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DEBUTS aren’t quite what they used to be, as George Furbank will find out today. I still have the photograph from 2013 when Jonny May had half of his hair shaved off after his first cap in Argentina. Someone hid the clippers — and his clothes! — so he was left with some rogue tufts of hair following one too many beers.
Nowadays Furbank will probably get away with singing a song on the bus, although he used to be in a Take That tribute band so that shouldn’t be too much trouble!
What hasn’t changed, however, is the demands on a fullback at international level.
There has been a lot of experimenting with England’s No 15 jersey and it’s good to see Eddie Jones go with a specialist in the position. Elliot Daly spent a year or so there but things never clicked and, starting on the wing, he will have the freedom to do what he does best.
Furbank is really solid at the core skills of a fullback. He’s good under the high ball, makes brave cover tackles and has a long kick to match. Size wise he is not the biggest, but he’s shown a lot of fight in his games for Northampton. Eddie will like that about him. What’s more, he has some real X-factor in attack and he reminds me of George Bridge, the All Black. He’s like a New Zealander with his all court game.
Being a specialist full-back should make Furbank feel a bit more comfortable about making his debut in Paris. There is a lot to learn when you come into camp for the first time, but not as much as club level. The information is far more streamlined because Eddie knows he only has a week or so with the players.
There will be five or six scrum plays — depending on the area of the field — and three or four patterns off lineouts. All the players download an app on their mobile or iPad which gives you constant access to the plays. The analysts clip up footage of all the moves so you can watch them back. With guys like Eddie and Owen Farrell, you have to know your role inside out or you will be called out.
Eddie will have spent the week pumping up Furbank’s tyres. He is a coach who can make you feel like you’re on top of the world. A positive word in the ear here; a tap on the back there. It’s that kind of man management that made Jonny May one of the best wingers in the world. Jonny is a confidence player who prides himself on his speed, so Eddie would play on that. He’d build him up by telling him how fast he’s looking. But if he wants a reaction out of Jonny, he might say something like ‘Have you seen Ollie Thorley’s GPS readings today?
That boy’s quick. He’s great in the gym.’ With Furbank this week it will be all positive. A debut away in France is something to remember for the rest of your life — and hopefully for the right reasons. Of course there will be nerves and that first high-ball will be key. I remember my debut against South Africa in 2007, I was just thinking ‘please don’t drop it’. If you do drop it, you know they’ll come for you all day, but that’s why you spend hours training.
The Stade de France is one of the best stadiums to play in. Funnily enough, every time we’ve played there we’ve always been late. They put on a police escort to help you through the traffic and get you there on time, but we always end up in some dodgy backstreet that is too narrow. Usually you end up reversing back but Eddie would always warn us that it would happen. Once you get inside it’s loud and you’ll hear that when you’re going up for your first high-ball — but that’s what you dream of.