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The two England rookies who have most impressed Dylan Hartley
Former England skipper Dylan Hartley has named the new players involved in Steve Borthwick’s squad that have most caught his eye in recent weeks.
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England have enjoyed their best start to the Guinness Six Nations since 2019, beating Italy and Wales in their opening matches to be undefeated heading into their round three fixture on February 24 away to Scotland.
Ex-hooker Hartley, who led the side to back-to-back Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017 under Eddie Jones, did some touchline punditry on Friday for the live edition of England Rugby O2 Inside Line at an open Twickenham training session in front of nearly 10,000 fans.
It was a fresh-faced England that was put through its paces compared to the squad that Borthwick had with him at the recent Rugby World Cup.
Five new players were given debut caps in the opening-round win over Italy earlier this month and there have also been recalls for the likes of Tommy Freeman, Alex Coles and some other players originally capped by Jones who had fallen down the pecking order.
Asked which of the fresh faces had impressed him most, Hartley said: “Tommy Freeman. He has been doing good things with Northampton.
“I have a clear bias because I am a Northampton man, but it’s strength of character, a testament to him because Eddie Jones capped him and then he kind of went away for a little bit, not on form or not on Eddie’s form.
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“And then for Steve to recognise his excellence and his form to bring him back in it means he hasn’t gone away sulking and then buggered off to France or something like that.
“I’m not saying that about the guys going to France – there’s nothing wrong with that. But he has just stuck at it, has come in and his couple of early touches on the ball have been brilliant.
“Yeah, I’d say Tommy. And Fraser (Dingwall). He is a little bit older, has been chipping away. He has been an old wise head at Northampton for such a young guy and he has been integral to Northampton.
“They have been playing well the last four years but they have been losing games in the last (part), but those guys are coming of age now and they are starting to win the games and they are sitting on top of the Premiership. It shows that with a little bit of patience early on and sticking with players, good things can come.”
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Hartley suggested that what has helped the newcomers bed in quickly is the departure of totems such as Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell, who have stepped away from the international scene following England’s bronze medal finish at France 2023.
“For an Ethan Roots or a Fraser Dingwall, it’s not like they have been called up to the Rugby World Cup squad and there’s Courtney Lawes and there’s Owen Farrell. They’re not stifled by that pressure of coming into the team and relationships that they don’t know.
“It’s almost like this Six Nations is the first day of high school for these young kids and they are going to grow together throughout the next two years. You’re bang on in terms of the environment is not an asphyxiating one, they can free within themselves because everyone else is in the same boat.
“There are a couple of old players hanging on in there but in general it’s a platform for them to launch international careers and build a new England team. What they have done at their clubs has got them here, now go and do it out here (at Twickenham).”
Comments on RugbyPass
I knew who wrote this article from the first few words in the headline…lol. The red card actually did the ABs a favour. It galvanized them, only then did they step up a gear. Before that there was zero momentum.
103 Go to commentsFirstly the foul on Bongi was a planned move just like the NZ master plan with Bryce Lawrence you kiwis are filthy fux perhaps try to play a cleaner game next time I doubt that’s possible tho but don’t worry world rugby is on yr side they trying to take away all the BOKS strengths to help all you weakling as Jeremy Clarkson would say LA OO ZA ERR..🤣
103 Go to commentsAbsolutely spot on Ben. I certainly wouldn't gloat over a win like that. Frustrating as it is it's done and dusted and history will forever show the result.
103 Go to commentsHo hum.
103 Go to commentsNo question they were the better team. But that is the beauty of sport isn’t it!
103 Go to commentsEveryone is into Hurling in Ireland according to Porter, but only 11 of Ireland's 32 counties enter a team into the national competition. Same old blarney.
