Furbank hopes playoff bid can land him in Oz
GEORGE Furbank is keeping his fingers crossed Eddie Jones will grant his wish of a first Test tour this summer.
The Northampton back may be focusing chiefly on trying to win domestic honours but his ambitous sights are also fixed firmly on extending his season into July and knows the next few weeks are key to his summer plans.
England travel to Australia for a three-match series with competition for places set to heat up in the coming weeks with so many crucial domestic battles still to be played out.
Northampton Saints lie fourth in the table in the last playoff place and know wins over Saracens next weekend and then against Newcastle should clinch a semi-final spot.
Furbank, 25, was a surprise starter at full-back against France in the final game of the Six Nations having been over-looked for the previous matches.
Head coach Jones is likely to have Furbank in his touring plans having started him at fly-half against Tonga in the autumn and claiming the player’s versatility is a major bonus when it comes to important tournaments.
And Furbank admits: “I’m desperate to be on that tour. I’m lucky enough to have played for England but I’ve not done a tour. It would be my first experience. I’m focused on performing the best I can for Saints and get that top four spot but it is certainly at the back of my mind
and I’d love to be there. Eddie says he likes the fact I can cover at 10 and 15. Marcus (Smith) and Freddie (Steward) are in those spots and are carving it up, so it’s pretty difficult to get in but I put a good step forward in the Six Nations and I am keen to be involved in every campaign.”
Furbank, who endured a tough start to his Test career in the 2021 Six Nations, added: “I’m not putting too much pressure on myself as you just get peaks and troughs between being desperate to be involved and not being selected. That was the case the first time I was called up by England.
“It was the toughest time because I was a young player coming through and there had been no pressure. I hadn’t really experienced having a poor performance, and on a big stage. It was tough to take. But I spoke with Angela the psychologist in the camp and had some good work under her. It helped me feel more comfortable both playing at Saints and now with England. It was a big learning curve but came in very useful.”