Ewels looks to power up in bid to be world’s best
CHARLIE Ewels has vowed to turn up the heat on England’s established second rows and bag a Six Nations debut.
Highly-rated Bath star Ewels, 22, is creeping up England’s pecking order by developing the kind of athletic, all-round game that appeals to Red Rose boss Eddie Jones and may see him supersede Joe Launchbury, Courtney Lawes or George Kruis in 2018.
To reach the next level Ewels explains how he is honing tackling and breakdown skills, as well as developing his physique, and reveals how assimilating the best of what the Southern Hemisphere has to offer can help transform him into the complete lock.
Ewels, who earned his sixth cap against Samoa last month after formidable displays in Argentina in June, told The Rugby
Paper: “It was good to be back involved with England during November and I feel I’ve got better again for being in that environment.
“However, it also reminds you that everyone else is getting better and is moving forward as well.
“The way Eddie runs the environment means you never feel comfortable; you’re always being pushed and there’s never a session you can coast through.
“A lot of my gains have been around the tackle contest and breakdown, looking at how I’m tackling and then what I’m doing afterwards. Eddie’s very keen on people being back on their feet quickly and he’ll measure how soon you return to the defensive line.
“It’s the same in attack where if you clean someone out he wants you back on your feet to become an option in attack, so they’re the things I’m trying to work on the most because Eddie wants everyone to put pressure on everyone else. He’ll say the same things to Joe, Courtney and George and he’s massive on that culture of improvement.” Ewels is not afraid to look south for inspiration either, adding: “It’s good to look outside. You get to a certain point in club rugby but international rugby is another step up and if you look at the Kiwi locks, Brodie Retallick, below, and Sam Whitelock, they’re leading the way. “I study them a lot and I’m also a big admirer of Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager and Pieter-Steph du Toit in South Africa because they play the game a little bit differently. It’s about recognising what your own skill-set is and then plucking bits from how others play. “At the club we know how we want to play, but it’s sometimes good to seek an outside opinion and (England forwards coach) Steve Borthwick has also been great in giving me independent feedback around the basics of carrying, tackling and lineouts. “I’m aspiring to be the best and what’s good about the England set-up is there are five or six guys now who all have solid international experience. We’re pushing hard to be better and it can only be good for English rugby that so many of us are doing it.”
After first impressing on the England Saxons tour of South Africa in 2016, Ewels has added 4kgs to his 1.99m (6ft 6ins) frame and now weighs in at 116kgs (18st 3lbs) – his optimum current fighting weight with the potential for further development.
Ewels explained: “Since I’ve been with England I’ve tweaked a few things in terms of getting stronger, quicker and fitter and I’m making real progress.
“I’m lifting bigger weights than I was a year ago and that’s something Eddie’s also keen on because the stronger you are, the more likely you are to win collisions.
“My weight’s crept up and 116kgs is about right for me. Maybe I’ll creep up another kilogramme or two but you can’t rush that stuff because if you push too hard and chase it early, your body might not react well and you could end up injured.”
A huge festive period for Bath would put Ewels in line for a cherished Six Nations call.
He added: “I’d love to get a Six Nations debut and that’s the long-term goal, but I learnt the hard way a couple of years ago that if I think about things like that I can lose focus on the here and now.
“If I’m going to get that Six Nations chance the way it will happen is by performing well for Bath. We’re in really good shape to push for the top four and that’s my main focus right now – get that bit right and it should lead to those other things.”