted for Shaun Stevenson though.
4 Go to commentsThe Chiefs definitely didn’t win ugly. They had the superior scrum, a dominant lineout, and their defence was excellent once the Waratahs scored their two tries (thanks to some lucky refereeing calls mind you). They put pressure on the Waratahs lineout throughout the game, and the mind boggles as to why the referee did not award a yellow card or a penalty try against the Waratahs for repeated scrum infringements on their own try line before Narawa’s first try. And the Chiefs were slick with their passing and running angles on attack. It was a dominant performance all round, even with many questionable refereeing decisions.
1 Go to commentsWasnt late. Ref 2 assistants andTMO all saw it so who are you to say it was?
4 Go to commentsAre the Brumbies playing the Blues twice in a row?
4 Go to commentsBig difference from the Saders. Forwards really muscled up and laid a solid platform. Scooter brought some steel and I liked the loosie combination. Newell has been rather disappointing this season but stepped up big time - happy also to see Franks dot down. He should do that more often! Reihana had a good game and there seems to be more flair and invention with him in the saddle. McNicoll plays well from the back and is reliable plus inventive when he joins the line. Keep it up chaps!
3 Go to comments🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
30 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
4 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusaders , you can keep going.
3 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
30 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
30 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood 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.
30 Go to comments