Collier banking on scrum supremacy for Test recall
THREE years after an all-too-brief Test baptism with England, Harlequins set-piece specialist Will Collier has set his sights on returning to the international arena.
Touring Argentina in 2017 was a highlight of Collier’s career – a two-Test assignment in which he came off the bench twice for Harry Williams, notching a try in the second Test in Santa Fe, where a thrilling 35-25 victory secured a 2-0 series win in the absence of England’s Lions.
One of those missing stars, Kyle Sinckler, has hogged the limelight ever since, condemning Collier to life in the shadows as his all-singing, all-dancing colleague has dominated the tighthead position for club and country.
However, for Quins at least, that is set to change.
With Sinckler moving to Bristol, Collier, 29, told
“It’s an exciting opportunity for me. I’ve loved being in the same squad as Kyle and over the years we’ve pushed each other and learned from each other, but we’re very different players and I’m just going to focus on what I really pride myself on now, which is my set-piece and scrummaging.
“Kyle’s x-factor is different to my x-factor so it’s not about me thinking that I’ve now got to do all these linebreaks and things that aren’t my natural strengths.
“Something I’ve learned from (scrum coach) Adam Jones here is that while you obviously try to develop your weaknesses and improve, what stands out is my set-piece so that’s what I’ll concentrate on.”
While Bath’s Will Stuart hurtled up the England pecking order as Sinckler’s deputy during the Six Nations, Collier is convinced he has a Test future – if he can impress new England scrum guru Matt Proudfoot by proving setpiece security trumps all else.
He added: “I loved being in that Test environment and my ambition is still to be involved. Even in those three years the international game has changed hugely in terms of what’s expected of front row forwards, but it’s definitely still an aspiration of mine and, having just turned 29, I’m in the peak of a tighthead’s career with the experience and strength I have.
“The key is not to overthink things and just focus on what you do. I’ve had times in my career where you do things to try and please different people but you eventually learn it doesn’t pay. I feel very comfortable in defence, making big hits, and if I’m needed in attack I can pass and do the job there, but the best parts of my game are all to do with the basics.
“It’s about concentrating on club first and the rest will follow. That’s my mindset and if Harlequins are in a good place, hopefully you catch the eye. England have a new scrum coach in Matt Proudfoot who I’ve heard great things about, but even with Kyle gone the competition at Quins is still strong with Wilco Louw coming from South Africa and Simon Kerrod here.”
As one of five Harlequins players to have opted out of an immediate return to training due to his wife expecting their first child, Collier has ground to make up. However, he explains: “Kate is on the (Covid-19) ‘vulnerable’ list and we were slightly apprehensive about me going back in, but the club have been brilliant about it. I’ve had regular consultations with the medics and, hopefully, I’ll be back in a couple of weeks.
“I’ll miss a bit of training with the boys but at the moment it’s still socially distanced anyway and I’ve got everything I need at home.
“George Lowe provided me with equipment from his gym and I live round the corner from Rosslyn Park and do my running there. That’s enabled me to keep my muscle on and I’ve been using this lockdown as an opportunity.”
While front row colleague Mark Lambert has been outspoken in his condemnation of how some Premiership clubs are handling Covid-19 in his capacity as RPA chairman, Collier adds: “I’m not just saying this, but we’ve been quite lucky at Harlequins with the dialogue we’ve been given by the club and they’ve been really up front in speaking to us.
“It’s obviously reached a stage where clubs are handling things in different ways, but I’ve been really impressed with how Mark’s been handling all that.”