1 Go to commentsLet’s be honest. The draw and scheduling in the World Cup was a joke but South Africa found a way after having to go the hard (nearly impossible) way to the Cup Final via France and England. NZ had a hard game against France (lost) and had 5 weeks to prepare for the Quarter, 3 weeks knowing it was Ireland. NZ theerfore had to win one big game against an Irish team who played SA and then Scotland 7 days before. They won and it was de facto a semi final because they were playing a relatively weak Argentina team and it was a walk over. In the final a very rested NZ team was playing a very tired SA team and still lost. They couldn’t score more than 11 points. Put another way SA had to find a way to win while tired and they achieved that. NZ should thank their lucky stars that they fixed the scheduling in 2015 otherwise they would be dealing with a Bok treble.
103 Go to commentsPerhaps if Bongi wasn’t targeted and removed from the game in the first 3 minutes it would have been quite a different game. Maybe if NZ also faced the same competition the Boks faced to their win NZ would have looked quite different. The final score shows who outplayed who.
103 Go to commentsRubbish article! Abuladze played most of Exeters matches when fit. He got injured against Glasgow a while ago and is out for the rest of the season, thats why he hasnt played for Exeter and Georgia recently. Do some proper research next time!
1 Go to commentsGotta love it when kids throw their toys out the pram and can’t hack it with the grown ups debate. Here’s looking at you turlough! 😉🤣
148 Go to commentsThey lost the game period move on
103 Go to commentsSpringboks won! Stop winging. You can change the game however much you and your rugby colonizing IRB want to and the Springboks will win you at that too. Your mind is colonized my friend get a life
103 Go to commentsBen, nobody gets fooled anymore by selective and biased data to support an hypothesis. Games are decided on such small margins these days that you win some and lose some, and dominance is a thing of the rugby past. Look at the RWC circle of fortune…. Ireland beats SA who beat France who beat NZ who beat Ireland. And so it goes on. Match officials help to eliminate real indiscretions. If they had been with us years before, no doubt results would have been different. Remember Andy Haden’s dive from a lineout in 1978 for which a match-wining penalty was awarded? Wales should have beaten the ABs that day. They took the loss like the gentlemen they were.
103 Go to commentsWith all the analysis and how good the all blacks were.The fundamental mistake with the ABs is that this is a test match and not an exhibition.There is no better team(country) in world rugby than the Boks that knows how to win a test match(we are post masters at this).We know our rules, we have the discipline, we tackle like beasts, we take our points and we never give up.I now have educated the ABs supporters(at least say thank you).Please stop “bitching” , accept what the outcome is and move along swiftly.
103 Go to commentsAnd they came from behind to win two big games before the final. No one can say what would have happened. Had the boks gone behind the game plan changes and the result may changes. Ifs and ands are irrelevant. The boks won. Neutral critics enjoyed the games they played. Its not a popularity contest. Get over it and move on.
103 Go to commentsI'm happy for the people of SA to get a second WC. And I mean that. I was very disappointed with this man's “stand on the hand” incident with Josh Van Der Flyer (Ireland). Ireland's downfall in the last WC was they did not rotate their first 15 as the head coach probably should have. That said, I'm happy for SA and genuinely hope it lifts the mood in their country. Ireland did beat them in the first match of the tournament. And before the trolls start trolling ….. please don't bother. Etzbeth said recently that the Irish players said after the match “see you in the final”…..this was actually wishing the SA team the best of luck in the rest, the Irish team were not dismissing the AB’s. This is what Etzbeth was implying. But he was wrong. I no longer live in Ireland. But I hope to see them lift that cup before I pass. Anyway, congratulations SA. 👍
12 Go to commentsMore bloody click bait. Dan Carter has said absolutely nothing. As he should do. Poor journalism again from a site that should know better
9 Go to commentsOh god please help these loosers get over it!!!! You lost. Doesn't matter how many times you dummies are gonna analyse the game, you still lost and we are still Rygby World Champions….get over it, you lost.
103 Go to commentsThe next Willie le Roux. SA are made not to use him.
3 Go to commentsDan has always been as controversial as tea with milk so we were never going to get any definitive answer. So DMac for the win.
9 Go to comments