LONG READ George Hendy: 'What Furbs has done for my personal development has been massive.'

George Hendy needs a new nickname. The Northampton full-back, a specialist in getting supporters off their seats, has been carrying two around for a while now – ‘The Horse’ and ‘Ginger Penaud’ – and neither feel quite right.

Partly because Will Muir has been equestrianism’s favourite player for many years already – “So it feels like I’ve robbed that,” admits Hendy – and while the comparisons to Penaud were initially flattering when Hendy first broke through, now that the two have recently faced each other in the Champions Cup when Northampton travelled to Bordeaux, that does not feel right either.

“Maybe if it was someone before my career started, but having played against him facing Bordeaux-Bègles, I don’t want to be compared to him. I want my own nickname.” So, reader, that can be your challenge between now and the end of this interview.

This is a hectic time for Hendy. He is on the bench for England ‘A’ on Friday night away at Thomond Park, hoping to come on and do what he does best – punish broken defences with his ability to attack from deep. A hat-trick in the thrashing of the Bulls and a score away at Pau in the Champions Cup were followed up by a brace against Sale, which all led to him being named as Northampton’s player of the month for December.

The award will go on his mantlepiece – when there is a mantlepiece. “That might not be up yet,” he laughs. His best moment may actually have been a scoop and break to set up Henry Pollock in Northampton’s impressive win away against the defending champions Bath.

Looking ahead, he is part of a sensitive Saints rejig. George Furbank, Northampton’s club captain and their long-term starting full-back when available, is out of contract at the end of the season and expected to depart, with Harlequins rumoured to be his suitors.

Sources have suggested that Furbank wanted a longer contract than Northampton were willing to offer, with Furbank’s age and recent injury record – even if those setbacks were unfortunate rather than part of a trend – factoring into the decision. The talent of Hendy, Edoardo Todaro – whose stunning breakthrough season for Northampton and Italy has been cut short by an ACL injury – and James Pater, the rangy 18-year-old recently called up by England Under-20s, also a part of the equation.

On Todaro’s unfortunate setback, Hendy was asking the Northampton physios during the club’s Prem Rugby Cup win last weekend if they had any news, given his friend was on the cusp of starring for the Azzurri in the Six Nations.

“It’s crap timing because we were all looking forward to seeing him pull on an Italy shirt. We’re all with him, and will get around him to make sure he feels as though he’s not left out.”

So, with Furbank expected to leave, and Hendy signing a new contract earlier this week, he has the praise of Phil Dowson, Northampton’s director of rugby, ringing in his ears. “He’s still young and has so much growth ahead of him,” noting Hendy’s “tremendous athleticism and ability to beat defenders”. As for Hendy, the looming departure of Furbank gives him plenty to consider.

“I remember thinking when all of the rumours started going around [about Furbank leaving] that it was kind of a win-win situation for me,” Hendy explains.

“If he stays, then I have the opportunity to learn off him even more, and he is such a good player that he is only going to strengthen the team. What he’s done for my personal development has been massive, whether through one-on-one chats or watching him play, I’ve learned so much.

“But if he does leave, the opportunity to step into his shoes and put that stamp on the Northampton team as that starting full-back, or wing, we’ll there is an opportunity with him gone to step up another level.”

Not just as a player but a leader too, with Hendy speaking up more in meetings during the international breaks when senior players are away.

If you had offered all of this to the teenage version of Hendy, pictured proudly back in 2014 lifting the PREM trophy at a sevens tournament run by Northampton for his school, King Edwards VI in Stratford-upon-Avon, his head would have been spinning. Hendy shared that picture in the days after Northampton’s 2024 title win, when he came off the bench with an electric cameo to set up Alex Mitchell’s winning try. A decade on from that photo being taken.

“My mum told me to go and get a picture with it and I couldn’t really lift it off the floor, it was that big. That was pretty special, ten years later to lift it yourself.”

He is working on plenty of aspects of his game; under the high ball, which defensively is “even more challenging than ever before, it is pretty much a one-on-one contest every time”. Imposing himself more in defence too, “gaining confidence to throw my weight about a bit”.

And finally the big one in recent weeks has been in attack, making himself as efficient around the breakdown as possible.

“As a back-three player you can get into a habit of sitting over the ball, protecting rather than being the aggressor in that situation,” he explains. “Whereas now it’s more target focused. If I see a body nearby, get them gone and trust the scrum-half will get the ball away.

“If my breakdown skills are poor, a two-second ruck becomes a five-second ruck. Three seconds to attack an unstructured defence is everything. It’s putting emphasis into those little moments in games.”

The England ‘A’ camps also sound like a useful environment to poach information from other players regarding technique and how they see the game. Hearing the same messages but from a fresh perspective, working with different coaches. Sam Vesty will have now told Hendy a thousand times to be bold and attack. When it then comes from James Lightfoot-Brown, overseeing England ‘A’’s attack, “it hits differently”.

A senior England cap is obviously the next ambition for a player on an upward curve. You sense Hendy is going to need that mantlepiece. And a better nickname should soon follow.