With these young guns Eddie’s spoilt for choice
TOM Parton was one of four backs who started England’s 2017 World U20 final against New Zealand in Georgia who were involved in this summer’s international programme.
Parton trained with the squad, but Jacob Umaga, Max Malins and Harry Randall were part of the 23 against the United States with the Bristol scrum-half Randall also starting against Canada the following week. The Wasps centre Paolo Odogwu, who was on the bench in Tbilisi, would have featured but for injury.
As Eddie Jones looks to evolve England’s attacking game, which since the 2019 World Cup has relied a lot on kicking, a number of young backs will be pressing for inclusion in the squad for the autumn series, including Freddie Steward, Dan Kelly, Umaga, Adam Radwan and Malins, who all featured in the summer series, not forgetting the outside-half Marcus Smith who after being replaced against Canada was told to pack a bag and join the Lions in South Africa.
“There is some really good young talent coming through in England,” said Parton. “It is good to see some of the lads that I grew up with kicking on. The Premiership is changing and a younger group is driving clubs. It is a really exciting time to be coming through the ranks because opportunities are there.
“The way players are coached in academies now transfers to the style of play clubs are looking for. It is all about not being scared to try things, playing the ball and running with it while recognising when it’s right to do that.”
England were widely cised for their attacking last season and not one their backs was involve action in the deciding fi Test between the Lions
South Africa earlier this month with Anthony Watson dropped from the starting lineup, skipper Owen Farrell removed from the bench and Elliot Daly not used as a replacement. Henry Slade, Jonny May and George Ford were not included in the squad while Marcus Smith, who made his England debut against the United States in July, was called up as injury cover for Finn Russell ahead of Ford. Whether the Harlequin features in the autumn will hinge on how he starts the season with Jones not one to be swayed by public opinion.
“There was a lot of good rugby played in the Premiership last season with a number of clubs willing to give it a go from their own 22 when the time was right,” said Parton. “The play-offs were played in a markedly different style to what we saw in South Africa. International rugby is different but the way the game is changing helps team willing to take risks.”
The pandemic has prompted financial belt-tightening, but even before Covid clubs were changing their recruitment strategies, preferring to develop homegrown talent rather than overspend on foreign imports who did not rise in numbers above the ordinary.
Bath’s backs include Tom de Glanville, Orlando Bailey and Max Ojomoh. Fraser Dingwall and George Furbank have already attracted interest at Northampton whose James Grayson was a replacement in the 2017 final, Fin Smith leads a young group breaking through at Worcester and with the threat of relegation no longer hanging over clubs, the jettisoning of overseas journeymen is not just down to finances.
Jones has been loyal to his players since taking charge in 2015, but he also showed in the build-up to the last World Cup that he recognised when he needed to call time on those who had served him and England well, such as Chris Robshaw, Danny Care, James Haskell and Dylan Hartley.
England had the youngest squad of the major unions in the 2019 World Cup, but Ben Youngs and May are 31, Farrell turns 30 next month and Daly and Ford will be in their 30s by the time the World Cup in France starts. Jones will not make changes for the sake of it. What he will have is options.