>> Ben Te’o interview
Eddie’s finishing ace eyes first start against Italy
“People may say the way I play is simple, but I think it’s effective. I do what I know and what I’m good at”
Ben Te’o and the England ‘finishers’ have got a strut in their step after making the difference in the late wins over France and Wales in the opening two rounds of the Six Nations. Te’o has helped to spearhead the transformation of England’s bench into match-winning shock troops instead of a group of solid replacements not quite good enough to be starters.
It is clever psychological rolereversal by Eddie Jones that has given the blokes down the pecking order a real sense of mission. And when they deliver in style, like Te’o has, their reward is standing on the gold medal podium rather than being down among the extras.
Against both France and Wales, the powerhouse centre injected instant momentum with his dynamic, direct running. His acceleration and headon impact, often targeting the tackler’s inside shoulder, has Jones and his coaches champing at the bit to see more.
That is why the New Zealand-born former Aussie NRL star – with an English mother who hails from Manor House in south-east London – is almost certain to get his first start for England against Italy on Sunday.
There is no exaggeration in saying that a two-minute blitz by Te’o after he came on in the 68th minute at Twickenham a fortnight ago brought the high-flying French down-to-earth with a thud.
Te’o’s fanfare on his Six Nations debut started with two hard, sharp drives at the French barricades, the first of them making five metres, and the second a couple less. However, it heralded a crucial shift on the advantage line towards England.
Moments later he delivered the coup de grace with an unstoppable 10-metre charge onto Owen Farrell’s pass, scattering Scott Spedding and Noa Nakaitaci like chaff before planting the ball over the line for the winning try.
Against Wales the headlines went deservedly to Owen Farrell and Elliot Daly for England’s final thrust for victory, but again it was Te’o who was at the heart of the momentum shift after coming on 15 minutes from time at outside-centre.
After a gainline battle in which he forced the Welsh defenders to double up to stop him, Te’o cracked the Welsh defence by beating Alex Cuthbert and Jamie Roberts on the inside before romping 20 metres to the edge of the Welsh 22. Having linked with Danny Care he set up the field position and pressure that eventually finished in Daly’s conclusive late try.
The feelgood factor surrounding the England squad carried over from Cardiff when 12,000 fans turned up to watch England’s open training at Twickenham on Friday – and afterwards it was Te’o’s turn to meet the Press.
What is impressive about Te’o is that his presence is about more than physical prowess. At 6ft 2in and 16st 5lb he is England’s biggest back by a street, but what stands out is the selfbelief of a battle-hardened 30-year-old pro. The NRL title he won with South Sydney Rabbitohs, alongside Sam Burgess, and a series of State of Origin appearances for Queensland, underpin a deep well of self-confidence. The sort that means Te’o would not question for a second that he can fill the power vacuum left in the England midfield by Manu Tuilagi’s injury troubles.
Asked if he is ready to start against Italy, Te’o answer is as direct as his running: “Yeah, mate. I know how to play rugby. It would be something that, if it happened, I’d be excited.”
The same could be said of England supporters, because Te’o’s arrival means that England are developing multiple threats, with dual playmakers George Ford and Farrell augmented by a power carrier. It also presents Jones with the conundrum of who he leaves out if Te’o starts against Italy – Ford, Farrell or, as per the substitution against Wales, outside-centre Joseph?
Te’o says the Ford-Farrell partnership works well. “They are very good players – I am not sure what the combination is going to be this week, but every time those two are together they play quite well. They are a great combination.” He also states that he is happy at 12 or 13, and plays both for Worcester. “I have played a lot of inside-centre and a lot of outsidecentre.”
Simplicity is a virtue for Te’o: “I do not like to go out there with too much in my head in terms of what I am going to do, or what I think could happen. People may say the way I play is simple, but I think it’s effective. I do what I know, and what I am good at, and try to enjoy the moments out there.”
Te’o says that his no-frills attitude has helped prime him to pull the trigger when he comes off the bench. “I do things like not really watching too much of the game. I don’t like to get emotionally involved while I’m on the bench. I’m just worrying about my own position, because when I come on I want to make a difference.” He believes information overload is counter-productive, but says that he and Rory Teague, England’s new skills coach, have reached a good understanding.
“I just say to Rory, what do you think, what are you seeing? And he will give me one sentence. And that’s all I need. He might say, ‘they are up and in’ or ‘they’re a bit softer, pushing to the sideline’. He might say where I could hit a line. I don’t need to look too hard, because it could change when I get on. That’s the thing. You have got to turn up and be ready to go. Anything can happen – I have got to be warm and ready for every situation, prepared to play 79 minutes if someone went down...”
However, Te’o is not pitching for a role as an impact specialist: “I’ve got a lot to give. But that all comes in time. I always get told the same thing – be patient. You know, keep working on the little things. I’ve been in the (Union) game only two and a half seasons, so I’m still picking up little things. I’ve got to be patient, because I know the real goal is to be number
one in the world. It’s about me prepar-ing my self, because I don’t know whenthat opportunity is going to come" Te'o says that patience is not his strongsuit, but recognises that some-times it is essential. "When you get into a really good team environment (like England), it’s a lot easier. When a team is all striv-ing going the same direction, everyone is buying in and there’s a really good team spirit, it’s a lot easier to take a back seat and just do what the team requires. When you see results and you see how happy everyone is, there’s no point going around being selfish and worrying aboutyourself, because there are bigger things to worry about.”
Te’o also seems unperturbed by comparisons with his old Rabbitohs team-mate, Burgess. “We went on two separate journeys. I wouldn’t say that I’ve learned anything [from him]. I’ve gone on my own path and it’s led me here. I played a fair bit of Union growing up as a kid at Silverdale RC in Auckland, at full-back and insidecentre, so some things have come back to me through instinct. Other things are just brand new again, because I played lower level [Union in New Zealand] – I was a kid that bounced around, so I’d play Rugby Union, Rugby League, Union, League, like a lot of kids in New Zealand.”
Te’o says that he has also benefitted because playing second row in League has plenty of similarities to inside-centre in Union. “There is a lot of crossover. You spend a lot of your time attacking on an edge – that’s attacking inside shoulders. Defensively you make similar decisions. There’s lot of traffic coming your way and you have to double defend. That kind of stuff I was thrown into in Union, and adapted quite quickly.”
Te’o says he thrives on big-match
"I've got to be ready for every situation, prepared to play 79 minutes if someone went down”
atmosphere, especially having played State of Origin, and is ready for anything.
“Some of the things I’ve been through in League give me a lot of confidence that I’m not going to face anything that I haven’t before. The atmosphere in Cardiff was unbelievable. It was exciting, and great to experience. It was very similar to a State of Origin from driving down that main street, the abuse to the bus, the hostile crowd and noise. I love it. That’s what it’s about, sport. Passion and people coming to see you lose and win.”
However, Te’o believes that Jones, who he describes as a “very smart, very calculated” coach, is England’s point of difference.
“Everything he does, he knows what he is doing. I really enjoy being coached by him. I have learned a lot. He does not say a lot to me, to be honest. That’s fine. I don’t think he feels he needs to.”
That’s because Big Ben has chimed in loud and clear, and the message ringing out as they prepare for the Italians is that he gives England a potent new attacking dimension.