Tigers star van Poortvliet is hailed as the ‘find of the tour’
Bobby Bridge
Rugby writer shares his thoughts on the Leicester contingent who roared England on to a 2-1 series victory in Australia
Described by Sir Clive Woodward, the former England head coach and Leicester Tigers back, as being the “find of the tour”.
And understandably so, the 21-year-old has bounced back from the disappointment of missing out on the Premiership final to become a senior England international – and arguably establish himself as his country’s first-choice scrum-half when the autumn series arrives.
The first Test was dead when he arrived for his debut but JVP still managed to register a maiden senior international try in the couple of minutes he had on the pitch.
Then came van Poortvliet’s full debut in the second encounter, when he really got England ticking across his 62 minutes before making way for Danny Care.
Surprisingly to some, including Woodward, the Tigers ace operated from the bench in the decider but was brought on before half-time and made a big difference.
Van Poortvliet is such a tidy player but still carries an attacking threat. If he sees space, he attacks it.
His control in the closing minutes in Sydney was exceptional.
There’s a reason Richard Wigglesworth’s contract was extended and Harry Simmons was brought back from Jersey – Leicester expect to be without JVP a fair bit this season, and there’s every chance England’s leading men’s appearance maker Ben Youngs could be his main challenger in the build-up to the Rugby World Cup.
Series rating: 9 – a fast start to what will surely be a long Test career.
Freddie Steward
We saw the full range of Freddie’s abilities in Sydney. Defensively, he stood up with try-saving hits in each half, one square-on to a ball carrier, the other desperately scampering back to the corner flag. Both were expertly executed. His try was no surprise to Tigers fans who have watched him step in and do that plenty of times in the 2021/22 season.
Steward’s ability to get low close to the line and power over is no fluke, it’s a brave skill to get his 6ft 5in frame into an almost unstoppable position.
England’s biggest problem at fullback now is, who is the back-up to Steward?
He played all three autumn internationals, all five Six Nations games (one of which came on the wing) and every minute of the Australia series.
He completed a huge haul of 32 games for club and country, playing more than 41 hours of rugby, and a big well-earned rest awaits before doing it all again in 2022/23 – leading into his first Rugby World Cup.
Series rating: 9 - many are calling him the form full-back in world rugby and few can claim to be better on current form.
Ollie Chessum
Two substitute appearances in the opening Tests were followed by a first start in the decider as he stepped in to fill Maro Itoje’s sizeable boots in the second row.
Chessum is a player head coach Eddie Jones clearly likes with his versatility making him an appealing selection in the back row.
The 21-year-old stepped up to the challenge and even in a tight, tense encounter, you feel there’s always a chance for him to make a clean break as we saw in the second half.
It’s a real feature of his game that has been likened to a former Test match Tiger – Tom Croft. One day soon, an international team will pay for allowing the towering forward to break through the line.
Jonny Hill really stepped up in the final Test and has strengthened his partnership with Itoje, but the battle to replace the long-term injured Charlie Ewels is being led by Chessum.
Even when a few injured rivals return, it’s hard to imagine the next squad not including his name.
Series rating: 8 – his graft epitomised the effort in the third Test.
Joe Heyes
At the age of 23, the tighthead prop has already made 101 Tigers appearances, 60 of which have come from the bench.
That has been Heyes’ role for England on this tour, starting with a late showing in Perth before playing the final quarters of the last two Tests.
What’s been so pleasing about Heyes’ introductions is how similar it has been to what he does at Tigers. It all starts with the scrum when he is tasked with maintaining Dan Cole’s high standards – for England, it was Will Stuart.
Then there is his work rate – Heyes packed in seven successful tackles on Saturday and then showed his abilities as a link-man at scrum-half in a late attack that so nearly led to a try.
Heyes really grabbed his opportunity while Kyle Sinckler was out injured, but arguably so did Will Stuart, with the Bath prop providing a solid pillar in the front row.
He might be behind those two for a start in the autumn, but it’s hard to argue the case for any English tighthead in terms of their impact from the bench.
Heyes always seems to leave a lasting memory when he comes on.
Series rating: 7.5 - hugely encouraging replacement outings give Jones a headache for the autumn.
The bolter to the squad that few saw coming, but Porter’s performances for Leicester Tigers this season certainly warranted him being considered for international inclusion – whether that was for England or Australia!
After being an unused substitute in the first Test, he started the next two at outside centre, only missing the final couple of minutes of the second match.
It’s extremely hard to pass judgement on his tour given how little England seem to get the ball out to their outside centres.
As an attacking force, Porter was feeding off scraps, although he did make one eye-catching charge in Brisbane.
Porter’s efforts in Sydney were marked down by missing a tackle on Marika Koroibete that led to the first try.
Official statistics show he missed five in total but those figures are often harsh, and do not take into account the role played in stopping a man.
On more than one occasion, Porter’s line speed made Australia abort their attacking plan in fear of an intercept or a big collision.
England’s midfield made 27 tackles between them in Sydney, with Owen Farrell registering 16. They were relentless as a pairing.
England will not turn their backs on Joe Marchant, the Harlequins ace has been a real highlight for them in a difficult period, and the likes of Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade will return to the international fold at some point.
Porter’s challenge will be to fill Matias Moroni’s boots at Mattioli Woods Welford Road and give Jones food for thought to keep him in the squad for the autumn.
Series rating: 7 - relentless for the cause, it’s just a shame we saw so little of him with the ball.