Paolo Odogwu has broken his silence on his uncapped Six Nations with England and how he would react if Italy called again
Wasps flier Paolo Odogwu has broken his silence over his recent uncapped Guinness Six Nations experience with England. The 24-year-old was in the club form of his life when he turned down a potential call-up by Italy in the hope that he might instead be included by Eddie Jones following a winter where he set the Gallagher Premiership on fire with his stellar attacking play.
Odogwu’s instinct was proven correct as he was included by England when they named their 28-strong squad for the championship. However, instead of going on to enjoy a fairy tale international debut, the Coventry-born talent wasn’t included in any of the five match-day squads and his non-selection became a constant criticism of coach Jones on social media.
The player himself has now admitted that so much of what was alleged online was untrue. However, lack of selection by England meant Odogwu went eleven weeks without playing a match, a gap that started with Wasps’ January 8 win at Bath and ended with a run off the bench in his club’s March 27 defeat to Sale.
If he was frustrated by this lack of exposure at a time when he came into 2021 in eye-catching form, he didn’t show it during a lengthy Wasps media appearance ahead of their match this Sunday at home to Bath. Instead, Odogwu described being involved in the England set-up for the first time as an invaluable learning experience that he is keen to put to great use now that he is back playing in the Premiership, adding that he has nothing but enthusiasm for the encouraging promptings voiced to him by coach Jones.
“Coming back in I have realised that although I am still young I have got to set a standard now,” he explained. “I have gone out of the environment, I have gone to England and I can’t come back and relax, I can’t come back and think I can chill now. I have got to keep pushing those standards, especially now that I have come back and there are like 600 new academy boys here who I have never seen before.
Odogwu went in uncapped with England in January and is still without a first Test run all these weeks later#SixNations #IREvENG
https://t.co/HDLhqxgBBV— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) March 17, 2021
“This is their first time being around me and me being one of the younger players but also playing a lot (for Wasps), I feel like I have got a responsibility to show them how you hold yourself in the environment and how to work. I feel I have definitely gained a level of confidence and also a level of responsibility within the club.
“It was all really positive,” added Odogwu when asked if a parting message was delivered to him by Jones when the England squad broke up after the March 20 defeat to Ireland in Dublin confirmed a desultory fifth-place finish. “He was positive with me the whole camp.
“He kind of took me under his wing almost in that he was constantly telling me how much he believed in me as a player and my ability, that I did have the talent but I just need to keep refining my skills and keep improving to get to my potential. One thing he said a lot is no one knows how good you can be.
“That was something I took to heart because you don’t and the only way you can get there is by constantly pushing yourself, so I feel like he was really good with me in terms of keeping me motivated and keeping me on the job and just making it seem like I was part of the squad, I wasn’t just there to build numbers. That is how I felt.”
Eligible for Italy through his father’s connection, Odogwu was courted over the winter by Franco Smith but he ultimately turned down their offer of a Test level call-up. Having been left uncapped by England, though, he is still uncaptured and could conceivable still represent the Azzurri if they came calling again, but Odogwu won’t be changing allegiance as he believes he has a promising future ahead under Jones.
“Definitely, England is the place for me,” he insisted. “I have been in the set-up and I know what I need to do to get into that team. I feel like I can’t run away from it now because I haven’t been picked (to play) in one camp. For me, it’s just to keep pushing and see how far I can get.
“I had proper chats with Franco Smith and the Italy set-up and all their coaches and it would have been a great honour to play for them but I was like, ‘I know my own ability and I know I am good enough to be in the England set-up’. I had a week to make that decision and I said, ‘I’m going to back myself here’. I didn’t even know (at the time) I was in the England squad but I just had to commit to either side and I chose England and I chose right in terms of just believing in my own ability and hopefully pushing forward and getting into the team.”
Reflecting on the social media frenzy his lack of match-day selection by England generated, Odogwu dismissed allegations he was merely left holding a tackle bag throughout his eight weeks in camp, initially at St George’s Park and then at The Lensbury in London. “I did see it,” he said about the fuss his continued match-day exclusion caused.
On-fire Odogwu has quipped he got his timing wrong in one crucial area this month #GuinnessSixNations #GallagherPrem @TheRugbyPodhttps://t.co/kSzlKeNaGT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 27, 2021
“It wasn’t hard to miss because a lot of people have a lot of opinions. It was quite nice seeing so many people back me but you don’t take it to heart. I’m the only one in the setup so I’m the only one who really knows what was going on. It was nice to see but I felt there wasn’t anything really true being said.
“It was a lot of not being picked and holding bags which wasn’t the case. Everyone there was training properly, everyone there was doing everything the same, so I felt like I was getting a lot out of it so to see people think I just helped out for eight weeks I was like, ‘That wasn’t what happened’.
“I found the whole experience a chance to step back and reflect on my own game because I was like, ‘I have done pretty well to get here but how can I keep getting better and how can I evolve my game because I’m not the finished article?’
