Rising Star - In Ollie Lawrence, Worcester may have found England's next Manu Tualagi
It’s fair to say things aren’t looking too pretty for Worcester Warriors right now.
In addition to well-publicised financial issues that has sent the club searching for investment, the side are currently rooted to the bottom of the Premiership table and have been thrust into a relegation battle with recently-promoted London Irish.
With seven losses from their opening seven games, it has been an ominous start to the season for Worcester, but if there is a silver lining to their current travails, it is that their academy has quietly been producing a host of talented players that could go on to form the foundation of a more competitive side in the seasons to come.
Huw Taylor, Jamie Shillcock, Will Butler, Tom Dodd and Ted Hill have all been catching the eye at various levels over the last couple of seasons, whilst hooker Jack Singleton has already made his England bow against the Barbarians, capitalising on Jamie George’s absence with the British and Irish Lions in the summer and touring Argentina as Dylan Hartley’s deputy.
The next name to add to this list could well be Ollie Lawrence.
The young centre represented England U17s last season and is currently in the last year of his schooling at Bromsgrove, but he has already made his senior bow for Worcester, when he came off the bench in their Anglo-Welsh Cup fixture with Sale Sharks in the opening round of the competition.
He replaced Max Stelling in the 58th minute of the match at Sixways and proceeded to get his senior Warriors career off to a dream start, crossing for a try just minutes later, before setting up teammate Tom Howe to score in the last minute of the game.
His assist for Howe to score was particularly impressive, with Lawrence taking and passing the ball in one swift motion, even as he was being lined up for a big hit by a Sale defender. For an 18-year-old on debut, it was an extremely impressive piece of skill and composure.
The dream debut was soured by Worcester ultimately falling to a 24-21 defeat to Sale, but it was a cameo from Lawrence which should have Worcester and England fans alike salivating at his prospects.
For some time now, England’s age-grades and the Premiership academies have been producing talented centres at a rate of knots. From Henry Slade to Joe Marchant, Nick Tompkins to Ollie Devoto and current prospects like Worcester’s Butler and Harlequins’ Gabriel Ibitoye, many of these centres have fallen into two midfield stereotypes.
You have the secondary playmakers, such as Slade and Devoto, who bring a fly-half’s skill set to the 12 or 13 jersey, and you have the quick-stepping, turn-of-pace men, such as Marchant and Tompkins, who can hurt teams in the open space of the wider channels with devastating outside breaks.
They are the perfect deputies for the likes of Owen Farrell and Jonathan Joseph in the England midfield, capable of replicating – to a good standard – what those incumbents have been doing for Eddie Jones over the last two years.
What England have failed to produce with such proclivity is the hard-running, physical centre who can break the gain line in the tighter confines and turn a broken tackle into a big gain or a try. From Mike Tindall to Jamie Noon and Brad Barritt to Manu Tuilagi, it was a staple of English midfields for over 10 years.
We are right to heap praise on the midfield partnership of Farrell and Joseph, for it has added dimensions of decision-making, speed of thought and foot and clinical finishing that has not always been there, but there is value to be found in the midfield heavy-hitters.
Martin Johnson, Stuart Lancaster and Jones have all included Tuilagi in their squads as soon as they were able, whether that be giving him his debut and first tastes of international rugby, or bringing him back into the fold as soon as possible after he has recovered from injury or served a suspension.
As for Ben Te’o, he has provided England with punch up the middle in the games when he has come off the bench, something which has been particularly valuable in the games when England’s forwards have not been in their best carrying form, something which often shows up when Billy Vunipola is unavailable.
With Tuilagi and Te’o both currently injured and unavailable for England this autumn, the cupboard, which is fit to bursting in many other positions, has looked particularly bare in this area.
Since Tuilagi came through the age-grades, only really London Irish’s Johnny Williams and Exeter’s Sam Hill have been of a similar mould. Williams is still developing, not to mention the subject of interest from Ireland and Wales – the two other nations that he is eligible to represent – whilst Hill has fallen slightly out of favour at Exeter following the arrival of Devoto, meaning that there is no clear backup to Tuilagi or Te’o as stands.
This is where Lawrence – in a year or two’s time – could come in.
He is incredibly physical for his age, blending speed and strength into a potent mix of power. Combined with a low centre of gravity, this makes him a remarkably tough player for defenders to bring down and like Tuilagi, he has that burst of speed to get away from defences when he breaks a tackle or makes a tackler miss.
Lawrence isn’t a head-down kind of runner, either.
He has the vision to exploit holes and awareness to find support runners, rather than relentlessly taking contact, something which some England backs in years gone by have been guilty of. He has the hands and passing skills to be part of a free-flowing back line eager to put quick width on the ball and he can thrive in that role, but he has the power to generate front-foot ball if the defensive line is doing a good stifling job, whether that be with their line speed or contact area work.
When teams are able to regularly break that gain line and run onto the ball, building momentum as they do and denying defences the opportunity to regroup, rugby is made to look a remarkably easy sport. It’s in this facet where dual-threat players like Lawrence can come into their own.
It is important to remember that Lawrence is still only an U18 player and nothing is carved in stone at this point in a player’s career, but his debut appearance for Worcester certainly went a long way towards reinforcing his credentials to play at a higher level.
There should be plenty more opportunities to see Lawrence this season, with the centre likely to feature further in the Anglo-Welsh Cup and A League, as well as for Worcester U18s once the new year arrives. He was also involved in the England U18s Development Camp last month and could form an exciting partnership with Cameron Redpath at that level this year, although Wasps’ Sam Spink will be pushing hard for inclusion, too.
It’s early days but it is worth putting Lawrence on your radar now. He has all the raw attributes required to be a special player at the next level and as long as he remains focused and keeps improving, there is no reason to fear that he won’t realise his considerable potential.
Comments on RugbyPass
Has virtually played every minute of previous games. Back row of Li Lo Willie , Grace and Blackadder would be the 1. Crusaders issue is a very average 1st 5 who cannot run. Kicking in general play is also below par They need to put Yong Kemara in. He must have so.e talent for them to bring him down from Waikato. Hoehepa would struggle to play in so.e club sided
4 Go to commentsI hope this a good thing making all these changes!
2 Go to commentsThe Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
18 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
18 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
18 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
18 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
18 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
18 Go to commentsI hadn’t watched much Canes this season but sat through a replay of that Chiefs game with no distractions. That pack is beastly. I really like the look of Iose. He loves the tough stuff. The first Quins clip may be the best I have even seen for a TH driving his opposite into oblivion. i need to take your word for the contribution of Walker, but Collier there with a straight back pushing up from under was a lovely thing to see. Have you fallen in love with Baxter also, Nick? I think Stuart Barnes may have written his column about him recently, naked. He positively frothed.
15 Go to comments