THE INVISIBLE MAN
Blamire can catch out England’s opponents
Jamie Blamire has scored more tries for England than he has made starts in the Premiership. Four tries in just an hour and a half of Test rugby should make him a marked man going into England’s autumn campaign.
Yet with all the talk being about Marcus Smith, Alex Dombrandt and Freddie Steward, Newcastle’s secondchoice hooker goes in completely under the radar.
“I’ve only played two or three seasons of first-team club rugby,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of learning still to do.”
Perhaps, but Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards claims not to have seen a hooker in English rugby “who is as good around the park and who has as big an impact”.
Eddie Jones is of similar mind and ahead of England’s sold-out opener against Tonga on Saturday, sees Blamire, 23, as a key weapon in an 80-minute team performance.
All of which is remarkable given the Cumbrian has not started a game for Newcastle this season and has only worn their No.2 jersey three times since his debut in May 2019.
Yet off the bench he is a demon, taking less than a minute to score on his Test debut against USA in July.
A week later, Jones gave him his first start against Canada and was rewarded with a hat-trick inside an hour.
“I couldn’t have imagined it in my wildest dreams,” said Blamire. “They were more team tries but it was a special day for me and my family.
“I was so full of emotions and was on cloud nine for three weeks. Couldn’t stop thinking about it. Didn’t want to stop thinking about it.”
That, of course, was for an England team minus their Lions, who are now available to face opponents that also include Australia and South Africa this month.
But by dropping the Vunipolas, George Ford and, initially at least, Jamie George, Jones has made clear it is all about the here and now.
ALUN WYN JONES has suffered a repeat of the left shoulder injury he picked up with the Lions in the summer. The Wales captain was hurt against New Zealand on Saturday and could miss their three remaining autumn Tests.