Hill relishes chance of going toe-to-toe with ‘brutal’ Boks
⮞england lock is a massive fan of South Africa’s physicality and knows his uncompromising approach will be crucial today
South Africa may have been denied representation on the shortlist for World Rugby men’s player of the year, but they have a big fan in Jonny Hill. A fortnight ago, England’s autumn opener against Tonga was delayed by 10 minutes due to traffic on the A316. That meant the game ended as the Springboks’ tussle with Wales was getting under way.
Although the turnaround was tight, Hill made sure he was in front of a television to see Malcolm Marx’s match-winning try in Cardiff. Marx, the replacement hooker and a breakdown enforcer of the “Bomb Squad”, benefited from a typically muscular line-out drill.
“Push-over try” does not do justice to the dynamism of the finish. “Surge-over try” gets closer.
“They have a brutal set-piece with that driving maul,” says Hill, the Exeter lock. “That Wales game was nip and tuck, then bang – they have one opportunity and it’s in. It’s something all sides can learn from.”
Today will bring Hill’s 12th cap and his first meeting with South Africa, a side for whom he has immense respect. Hill holds Jacques Nienaber’s pack – particularly backfive forwards such as Eben Etzebeth,
Lood de Jager and Franco Mostert – in the highest esteem.
On the back of his first full season as an international, Hill earned a place in the British and Irish Lions squad. Despite appearing in onesided matches against the Lions, the Sharks and the Stormers, he could not force his way into the Test team.
Alun Wyn Jones, Maro Itoje, Tadhg Beirne and Adam Beard were the chosen second-rowers, with Courtney Lawes supporting them from blindside flanker. Hill has no complaints. He still learnt a great deal from watching the series.
“From the locks and hybrid sixes over both [Lions and Springboks] squads, a lot of those guys would be in the top 10 in the world,” he says.
“I carried on watching South Africa against other international sides. I know they lost to Australia, but they went over and beat New Zealand.”
After knuckling down and improving his fitness levels during the first Covid-19 lockdown, Hill earned a Test debut in Rome in October last year. He was 26; no spring chicken but hungry. He could point to a solid body of work, including a Champions Cup and Premiership double with Exeter over the previous month.
Such experiences prior to answering Eddie Jones’s call seem to have emboldened Hill. Studying him on England duty, he seems comfortable in his own skin – and his scraggy mullet.
“I’ve always tried to be myself,” Hill says. “I am here as me. I’ll play my game as best I can.”
Does he feel that attitude has been shaped by the gap between England Under-20 representation, alongside Itoje, and reaching the senior side?
“I’ve had a lot of time to chase the carrot, I’d say,” Hill says. “Previous to me, ‘Kruiser’ [George Kruis] was here and he was a guy I always looked up to, playing against him in the Premiership.
“The line-out he ran at Saracens was brilliant. I never had any complaints when Eddie was picking his squads and those second rows were there, because they were really good operators.” Kruis was certainly regarded as England’s master of the “unseen” before he headed to Japan. Richard Cockerill, Matt Proudfoot and the current line-out strategists – Hill, Itoje, Lawes and Charlie Ewels – will have their work cut out today.
As England attempt to evolve and expand as an attacking force, the nuts and bolts remain crucial. The line-out is an important platform and Hill has been England’s most prolific jumper this autumn. He has gathered 10 throws, so expect him to be a go-to man for Jamie Blamire. Hill has also stolen two opposition line-outs this month. Etzebeth, De Jager and friends cannot instigate mauls without the ball.
Hill is under no illusions as to the unglamorous responsibilities that come first. “If you take a rugby pitch from the edge in, you have the touchlines, the five-metre lines and the 15-metre lines where the lineouts end,” he says. “Generally, you’ll see me between the two 15s [in the middle]. More often than not, I won’t be touching the ball. I’ll be tackling people, hitting rucks and just making a nuisance of myself with kick-pressure – things like that. “And driving my energy off the ball as well. A big thing for me is having the ability to set early, to get into position early, so I can have the best impact possible.” England will need every bit of that uncompromising impact in this World Cup final rematch.
Indeed, Hill’s final description of his role could have been uttered by a Springbok. “I just enjoy playing rugby and my enjoyment of the game is based on set-piece and, around the park, being as physical as possible.”