Marcus and Alex are musts for England says Esterhuizen
ANDRE Esterhuizen insists Marcus Smith and Alex Dombrandt would be two of the first names on his team list if he could change places with Eddie Jones.
The South African admits to being biased towards his ultra-talented teammates who are inspiring Harlequins, but simply cannot see how they can be overlooked for starts this Autumn.
Esterhuizen, right, is the bulldozing centre who compliments the skill and flair of fly-half Smith and the power and energy of Dombrandt.
Esterhuizen reckons he would not want to be close up and personal with anyone else on the field.
Jones is considering throwing the pair, plus their outstanding young teammate wing Louis Lynagh, into the Autumn front line against Tonga as the demand for a more attacking England style at Twickenham gets louder.
Esterhuizen enthuses: “Looking from the outside you know they are good. But as soon as you play with them you know they are not just good but brilliant. If I picked a team they would definitely be straight in there. They should be backed by England and start. However, a lot of guys just pick their teams on the game plan and select the personnel they want in there.
“You can always count on Marcus to deliver. He always comes on and his individual brilliance can change a game. He knows how to manage the game, manage his forwards when it is needed and then pull something out of nothing. Alex was outstanding last season and he has started this one very well. Like Marcus, he is improving his allround game all the time.” Esterhuizen insists that Quins will not ditch their open, adventurous style even if they suffer a string of setbacks.
He says: “When things get tough we go for more crazy stuff. When something sticks we get the confidence to go again. You need to have the individuals in your team to pull off these things. Confidence and trust are huge amongst the players. You need your coaches to trust you. If you try an offload in a game and it doesn't come off then you will not try it again if your coach doesn’t trust you.
“It’s very refreshing playing at a club which allows you to express yourself. We combine flair and a strong skillset with physicality which enables us to play the way we do.”