Tiger Joe ready to jump from shadows
LEICESTER tighthead Joe Heyes believes improvements in his work around the park can project him out of the shadow squad to a first full England cap.
Promoted to England’s back-up squad for the Six Nations, Heyes is now fourth in the national pecking order behind Kyle Sinckler, Will Stuart and Harry Williams.
While he still faces the challenge of usurping veteran Dan Cole, right, at his club, Cole’s international ship appears to have sailed.
Heyes, who turns 22 this April, is the coming man along with other young tighthead tyros such as Northampton’s Ehren Painter.
With over 50 Tigers appearances to his name, former England U20s star Heyes told The Rugby Paper: “Things have definitely been accelerating. I played my first game when I was 19 and it’s been a crazy last few years, but I’ve really enjoyed it.
“Coley and I have got good, healthy competition and we make each other better. We offer different things on the pitch but he’s still a brilliant player and coach for the younger guys, so that’s setting me in good stead.
“It’s good to have that link with England now and I’ve had quite a lot of chats recently with Eddie Jones and (scrum coach) Matt Proudfoot. It’s about how I can keep developing my game and I’ve been asking blunt questions about what I need to get into that squad.
“They’ve come back with quite simple answers and that’s what I’m trying to work on now.”
Heyes explains: “I’ve been doing a lot of additional work with (Leicester head of performance) Aled Walters. We do Wattbike sessions which are usually quite brutal, so that’s been useful and everything we do is geared to how we play our game at Tigers. “There’s a lot of kickchases and long straight runs, sprints and stuff like that which keeps us gamefit, so everything we do relates to the game structure.
“My work off the ball has got much better and that’s down to (Tigers boss) Steve Borthwick and Aled. They can’t emphasise enough the importance of being the kind of prop that doesn’t just scrummage and hit breakdowns, there’s plenty more to offer. “It’s important for players to open up their game and I get around more now.”
Having monitored Heyes’ youthful progress during his previous stint as England’s forwards coach, Tigers supremo Borthwick is delighted with his progress.
“Joe’s tracking really well,” Borthwick said. “He’s worked really hard to improve himself and he’s in really good condition. He’s a talented rugby player and what’s fundamental as a tighthead prop is his scrum, which he’s passionate about as well.
“He’s worked exceptionally hard to become a very good scrummager. When you’re 34 you become better than you were at 33 or 32 so it’s one of those things where you get the miles on the clock and hit more and more scrums and you learn.
“What you need to try and do is accelerate that development as quickly as you can and that’s what Joe’s doing – and he’s been doing it very well.”
Could talk of England distract Heyes from his day job?
“With the person that I am, I just take things day by day,” Heyes says.
“It’s a huge compliment to the way I’m playing but it’s also a huge motivator to know that I can get there (with England). But I’ve not got to worry about what can be, if I keep getting the opportunity to play at Tigers that will hopefully speak for itself.”
While achieving success with Leicester is his priority, Heyes does not forget his roots and is desperate to resume coaching duties with one of his former clubs.
He added: “I played my junior rugby for Nottingham Moderns and Newark and still speak to a lot of those boys. The impact of not playing and not having people at the clubs buying things from the bars and shops has crippled them and it’s sad to see.
“To know they’ll soon get some rugby back into these lower end clubs is exciting and it also means that, hopefully, I can get down to Newark and start coaching again.
“I miss it and when I’m coaching it motivates me to see how far I’ve come since playing as a 16-yearold there. Seeing younger guys who are in those shoes developing now is enjoyable and I just want to do everything I can to start helping them again.”