“I knew there was stuff that I had to work on and stuff that is only going to make me better, so it was a great experience in terms of taking myself out of the Wasps environment where you finish a game, have a couple of days recovery and then you are prepping for the next team.
“When I didn’t play for five, six weeks or whatever it was I could actually have that time to pick at individual parts of my game that I wanted to improve and when you go back you can see those improvements.
The words of Eddie's former mentor were in his thoughts when he made the decision to include Paolo Odogwu as a bolter in his 28-man squad. https://t.co/zl4o2HsIvA
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 23, 2021
“We pretty much got a match-day hit in the Wednesday training (anyway), it was pretty full-on so I still felt I was getting that. You want to play but it’s one of the best teams in the world. I was happy just to be able to compare myself with those players and figure out I’m not too far off here, I can hold my own in this squad. I could keep improving while I was there and I felt like it was good for me.”
Apart from an injured shoulder in training around the time of the round three Wales match, Odogwu was involved in everything, including travelling to all the games even though he was never listed in an England match-day 23.
“We literally went everywhere together so I was at all the games which was nice as it was the first time I had been that close to the environment and seeing how everyone prepares, the warm-up and everything. Just being there was a bit surreal but it was also quite cool to experience.
“On those days when you had the team playing, you had the non-playing boys do another session so you still get that fitness hit out of it. We were all training the same, we were all travelling everywhere,” he said, adding there were never weeks when he felt he wasn’t in with a chance of a debut selection.
“You never really knew, especially in training the teams would change a lot because we would train as a red and a white team and whoever was in those teams would shift quite a lot. So you would never really know what the team was going to be but I felt like I did have a few really good sessions where I was really building.
?? We are delighted to announce that @notoriousPCO has extended his contract with the club!
? Wasps top try scorer this season
? @EnglandRugby @SixNationsRugby squad Friday
? New contract Monday #MondayMotivationMore at ? https://t.co/BbUQjUgMVb pic.twitter.com/8Zks9SgKKC
— Wasps Rugby (@WaspsRugby) January 25, 2021
“I then took a knock to my shoulder which meant I missed a couple of sessions which set me back and I had to work my way back into everything. I didn’t have a week where I was, ‘I’m definitely playing this week’ and then I didn’t get picked. Obviously, you want to play and you look forward to the team selection, but I was trying to keep a level head throughout.
“I feel like it doesn’t just build your playing ability, it builds your character because it is not easy completely changing your environment and going into a completely new squad with completely new people and then pretty much living there.
“You had to learn to adapt and to be able to throw yourself straight into that environment to learn as much as possible. I did that quite well. I’m naturally a quite chilled out person, I like to keep myself to myself and I found I had to really try and chat to everyone as much as possible, especially with all the Covid regulations, not being able to have that social time… it will definitely help in the long run making myself a part of the squad.”
Now back at Wasps, there were fears that the swagger he exhibited over winter, confidence that culminated in an exhilarating display at Bath, would be damaged. That hasn’t been the case, thankfully. “I don’t feel like I lost it which is good,” he said. “I felt like definitely going into a different environment and training with that calibre of player you have to raise yours standards anyway, so going back to playing for Wasps I was naturally just trying to keep myself at that level and I felt like in the Clermont and Exeter games I was able to show that I haven’t forgotten to play rugby, I can still play.
“There are going to be certain things you do get a bit rusty on, like tackling properly because I haven’t had to make a full-on tackle in a while, but all in all I feel like I haven’t lost the level of confidence I had before. I still have that self-belief that if I see something is on I am going to go for it and just keep backing my own ability. I feel like I have kept doing that.”
"Our identity is taking teams to a dirty place and then backing ourselves to be stronger… but we faded"
– Wasps boss Lee Blackett has revealed how bleak and dark Tuesday's post-mortem was into their hammering at Exeter #EXEvWAShttps://t.co/XSYxM39FWG
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) April 22, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
My only response is “Check the Scoreboard” nothing else matters.
20 Go to commentsThere is no place to hide in the front row. You win or lose each time and it selects for hard men/women and those who enjoy combat
6 Go to commentsThey might have won several different areas on the field but the one that ultimately counts is on the scoreboard. Ben Smith’s nonsense is still shown up for what it is following criticisings by his team’s coach claiming similar nonsenses and several other players as well. I am not an expert but I know All Blacks know that the game is won by the team with more points on the board than the opposition. Also the red card on Sam Cane is entirely his own fault. If they were aggrieved for having one less player on the pitch, that was their own fault, their own captain who possibly in a moment of forgetfulness tackled too high but either way it is a RWC Final, you cannot be having lapses of forgetfulness in a match like that. The fact that they were down a man for 64 minutes was their fault. And even if they did dominate the second half for 35 minutes, they had crossed the whitewash twice, they had several kicks at goal, the fact is they didn't maximize on all the opportunities they were given. The one try was disallowed, the two kicks at goal were missed, the opportunities not taken. Every tackle was made by the Springboks with so much more fervour than anyone had seen even in the Semi Final the week previously. Whatever Ben Smith says, most of what he says can be chalked down to a spoiled sport who has nothing better to say than whine and moan because ultimately the team he supports lost when it mattered most.
