Malins happy to link up with hero
RISING England star Max Malins admits he curled up into a ball with nerves when meeting boyhood hero Jonny Wilkinson for the first time.
A breakthrough autumn saw Malins win three caps as a replacement and the 24-year-old Saracens full-back is in contention for a role in Saturday’s Six Nations opener against Scotland at Twickenham.
“I had a group session with Jonny a few years back and met him on a couple of camps. On the first time I was curled up into a little ball, a nervous wreck!” Malins said. “It’s still very surreal that he’s in and around these camps when he was someone I looked up to and wanted to be as a young boy.
“After each time I see him I get more normalised by it, but there’s still that tingling inside which is awesome.”
Malins is likely to continue on the bench when the team is announced for the Calcutta Cup clash this morning with Saracens team-mate Elliot Daly still Jones’ first choice at full-back.
If he does join the action then he will be instructed to play heads-up rugby as the team look to become more ruthless.
“It’s all about seeing opportunities and making sure we take every opportunity that comes our way,” Malins said. “And maybe developing a bit more of an optimistic mindset and not being as pessimistic. There has definitely been a focus on getting our eyes up, seeing opportunities and making sure we take them there and then because one or two phases later, the door could be shut.”