North v South games have set us up well for Six Nations
Former Sale, Leeds, Saracens and Northampton scrum-half Alan Dickens has been head coach of England U20s for just over a year now. He tells NEALE HARVEY why the last nine, Covid-affected, months have been anything but wasted time.
It’s nine months since England’s last U20s match against Italy was cancelled, so what’s been happening since then?
Is it really that long? Sometimes it just seems like yesterday! A lot of players haven’t played since then and I even came across some first-year players in the academies who hadn’t played since before Christmas last year due to injuries and the lockdown. Since March, though, one of the conscious decisions we made was that we needed to stay connected with lads in the pathway, not just the U18s and U20s but also some of those boys who’d just recently left the group and maybe hadn’t broken into first teams at their clubs. One of the first things we did, in conjunction with our U18s head coach Jon Pendlebury and England team manager Richard Hill, was to arrange a series of position-specific
Zoom calls with senior members of England’s first team squad, which proved to be enormously beneficial.
How did that all work?
It was a pretty open forum where the younger lads could ask the senior guys any questions they wanted, whether it was around on or off-field stuff. The senior players involved were Joe Marler, Maro Itoje, George Kruis, Jamie George, Tom Curry, Ben Youngs, Owen Farrell and Anthony Watson and it was just about having that connection with the first team. It was fantastic for the younger lads and all the senior players were open and honest with their feedback and words of wisdom. For example, with Owen Farrell and Ben Youngs we brought our half-backs together, so guys like Jack van Poortvliet (Leicester), Sam Bryan (Saracens), Orlando Bailey (Bath), Finlay Smith (Worcester) and Charlie Atkinson (Wasps) were able to tap into Ben and Owen’s knowledge. The front row group with Joe Marler included Luke Green (London Irish) and Harvey Beaton (Saracens), while second rows like George Martin (Leicester) and Alex Coles (Northampton) gained invaluable insight from George Kruis and Maro. It was a hugely successful series of sessions over the summer.
Looking back at that last U20s Six Nations, opening wins over France and Scotland were followed by losses to Ireland and Wales. Your assessment?
The first two were fantastic wins when we were able to pick from our strongest squad, but the nature of the U20s means you lose some players after that. We learnt lessons against Ireland and they did a job on us in the first half at Franklin’s Gardens, and then against
Wales we outscored them four tries to two but lost by a point. I actually thought we were building nicely for the World Cup in June. Unfortunately, that didn’t take place but around half the squad are still eligible and I’m looking forward to my first proper cycle as head coach now because I didn’t get to experience it this year.
Between last season’s Premiership restarting in August and its completion in October, 66 academy-produced players were handed top-flight debuts. That must have pleased you?
It was fantastic and it’s been great to see guys like Manny Iyogun, Richard Capstick, Josh Hodge and Freddie Steward getting a shot, but we’ve had our own look at it and in terms of players from the U20s programme who were available this year, 15 have been involved in matches with only ten featuring more than once. You want these players to play games and it’s up to the clubs to decide at what level, whether it’s in the Championship or lower leagues. Unfortunately, at the moment that’s not something they’ve been able to do because of Covid, but we’re very keen to address it.
How proactive have you been in arranging an alternative playing programme?
There were 80-90 players available for the U20s this year and a lot of them had played very little rugby since the resumption, so we looked at setting something up, not just from the playing side but just to get the players into a different environment. In September, we contacted all the Premiership clubs and asked if they’d support some regional training camps, which they unanimously agreed to. We had a South-West camp at Millfield School attended by Bath, Bristol and Exeter players, and then the next day we went to Stow-onthe-Wold Rugby Club where the lads from Gloucester and Worcester attended. We then went to Lutterworth RFC for the Midlands one, which Newcastle attended as well because we had to cancel the North’s session because of Sale’s Covid problem, and the last one was at Wasps RFC in Acton where we had London Irish, Harlequins, Saracens and some Ealing players. The focus was on getting to know each other as players and coaches and we implemented some basic frameworks for them to work on before we then came together as bigger groups.
So, you’ve done a lot more than just run those regional training camps?
Yes. Off the back of those, I spoke to a lot of the academy managers and we formulated a few ideas around how things might look if we could get some games up and running. We provided a proposal in conjunction with Don Barrell, the RFU’s head of regional academies and pathway, and Corin Palmer at Premiership Rugby that was given the go-ahead. Everything had to be Covid-secure so the training and games were all geared around players from the testing pool, but we had two regional North and South camps at Clifton and Lichfield Rugby Clubs and off the back of that adopted an online training programme to go with it. All the players have been fantastic in making themselves available for that and it’s culminated in us having four North v South games on consecutive weekends at St George’s Park, the FA’s National Football Centre. The first game took place a fortnight ago and after last week’s second game the series stood at 1-1. The third game is this weekend and the fourth is next week, so it’s been great to see the enjoyment the lads have been getting from that. It’s a bit old school with guys turning up on the day from all corners of the country, but the commitment of the players and their clubs has been fantastic and it’s been very encouraging ahead of the Six Nations.
How many players have been involved?
Sixty-seven attended the training camps, and then in matches one and two we used 55 players. Speaking to the academy managers, it’s given them some real substance and the lads can go back to their clubs, look through the games and work on different areas. There’s been a good competitive element to the matches but the ‘one team’ focus is at the forefront as well and things are building nicely for the Six Nations squad we’ll announce on January 1. These matches have been brilliant in terms of introducing the lads to the medical and S&C staff as well.
As a venue, how have you found St George’s Park?
