Me as the next Jason Robinson? I wanted to be BOD!
Brian O’Driscoll is my hero, says Daly as he returns from red-card shock
BEFORE Elliot Daly was sent off against Argentina in November, England’s list of red-carded players was exclusive to bruisers who could pass for the cast of Fight Club. No place for a ‘public schoolboy with beautifully manicured hair’, the perpetrators comprised Mike Burton, Danny Grewcock, Simon Shaw and Lewis Moody.
Their crimes involved flying fists, feet and forearms — in violent contrast to the accidental collision that resulted in Daly’s fifth-minute marching orders at Twickenham.
‘I’d never been sent off before — not even at school,’ said Daly, whose nickname is ‘Briefcase’ after he turned up at his first Wasps training session in his Whitgift school uniform. ‘I was gutted. It was one of those things where you find yourself in the wrong position. I was hoping it would be yellow but the boys went on to win. It all happened so quickly but you’ve just got to take your dues. Because of the laws now, if the opponent lands on their shoulder or their neck then it’s going to be a red card.’
With increasingly stringent measures to enhance player safety, 2017 is tipped to be the year of the red card.
Daly was handed a threeweek ban but, on his Wasps return, he immediately rediscovered the form that drew comparisons from Eddie Jones with World Cup winner Jason Robinson.
And while Daly is flattered at being mentioned in th the same breath as the Red Rose legend, it is in fact an Irishman he dreams of emulating.
‘Brian O’Driscoll was always my idol,’ he said. ‘He was a class player at the top of his game for 10 years.
‘He had a bit of everything: determination in defence and the skills to put people in space, score tries and kick. He had everything that I wanted to have growing up.’
Robinson wore the No 14 jersey when England won the 2003 World Cup, but his broken-field vision made the rugby league convert equally comfortable at full-back.
Daly is also an all-rounder. He played England age-group cricket with Fabian Cowdrey and Daniel Bell-Drummond and, having moved across the backline, he is now tipped by bJ Jones t to fill i in att N No 15 15. ‘I feel like I’m a 13 but if anyone wants me to play anywhere else then I’m happy to do so,’ he said. ‘Centre is my ideal position.
‘I just want to play like an international player for Wasps and, on the back of that, get in the England matchday squads.’
Daly’s long-range goal-kicking — offering greater distance than Owen Farrell and George Ford — further enhances his selection credentials.
His personal best from the tee? ‘Probably just below 60 metres,’ he said. ‘If the wind’s behind me! I don’t hit them from that far in training because there’s a lot of force needed and I don’t want to get injured.
‘In a game with a certain pitch or certain wind, I’ll practise beforehand and give the captain an idea of how far I can get it from. It’s harder on a heavy pitch.’
Back at his club — where the Ricoh Arena surface will provide ideal kicking conditions against Leicester today — Dai Young has promised to support the 24-year-old’s international ambitions.
With assurances from Jones, the director of rugby claims he would be prepared to switch Daly to fullback but he fears the youngster could become a victim of his versatility. ‘It’s like James Hook — he’s versatile and I’m a little bit concerned about that,’ said Young. ‘Elliot’s just got to be careful that he’s not teeing himself for that No 23 jersey week in, week out.
‘People don’t mind that for 12 to 18 months but I’m sure Elliot will want to establish himself in one position by the World Cup. At this moment he’d play loose-head if he has to.
‘If Eddie’s pushing him into one direction where he’s going to be a regular starter then we’ll support him. It would be quite ironic, though, because we had a lot of discussions with Stuart Lancaster who advised him to move from full-back to 13.’
Daly has added some ‘timber’ — increasing to 15st 6lbs — and has benefited from the competition at Wasps, saying high-profile recruits such as Danny Cipriani, Kyle Eastmond and Kurtley Beale make training feel ‘like England camp’.
‘Elliot’s never been far off being the first name on the Wasps team sheet,’ said Young. ‘For a number of years we didn’t really have that back-up so he could have a pretty poor game and still play the week after.
‘Maybe a year or two ago he was more erratic, brilliant some weeks, but over the last 12 months he’s become more consistent.
‘Within that England set-up he knows he’s got to be on his toes every week. Now he’s had a taste of it, he knows the standards he has to maintain.’
‘I HAD NEVER BEEN SENT OFF BEFORE, EVEN AT SCHOOL’