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The TV gimmick that thrust Fraser Dingwall into the spotlight
By Jon Newcombe
Those that play with him, coach him, and watch him on a regular basis fully understand Fraser Dingwall’s importance to Northampton Saints. Put simply, Dingwall is the glue that knits the backline together.
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Still only 25, Dingwall plays with a maturity beyond his years, bringing the best out of flashier players besides him. He can count himself unlucky to have won just two England caps so far, against the weakest sides in this year’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations, Italy and Wales, despite being named in nine senior squads.
The Cambridge-born player’s under-the-radar profile has possibly worked against him when it comes to Test opportunities but being name-checked by Joe El Abd in the new defence coach’s first media session suggests he could have a big role to play this Autumn, especially with Henry Slade still sidelined with a shoulder injury.
“The 13 is really important in any defensive system,” explained El Abd. “In the last few games, Henry Slade has been really important in that area. Fraser Dingwall will be really important in that area.”
It’s fanciful to think that El Abd became an admirer off the back of a TNT Sports innovation, but the decision to mic up Dingwall during Northampton’s epic 25-21 Premiership final against Bath showed to a wider audience the centre’s communication skills, particularly in defence.
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— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) June 14, 2024
Having tried the experiment with Dingwall, and Bristol’s Steven Luatua before, the broadcaster’s decision to repeat it for the final paid off with both Dingwall and Bath’s Finn Russell providing some insightful in-game commentary, as well as capturing the words of respect exchanged between the teams at the final whistle.
Dingwall’s mic’d up masterclass was definitely not lost on his boss at Saints, Director of Rugby, Phil Dowson, who was delighted to hear that El Abd recognises what he sees on a regular basis.
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“I was delighted with that (the name check) because I think sometimes Dingers’ undoubted talents sometimes go under the radar because of the character he is,” Dowson said.
“He is very, very good at making the players around him better and I think that is really obvious in defence in terms of how many shots he makes, how he shuts play down, how he reads the game, how he understands the play, how he brings other people into the game.
“I think that speaks volumes about him and I think it is great to see him being recognised on that big stage.”
As for Dingwall’s TV cameo, Dowson thought it was so good he gave it a second airing during a team meeting.
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“We listened to it as a group because it’s the quality of the action, the quality of the communication that leads to an action, which leads to something good happening.
“I think that communication can be ‘blah’ and noise but, actually, the accuracy with which he communicates, who he communicates with and how he communicates is different, I think that was a good example.
“That’s the sort of thing that I am sure Joe is talking about from a defensive point of view – of bringing other people in and making them aware of what is going on.”
Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)
