Cup king Daly returns to his old playground
TWICKENHAM won’t hold any terror for Elliot Daly on Saturday. It will be like old times — lining up alongside Marland Yarde, ready to illuminate the great arena just as he did as a teen sensation in the colours of Whitgift School.
It was back in 2010 that the Wasps centre joined forces with the wing who will start with him in the England back line against South Africa. Daly pulled the strings and Yarde scored a hat-trick as the Croydon side overwhelmed RGS Newcastle to claim the Daily Mail Under 18 Cup.
A year later, Yarde was absent but Daly ruled the roost once more, having a hand in all five tries and showcasing his long-range kicking class as Whitgift brushed aside Oakham School to retain their title.
When he goes to HQ for his first start for his country, the 24-yearold will have the comfort of being in familiar territory. Aside from his feats as a prodigious pupil from south London, he has also made his presence felt there, both for and against England.
In 2013, he scored a glorious longrange solo try for the Barbarians against the national team, leaving Yarde in his wake as he touched down. And last summer, he shone as England thrashed the invitational team.
The latter performance brought him pride before a fall. Not long afterwards, Daly was cut from the World Cup training squad. He was devastated to miss the home tournament, but his time was always destined to come. He had the pedigree, having played in the same England Under 20 side as Owen Farrell, George Ford, Mako Vunipola and Joe Launchbury — all starters this weekend.
From a young age, he was a sporting prodigy. Rugby was not the only game at which he excelled. He was a cricketer of rich potential, too. Daly played for Surrey at various age-group levels and for England Under 15s as a fastbowlibowling all-rounder. BuBut rugby claimed him, whwhen it became apparent tthat a professional ccareer beckoned. He has shown sufficient versatility to be comfortable in just about eevery back-line position bbeyond scrum-half, and his ‘point of difference’ — to uuse the phrase of the day — is hish phenomenal ability to kick goals from his own half. He was already in that routine while at Whitgift and it has become his party piece, not just for Wasps but the Barbarians too. He landed a huge penalty against the Lions in Hong Kong three years ago and has repeated the trick countless times for his club.
‘My range depends on the day,’ he said. ‘If it is quite gusty it is probably 55 metres, but I will have a go from further on occasions. My longest kick so far was over 59 metres against Bayonne at Adams Park.’
With the greatest respect to Wasps’ compact former home at the end of an industrial estate in High Wycombe, the stage which awaits Daly on Saturday is far more fitting for his talents.
Eddie Jones initially omitted him from his squad in January, suggesting that he was not a Test No 13 at that stage.
England’s head coach has gladly changed his mind.
ENGLAND head coach Eddie Jones will spring a surprise today when he names Wasps centre Elliot Daly in his starting XV against South Africa ahead of Jonathan Joseph. The 24-year-old will be making his first Test start, having won five caps off the bench this year. And it will come at a venue where Daly has enjoyed huge success, twice winning the Daily Mail Schools Cup at Twickenham with Whitgift. Outside Daly on the wing against the Springboks will be his old school pal Marland Yarde, who was also in the 2010 team who won the first of back-to-back Daily Mail Cups. Daly’s promotion to form a new midfield combination with Owen Farrell comes amid suggestions that Joseph has been hampered by a nagging groin problem, although the official line is that he is fully