20 Go to commentsThere’s plenty I could write on this, I won’t stop if I really get going, so i’ll make just 2 important points. Don’t forget that SA didn’t have a hooker, don’t discount that fact. I would have taken MBONAMBI fit for the game over a yellow to Frizelle. Also you forget that NZ had the luxury of playing without pressure once the red came. Noone expected them to win and they could always fall back on 14 men if they lost. I’d also have taken 15 men NZ and MBONAMBI on the field over what transpired.
20 Go to commentsSome people in France say that JB Lafont have some problems with alcohol….
2 Go to commentsThis is awesome news. I hope he goes well.
1 Go to commentsI get that Ben's role is to attract SA readers with controversial clickbait, but what about respecting the rivalry of over 100 years? The Boks won, we lost. The Boks have now won 4 world cups since their inclusion back into international rugby, and in that time the rest of the world combined have only won 4! It's an incredible achievement. Show respect, and then hope we win 2-0 in SA later this year. But don't be a whiner; it means you don't understand the rivalry at its essence. Winner takes all when NZ plays SA. Sport in it's purest form. Long may it continue.
20 Go to commentsU Nz never ever use to be such a bunch off whining girls,now this so sad that u got this aasss writing some crap
20 Go to commentsBeautifully written.
6 Go to commentsYou can be a dominating team and still lose. The Boks know that if the ABs are a man down, they play as if they have another two players on the field. The ABs did attack, they did apply pressure, they built more plays but they did not add more points to the board. The ABs are still the most dominant team in sports today as the ABs will go for a win in every game they play. Rassie and Jacques have used the time between World Cups to build squad depth. They were also the last tier 1 nation to start playing rugby after COVID restrictions were eased and still won the series against The B&I Lions. Ben may write to persuade the reader that the Boks are not worthy of the trophy or worthy to be the best in the world but Ben, since you enjoy stats so much, you forgot the most important statistic….the score! That's the one that matters most.
20 Go to commentsNot a fan of Penney to be fair as I don’t see him able to perform at SR level. However he has stepped into a bit of a mess with so many long service players leaving. No matter how good a coach us he can’t wave a magic wind and turn young pups into Crusaders in 5 mins. Wheaven to accept this is a complete rebuild of players and culture. Have some patience just as the other teams have had in years gone by
29 Go to commentsWhat is Ben’s point exactly? Cause if it’s that the ABs should’ve won that game, then yes I think every AB fan would agree with that. But the DIDN'T. You need luck to go your way and it went the Springboks way, just as it went the ABs way in 2011. Given that this article is written 6 months after the final shows that Ben is still incredibly butthurt. Time to move on Mr Smith. Maybe join something that suits your bias… i’m thinking the Australian commentary panel?
20 Go to commentsSA players and fans calling the irish arrogant, ooh the irony!!
89 Go to commentsPersonally i’d have BB off the bench and DMac as 10. BB seems to have more ‘average’ games and less ability to mix it up on the fly than DMac,
7 Go to commentsBen’s Myth History is written by the guy who does the engraving on the trophy. Took Ben six months to write this piece.
20 Go to commentsThis article should have been written immediately after the final, not half a year later. While the content of the article is accurate with the references to the cruel bounce to Savea right before the try line, Etzebeth’s cynical infringement, and the inconsistent cards, some of the hyperbole emotional statements are unnecessary and gaslighting. The fact remains that the Springboks took their scoring opportunities. They had amazing defence throughout the entire match (limiting the ABs to one try is very respectable), their scrum was pretty good and they had quite a solid lineout despite having a part-time hooker throwing the ball in. Let’s give credit where credit is due and move forward. The Springboks won because they know how to win big games through strong defence and kicking, and they had lady luck on their side on the day. The All Blacks miraculously made the final despite everyone’s predictions and could’ve won the whole damn thing with 14 men who should’ve taken better advantage of their scoring chances and committed less mistakes (shoddy lineouts, dropped balls, some poor kicks and passing, etc), and an average coach and captain with some questionable tactics (Jordie kicking for goal late in the game from a dodgy position and perhaps the wrong game plan overall). Time to move on.
20 Go to commentsThere’s no doubt the All Blacks were the better team on the day, but it’s not enough to be better, you also have to have luck.
20 Go to commentsI dunno, Ben. It does feel a little like you are just in denial that the Springboks are really good. Good enough to win two straight world cups.
20 Go to commentsAre we still talking about the World Cup final in May? The final took place more than 6 months ago. Isn’t it time to move on?
20 Go to commentsIt looks like the trauma counseling is not helping the Ben Smith troll much. He is still trying to convince his little brain that his loser team won the RWC.
20 Go to comments