Reviving the Saxons would help Eddie’s arousal plan
THE selection of George Martin in the England 23 to play Wales could not provide a better illustration of why the Saxons are such an important part of the RFU’s attempts to develop another world champion England team.
Win or lose, putting a rookie like Martin on the bench in a seasondefining Six Nations match like that against Wales yesterday was a huge gamble. The 19-year-old Leicester lock may have been given the seal of approval by Steve Borthwick, Eddie Jones’ former England lieutenant, but as he is now coach of the Tigers, he cannot exactly be called an impartial observer.
The reality is that Martin, 19, is as green as tender-stem broccoli. He has had a mere seven Premiership starts for a mid-table Leicester side, all of them since the beginning of the new season.
Martin is a big unit, and a promising prospect, but it is difficult to understand how he has leap-frogged players of the calibre of Ted Hill, the 21-year-old Worcester captain, who won a debut cap off the bench against Japan in 2018. Hill is a dynamic 6ft 5ins blindside and was in the England training squad as recently as October, ahead of the Autumn Internationals.
It must be perplexing to Hill that he has dropped off the radar to be replaced by someone two years younger who has barely played for Leicester, let alone skippered them.
Alex Dombrandt (Harlequins), who can play six or eight, and is one of the best attacking back row forwards in the Premiership, is another who must wonder when he will make a selection breakthrough.
Furthermore, if you were in the market for a gnarled blindside/No.8 veteran to add power and poundage, Exeter’s tank-like Dave Ewers – who has only just turned 30 and is a double European Cup and Premiership winner – is another candidate who should be in Jones’ eyeline.
The Saxons gives the England head coach a chance to assess the merits of all these candidates in a less boombust environment than the one that has seen Jones call up 149 players to England training camps in the last five years.
That eye-watering number has no doubt prompted the recent musings by the RFU’s high performance director, Conor O’Shea, to start dusting off a concept which should never have been shelved.
The Saxons, who were re-named in 2000 to add some lustre to the second team mantle previously held by the unimaginatively named England A, and England B before them, were part of a longterm RFU strategic plan.
The main purpose was for the Saxons to be an ambitious pathway, with the then England head coach, Andy Robinson, declaring in 2006: “The future success of rugby in England depends, to a large extent, on the next best 15 players.”
That imperative has not changed one jot in the last 15 years. Yet, with huge sums of money being spent on salaries for Eddie Jones (£750,000), not to mention his entourage of coaches and support staff, as well as on suits like RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney (£700,000) and O’Shea, the Saxons was mothballed in 2016.
This happened despite a highly successful summer tour to South Africa, in which a side coached by Ali Hepher won both of their matches against South Africa A, winning 32-24 in Bloemfontein and 29-26 in George.
They beat Springbok second string sides which featured a number of players who became World Cup winners after beating England in Yokohama – including Malcolm Marx, Vincent Koch, RG Snyman, and Lukhanyo Am.
By comparison not one player from the victorious Saxons starting 23s managed to make the England squad for Japan three years later.
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RFU’s decision to dispense with the second team was blinkered, and it has contributed to a selection stasis since the 2019 World Cup final which has seen too many established players go unchallenged despite serious troughs in form. Hepher, who has since gone on to guide Exeter to a European and domestic double, is unequivocal about the benefits of his stint in charge of the Saxons.
“As a coach I wanted to tick having a bit of international exposure, and what it entails. In particular, it was about understanding that the buck stops with you as head coach, which is an important experience.
“It bridges the gap between Premiership and international rugby, where players are confronted with a new style, new coaches, and a new bunch of teammates, and have to respond quickly – and that is a challenge for young guys.
“It is also an opportunity for the England coaches to look again at players of around 23 or 24, who haven’t quite pushed on in the way that was expected. There is a lot of development that happens from the ages of 19 to 23, and we notice it particularly with forwards, where maturity tends to come later.
“The Exeter University link has been a really good breeding ground to get players ready for the Chiefs, with forwards like Sam Skinner and Richard Capstick a good example. It’s been fantastic for us, because there are big changes that go on both physically and mentally from 19 to 23, and it gives players the chance to develop.”
Hepher continues: “The Premiership is a very high standard, but the international step-up is different. It is a hard challenge, and there are very
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A he was outstanding, making – and getting on the end of He was quality, and you could as very capable of playing tional rugby. captain Dave Attwood also p (see sidebar), and you could anted to lead it, even though already won senior England e took it as a positive and did it as being downgraded. ie picked the team for the first nd it included Danny Cipriani lf. You could see his ability on , and he was soon driving the of our attack. Charlie Ewels yed well, as did Alec Hepburn tt Kvesic.” er believes the Saxons is a eful arena in which to identify elop leaders who can think on et – which is not a quality for he senior side is renowned. a different environment to ubs, and it challenges people to lead, and also to put their hands up with ideas. It is important for coaches to allow players to voice their opinions – so while you get the leaders to do it, you must also make sure it’s an open forum so everyone can find their voice. It is a model where you can develop leadership all-round.”
Hepher also highlights the Saxons’ importance in showcasing players who are missed by the age group teams leading to the England U20s: “I believe that’s the case with Sam Simmonds, and I think Joe (Simmonds) may only have been on the bench. So, there are definitely players that would benefit from the Saxons making their transition a bit easier.”
He adds: “It’s worth remembering that in the England senior squad you are dropping into a group of exceptional players, many of whom are strong characters and well-established. Players need time in the environment to really flourish, and certainly the Saxons would help that.”
Hepher acknowledges that the main obstacle to the Saxons is the over-crowded fixture list.
“We went at the end of the season, but the main difficulty is where the Saxons can fit in. In the past you didn’t have Premiership fixtures on international weekends, so now it’s harder to do. But the end-of-season tour is still a possibility, and the Saxons is an ideal way to go about bridging the gap between the England U20 side and the senior squad.”
Gloucester coach George Skivington is another who places a high premium on the Saxons. Skivington, who captained a Saxons side which won the 2010 Churchill Cup featuring ten players who went to win full caps – including centurion Ben Youngs – says it has multiple motivational layers.
“You want to play for England in World Cups and Six Nations tournaments, but the reality is that it doesn’t happen for everybody – and it didn’t for me. But I consider it a great privilege that I got to wear the England rose, and getting on the field wearing that Saxons shirt is still a massive honour.
“Sometimes it was taken more seriously, and sometimes it was more of a fun time, but in terms of getting young and fringe players together and testing them away from their clubs it is a great building ground for future internationals.
“One of the key things in building a squad is that those who are in the starting line-up need to know that there is a bloke who is working really hard, and could push them out of the squad. Most top players are very selfmotivated – but having the competitive factor through a team like the Saxons never does any harm.
“That’s how it should be at club level, and the same at international level. If you’re watching a guy in a Saxons side on a Friday night, it’s important you realise that the bloke who is playing so well is wearing your number, and that you’re going to have to raise your game for England to keep it.”
Having the Saxons back will keep England honest, and raise aspirations – and boost the “arousal” levels that Jones admits have dropped off – in the two years before the 2023 World Cup. And beyond it.