“I’m looking forward to my first proper cycle as head coach as I didn’t get to experience it this year”
The facilities and welcome we’ve had have been incredible. The changing rooms and indoor training areas allow the lads to organise properly before games and the actual pitches are topnotch. It’s not disappointed at all and the exercise has been very worthwhile.
How involved are you with Eddie Jones, and are the U20s tactics aligned with the senior side?
There’s no alignment on tactics. The alignment with the first team comes during England training when some of our guys get a chance to join the senior players. During the last Six Nations, Freddie Steward was one who trained with the first team on a Wednesday or Thursday running up to Test matches and that happened again during the recent Autumn Nations Cup. Harlequins have been really supportive in providing players and Hugh Tizard, Will Trenholm, Sam Riley and Oscar Beard have all been into camp. Richard Hill is a very good go-between there.
You have autonomy over U20s tactics then, but what do you think of the current trend that relies so heavily on a kicking game?
When we name our squad, I’ll involve the players in making decisions around how they want to play and what we want to achieve. That’s part of the pathway programme that we’ve put in place in conjunction with Conor O’Shea, the RFU’s director of performance rugby. By the time they reach the U20s, though, they’re getting to a stage where our players need to adapt tactically to win, which is something we’re pushing because the further up the performance ladder you go, ultimately that’s what it becomes. At Eddie’s level it’s all about winning and that’s what they’ve done in the Six Nations and Autumn Nations Cup. Our approach in the U20s is that players need to start being aware of how you win and being able to tactically do so.
How’s your U20s coaching team shaping up ahead of the Six Nations?
In recent camps the England Sevens coaches, Charlie Hayter and James Rodwell, have been involved along with Jon Pendlebury from the U18s. We’ll name a couple of other coaches in due course but Conor O’Shea is very keen for us to be integrated as England coaches so we’ll have involvement from the women’s coaches as well and vice-versa. It’s quite fluid in that respect and I’ve been involved in U18s camps as well, which is invaluable in keeping tabs on younger guys coming through.
How do you assess the current depth of English rugby below the seniors?
It’s difficult to tell precisely at the moment because we need to see more players in action, whether that be in the Premiership, Championship or National Leagues. The best way for players to develop is by playing games and that was the overriding factor why, as U20s coaches, we wanted to get these North v South games on. Looking at the games we’ve played so far, I’ve been very impressed with the level and how quickly the players have improved. That augurs well for the future.
How concerned are you by the influx of overseas signings in the Premiership, particularly given there are around 50 South Africans imports here now?
In an ideal world, I want opportunities for all our young players to play for their first teams. Without having a crystal ball, I think they will get those opportunities this season because it’ll be back-to-back Premiership campaigns since August and the season doesn’t finish until June, so with all those league and European games they’ll get chances. Some of the clubs might use the Challenge Cup as a chance to rotate, which will give their younger boys more chances to stake a claim, while even sides in the Champions Cup are going to have to make some changes. Also, when you do get players coming in from other countries it’s a chance to learn from them. Take Raffi Quirke, right, at Sale as an example, he’s behind Faf de Klerk but he’s in a great place to learn from one of the best scrum-halves in the world and I’ve been impressed by what he’s brought into our camps. There are positives to having overseas players in our league and those are decisions for the clubs to make.
Part of your remit involves working with the universities, so what the position with them right now? Some people take a different route and I’m always on the lookout for players who might not necessarily be attached to Premiership academies. At the moment the universities aren’t playing any BUCS League games which makes things tough, but we’re always in touch with their coaches and the clubs to ensure we know which players we need to be aware of.
You enjoyed good years as a player with Leeds Tykes, so what’s the state of play with the Yorkshire Academy?
It’s something Don Barrell’s working hard on in terms of re-establishing that pathway and putting coaches in place because we all know what a hotbed of rugby talent Yorkshire is. Dan Lancaster is currently part of our U20s programme from Leeds Tykes and Joe Carpenter was there but has moved on to Sale now. It is something that is being addressed.
You coached on the last England Saxons tour of South Africa in 2016 but there’s been nothing since. Would you welcome a return of the Saxons?
I’d certainly like to see the Saxons reinstated. If you look at our side that toured South Africa four years ago, Ollie Devoto, Dan Robson, Alec Hepburn, Don Armand and Charlie Ewels were all subsequently capped at senior level and Nick Tompkins is playing for Wales, so it is a great stepping stone for guys coming out of the U20s programme. I do think it’s a useful tool for development and if finances ever allow it, I’d love to see more games arranged.
“I’m always on the lookout for players who might not be attached to Premiership academies”
What are your personal ambitions?
As a player, I always aspired to play at the highest level I could and it’s the same as a coach. My decision to leave Northampton last year after nearly 12 years there as a player and coach was a hard one, but coming to the RFU was always something I’d looked at and (former RFU head of elite coach development) Kevin Bowring was someone who encouraged me and I held in high regard. It gives me a slightly different take on coaching and I’ve really enjoyed the development side with the players and seeing how hungry they are to improve. Their eagerness to play is inspiring and when you see someone like Manny Iyogun, who went from being a relative unknown last year to playing in our U20s and then putting in fantastic performances for Northampton in the Champions Cup and Premiership, it gives you enormous satisfaction. Seeing someone like Jack Clement, who is still eligible for the U20s, getting a good go with Gloucester at the back end of last season and then going into a full England camp is exactly the same. I like to see lads doing well and this job gives you a different take on things away from the week-in, weekout of the Premiership. Conor O’Shea drives a lot of what we do, along with Don Barrell, and so far it’s been excellent.