Furbank relishes aerial challenge as chance to put the record straight
Northampton star has had a tough start for England but he is unfazed by Irish threat, writes Daniel Schofield
Last week George Furbank’s assignment was on soil properties for his Open University degree in geography and environmental science. This week’s task, judging the height and speed of Irish high balls, promises to be slightly more taxing.
The shock of his initial call-up and subsequent promotion to starting full-back for England’s opening matches against France and Scotland is only just wearing off for the Northampton player, who has spent most of his career playing to crowds measuring in the low four figures, for Cambridge and Nottingham.
International baptisms of fire do not come much more intimidating than facing the loudest French crowd since the days of the Parc des Princes, followed by the storm at Murrayfield.
As someone who looks like he was sprung from the pages of Boy’s Own, Furbank’s debut did not go according to script. High balls were spilt and passes dropped – although he was hardly alone in that respect – and Eddie Jones had to promise afterwards not to send him back to the “shoe factory” in Northampton.
Furbank, though, refused to be downcast and believes the experience will serve him well in the long term.
“You have to be able to shut it down,” Furbank said. “If you are dwelling on your mistakes you are never going to get into the game, because you’ll be thinking about the past. I do that to the best of my ability. Obviously there’s frustration immediately if you drop a ball or make an error, but you have boys in your ear saying next job. You have to switch to that and do your next job as well as you can.
“Wherever I made my debut it was going to be challenging because of all of the outside factors. But France away is a particularly tough one. Jonny [May] said to me the week after, ‘Look, that is one of the toughest challenges you could get first up. You’ll be a way better player for it.’ ”
There was immediate evidence of that at Murrayfield last week, when he was far more assured both under the high ball and in his communication with the rest of the team. “I felt a bit more composed, more clear-headed, more like myself,” Furbank said. “That allowed me to play my game. The boys noticed I was more vocal on the pitch rather than going into my shell. Eddie said if you want to be a world-class full-back you just need to do the basics really well.
Every one or two games something will open up for you and you’ll look really good. So you just have to keep focusing on those basics and nail them down.”
After successive away games, Furbank is hoping for a warmer, drier reception in his first match at Twickenham a week today. Yet even if clear skies are forecast, it is still guaranteed to be raining high balls. Irish half-backs Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray rarely miss the opportunity to test a rookie half-back, especially one who has shown some signs of vulnerability.
“It’s an exciting challenge,” Furbank said. “They’re two world-class operators, especially when it comes to the kicking game. It poses a big challenge. If we get that aerial battle right then it gives us a big chance to get into the game and put on to them what we want to put on to them.”
That bombardment will not just be focused on Furbank, but wings May and Elliot Daly as well. The key to defusing that aerial threat is not just in the execution but in the anticipation of what is coming their way, according to
‘There’s frustration if you drop a ball, but you just have to do your next job as well as you can’
Daly. “It’s all about reading body language, really. At international level it could be seeing that if they open their body up it’s probably going to be crossfield, or if it’s going to be a bomb it’s about trying to pick up on those cues earlier, and making sure you are in the right position.
“Their variety of kicking, especially Sexton – long, short, little chips – will test the back three, definitely.
“And Conor Murray is one of the best box-kickers in the world. It will be trying to nullify that threat – and the way it’s going so far, especially with the tough conditions we had last weekend in Edinburgh, it’s going in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, Daly indicated that he would follow hooker Jamie George’s lead by remaining at Saracens despite the club being relegated from the Premiership this season. “I’m probably pretty similar [to Jamie George],” Daly said. “I am still in contract. At the moment I am not thinking about that. It is coming, but we have the rest of the season to sort it out.”
Daly signed for Saracens from Wasps only last summer and returned from the World Cup to find out that they were being deducted 35 points, a punishment subsequently upgraded to relegation. However, Daly maintains the move was still the right decision.
“My first day wasn’t the best, not the best day you could ask for,” he said. “It’s a big thing and it’s not to be taken lightly, but the way that they dealt with it I thought was really good with the players. I’ve no regrets about what I’ve done. The way that we train, the players there, the coaching staff, it’s an amazing club to be at.”