Six England backrow contenders to threaten the established order
The established order in the England backrow seems unruffled. A settled trio. At the base of the scrum you have the guv’nor, Billy Vunipola. At the ripe old age of 27, the 45-cap No 8 gives Eddie Jones’ men precious go-forward. A three-time winner of the Champions Cup, he’s what Sir Ian McGeechan would label a Test Match Animal. It’s fair to say Billy’s had his fitness problems, however. Three arm-breaks has meant a missed Lions tour and numerous Six Nations games meaning back-up is essential. On the blindside is that strapping ball of muscle, Tom Curry, who at 22 is already rated as one of the most dynamic backrows in the world, able to cover any position across the backrow. Completing the power-packed triumvirate is Sam Underhill, the Bath openside. Slightly older than Curry, Underhill is pound-for-pound, one of the hardest hitting flankers in world rugby and has an improving carrying game. With injury and loss of form, however, it pays for the men in situ to have competition for the England shirt, especially in a Lions year. The following individuals have every opportunity to break into that rarefied backrow club with a series of eye-catching performances in the coming season.
The only caveat pinpointed by RugbyPass is that all players named are 23 or under (meaning Lewis Ludlum and Sam Simmonds both narrowly miss out) and thus have at least two World Cup cycles ahead of them.
Ted Hill, 21 (Worcester Warriors)
It’s not often that captaincy is bestowed on one so young, but Worcester Warriors Director of Rugby, Alan Solomons had no hesitation in handing ‘Big Ted’ the club captain’s armband for the following campaign, calling him ‘intelligent and articulate’. He has also likened him to another muscular behemoth at the same age; Duane Vermeulen. Former Head of England Pathway and now Dragons coach Dean Ryan was another committed admirer, describing the bespectacled Hill’s point of difference being his ‘immense physical stature’ and at 6ft 5in and nearly 18st the blindside regularly drives opposition ball-carriers backwards at a rate of knots. With the ball-in-hand, he has the confidence to offer himself up for the collisions and prefers the direct, rather than scenic route. A star at England age-grade level, Hill has already been named as an apprentice by Eddie Jones, and he made a brief cameo against Japan. His progress will be closely monitored as France 2023 draws closer.
Alex Dombrandt 23 (Harlequins)
Barely two years ago, Alex Dombrandt was getting roughed up in the Welsh Premiership while studying at Cardiff Met, with two acts of skullduggery breaking his jaw. It made him question whether he wanted to pursue a career in rugby. Fortunately for England he quickly dispelled jacking it in. Like Ben Morgan before him, despite overtures from his Welsh brethren, the Croydon-born No 8 nailed his colours to the Harlequins mast on his return from the Principality and he has proved to be a shrewd acquisition by the powers-that-be at The Stoop. At 6ft 4in and nearly 19st, the slimmed down version of the hulking backrow is a sight to behold with the ball in hand in open space. The backrow reads the game astutely and can often hits holes in midfield to open up defences with a decent turn of pace. His break, offload and sleight of hand out of the back door against Saracens to put Danny Care away left fans purring and demands for his inclusion in the England squad. You wonder if his time will come sooner than later.
Jack Willis 23 (Wasps)
Most of the world’s best backrow breakdown operators are short and squat, in the mould of George Smith (a former team-mate), David Pocock or Josh Navidi but Willis is 6ft 3in and still one of the Premiership’s best snaffling the ball on the deck. Indeed those boffins at OPTA said he had made 24 jackal turnovers last season when no one else had won more than 10 in the same vein. Square-jawed and uncompromising, the blindside from Reading was enjoying a breakthrough season in 2017-18 and had been picked to tour South Africa with England before a serious knee ligament injury saw him miss the entire 2018-19 season. Able to operate with a No 8 and No 6 on his back, Willis carries with venom in midfield and has deft hands to offload out of contact. Along with Hill, he’s a viable option for 2021 and beyond.
Jack Willis joins us live on Rugby Tonight on Tour from 7pm…
The @WaspsRugby star is absolutely tenacious with and without the ball ?#RugbyReturnspic.twitter.com/5yuzZ2l9Wk
— Rugby on BT Sport (@btsportrugby) July 22, 2020
Ben Earl, 22 (Bristol Bears)
Reared by the feted Saracens academy, Kent-born Earl is to spend his year on-loan with Bristol Bears under the tutelage of a handy backrow in his day, Pat Lam, but the fact that Earl stood out in a season of utter turmoil for his boyhood club, does him immense credit. An England age-grade regular – he captained the England U20 side – before establishing himself amongst a Saracens backrow that included Billy Vunipola, Michael Rhodes, Jackson Wray and Calum Clark, Earl has long been pinpointed for great things. Muscular and low-slung, and physically, closest in size to Tom Curry, with a decent leg-drive, he powers through tacklers before pulling away from heavy-legged defenders. His form was noted by Eddie Jones who selected him for the 2020 Six Nations where he gained valuable minutes against Scotland, Ireland and Wales from the bench. He did not look out of place.
Zach Mercer, 23 (Bath)
For some, it must feel like Zach Mercer has been playing professional rugby for quite some time, given he made his Premiership debut for Bath at 19, but he has already racked up over 70 appearances for his club and only turned 23 in June. The son of Kiwi rugby league player Gary, the former Glasgow and Scotland defence coach, Mercer was another England star at U20 level and he has proven to be a high-quality Premiership player at blindside and No 8. Rangy, with long levers, Mercer has a V12 engine which was exhibited when he chased down Marcus Smith in a footrace from 90m and enough pace to give Alex Cuthbert the outside line before smashing him into touch. Mercer is on Jones’ radar and has had two caps for England in 2018,. While he is currently being overlooked, he is too good a player to not be part of the selection discussion in the coming years.
Ben Curry, 22 (Sale Sharks)
Ben Curry knows every strength and weakness of the England backrow, Tom, because it’s his twin brother, and while he couldn’t be blamed for some sibling envy, he hasn’t hidden his ambition to join his brother in pulling on the Red Rose, as he did at England U18 and U20 level. He came close in 2017, when being called up for the Argentina summer tour but didn’t get any game time due to an ill-timed ankle injury. Jones had, tongue firmly in cheek, said Curry could play at No 9, but Steve Diamond speaks about his openside in glowing terms and knows his value. He’s made the No 7 shirt his own this season in brother Tom’s absence. Physically, he’s tenacious in defence and a canny operator at the breakdown. Ben’s name was mooted in dispatches for the 2020 Six Nations campaign, which suggest he is not too far away from joining his twin brother on the grandest stage.
Comments on RugbyPass
Super rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
8 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
8 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
16 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
16 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
8 Go to comments