Eddie backs Malins and youth
THE rise of young stars like Max Malins and Will Stuart in the England pecking order, as well as the naming of uncapped 23-year-olds Paolo Odogwu and Harry Randall in the red rose squad for the 2021 Six Nations, shows that England coach Eddie Jones is serious about transition.
It is more evolution than revolution, but when Jones named his 28-man squad he highlighted the advances made over the last six months by Bristol’s onloan full-back Malins and Bath tighthead Stuart, both 24.
He said Malins’ impact off the bench for England in the Autumn Nations Cup wins over France, Ireland and Georgia, had been “great”, and that he is mounting a challenge to Elliot Daly at
full-back. Jones commented: “He did really well. He really impressed us by his attacking from the back. He’s got good pace, good feel for the game, courageous, so he’s going to push Elliot Daly strongly in that area.”
With England’s home Calcutta Cup opener against Scotland looming, and his starting tighthead Kyle Sinckler ruled out by a disciplinary ban, Jones suggested it could be a chance for 6ft 2ins, 18st 7lb /124kg Stuart to rise to the occasion.
Jones said he believes the seven-cap Bath strongman is ready to shoulder the scrum load in his second Six Nations campaign. “We have been really impressed with Will Stuart’s development. When he was a young guy at Wasps, we had an eye on him, but didn’t feel he was quite ready. Then the last two years (at Bath) he has developed quite nicely.”
Jones added that powerhouse Wasps centre/wing Odogwu and livewire Bristol scrum-half Randall had been named in the squad for the first time because of a rare attacking edge in which “both have got something slightly different”.
He added that one of the selection tips he had taken from his mentor, former Wallaby World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer, “was to always look for a player who can be world class at something”.
Jones said in Odogwu’s case it was “an x-factor in power, he has been consistently dynamic in the ability to break lines”, and that with Randall, “his running and initiative in attack is the thing that has really caught the eye”.
Odogwu’s inclusion has seen Jonathan Joseph drop into the 12-man shadow squad Jones named as reserves, while Randall’s promotion has seen the Gloucester veteran Willi Heinz miss out.
It also means both players are on England’s books rather than the other nations they are dual-qualified for, in Odogwu’s case Italy (and Nigeria), and in Randall’s Wales.
However, Jones said his main reason for including the uncapped duo was because, “it’s more about good young players who want to play for England – and that’s what we want”.
The England coach added that the hunger for success he had seen from Beno Obano had prompted him to bring the Bath loosehead into the squad after an Achilles injury had sidelined Mako Vunipola.
“We are quite rich in that area, but I have never been more impressed at a player’s determination to make it than Obano’s. The amount of work he has done to get his body right is impressive. He is ready to step up to the plate.”
In the absence of skills coach Jason Ryles, who has remained in Australia for family reasons, Jones’ youth policy has extended to the coaching group with the inclusion of Jersey’s Ed Robinson, the 27-year-old son of former England and Lions coach Andy Robinson.
Jones said: “I met him at Bristol when his dad was DoR. Then during the lockdown there’s been a number of younger coaches I’ve helped to mentor. He was probably the most impressive one.”