Te’o gets payback
BEN TE’O’S self-funded rehab camp Down Under paid immediate dividends yesterday when he was named in the England side to face Italy tomorrow despite having not played a match for four months. The sharpness Te’o has displayed in training after his six-week stint in Australia to resolve ankle issues has persuaded Eddie Jones to propel the 31-year-old into the starting line-up ahead of Jonathan Joseph. The selection does not say much about the value of Premiership form to Eddie Jones, but in the absence of injured No 8s Billy Vunipola and Nathan Hughes, England want extra ball-carrying bulk and the Worcester centre is the beneficiary. It will be only Te’o’s second England start – the other came in the corresponding fixture last year at Twickenham when his chances were restricted by Italy’s cunning ‘Fox’ tactic at the breakdown, which has since been outlawed. Jones said: “I watch a lot of club rugby and I study it but, at the end of the day, it’s how the players train with us that decides their fate. “Ben has trained really well. He’s done a lot of work by himself, his attitude is great and he’ll add a different dimension for us at 13. “We played him against Italy last year and the fox got him big time so he wants to go fox-hunting this week. “We want to see him carry the ball. If there are no foxes out there, he might have a chance. “Ben was a good rugby league player. He was ranked above Sam Burgess – that’s the stature of him in rugby league – and he was outstanding in the first Test for the Lions against New Zealand. “He went at Sonny Bill Williams and did some really good things. “I know he got a bit of criticism for not passing but he had a significant impact in that game and looked like a player who can win Test matches for you.” Te’o might need to be cut a little slack in Rome given his extended period out of the game but playing his way in ahead of next week’s game when Wales visit Twickenham is certainly not an option in Jones’s mind.
“If Ben does that there won’t be a Wales. He’ll be eating Worcester sauce,” said Jones.
“We are playing a Test match and he knows he has got to put his best foot forward because if he cruises, he won’t be there for a while.”