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Why Dombrandt is ready now for England two years on from RWC cut

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Alex Davidson/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

Eddie Jones has explained why the time is right for Alex Dombrandt to finally win his debut cap for England nearly two years after he was edged out of selection for the World Cup in Japan when the final cut was made to reduce the squad to 31. Dombrandt had enjoyed an eye-catching breakthrough season at Harlequins in 2018/19 and while he came within an agonising whisker of getting England selection for the finals in Japan, he has since had to bide his time to get a look-in again. 

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A Gallagher Premiership title winner on June 26 with his club, Dombrandt was one of four Harlequins players called up by England following that victory over Exeter and the No8 has now been given the chance to win his first cap after getting picked in a starting Test XV featuring five changes from last Sunday’s win over the USA.  

Asked why the time is now right for the 24-year-old to gain England recognition, Jones said: “Alex was in our World Cup squad right up until the final cut so we have been watching him with interest. His form this season with Harlequins has been a real progression in his game. He has got unique running skills and he has improved the defensive part of his game, so he gets a great opportunity on Saturday to display those skills and he has good combinations with Marcus (Smith) which will help him.

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“He is continually learning about the game. No8 is an important position in the team because he has got to ensure you go forward when you haven’t got go forward and you have got to stop the opposition when they are going forward.

“They have got to be a good reader of the game and given his probably light rugby experience before Harlequins, he has had to work really hard to read the game and be an effective No8. Callum Chick did really well for us last week, so we are looking forward to Alex continuing on in that 8 jersey.” 

Midfielder Dan Kelly, winger Adam Radwan and lock Harry Wells are the other three players poised to win their first caps in a team where six starters and two others on the bench are lined up for their second caps following last Sunday’s debut appearances. “It’s a great opportunity individually for players. Four more with new caps, some playing their second cap which is always a bit harder than the first because you build yourself up and you have got to work hard to get back to the right spot.

“But we have had a really good training week, the team has prepared well and we are looking forward to playing against a Canada side which traditionally has always been physically tough so we know the first 20 minutes particularly is going to be difficult.”

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One of the six starters with just a single cap is the full-back, Freddie Steward. “Talent is the easy part,” continued Jones. “There is the old saying, talent gets you through the door but it is then how hard you work and he is one of those players that has got talent but the test of him now is how he keeps developing, how he keeps looking to see how he can add to his game and he certainly made a good debut last week and there is no reason why we shouldn’t see a better performance from him this week.”

 

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J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

33 Go to comments
A
Adrian 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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