Speedy Segun striving to turn Eddie’s head
ROTIMI Segun hopes his emergence as a key component of Saracens insatiable hunger for silverware can result in a dream England call up.
The wide man would love to jump aboard the plane to Australia this summer but believes the competition for places on the wing has never been more fierce.
Segun has become a more than useful weapon in the Sarries’ back division during their domestic and European campaigns, regularly demonstrating his seering pace and dancing feet to put the fear into defences.
Boss Mark McCall has certainly showed his faith in the 25-year-old north Londoner by giving him plenty of game time, and Segun has shown he has the special ability to score stunning tries and produce game-changing moments with his running skills.
While Segun is hoping Eddie Jones will reward his emergence as a real Premiership talent, he is also realistic about the competition for Test opportunities.
Segun told The Rugby Paper: “Everyone wants to play for England and I’m no different. I’d like to get a chance but if you look around the whole league there are superstar wings all over the place. It’s a tough market for any player because those guys already in the squad deserve to be there and everyone else is just trying to get in.
“If there were things they (England) wanted me to improve on in order to get a call up, I’m sure they would get in contact and let me know. It’s more a case of just carrying on what I’m doing for Saracens each week, keep doing my best and play well enough to put my hand up to get in the conversation.”
Segun adds: “I’ve been working on my game understanding, where best to use myself to help the team and get my hands on the ball in open space.
“There’s definitely a lot more involvement for wings now than there probably was back in the day. The game has been evolved and it’s no longer just standing on the wing and trying to score.”
The former Loughborough student with a degree in Chemistry could again prove a real thorn in the side of his old Northampton side on Saturday.
It is a big game for Sarries in their bid to win a sixth Premiership title as they loook to secure a home play-off – but even bigger for Saints as they attempt to clinch a top four spot.
Segun has happy memories from his spell as an aspiring young wing at Franklin’s Gardens before being snapped up by Sarries, but he will not show his old club any sympathy on the field.
Segun grabbed a brace of tries when Northampton enjoyed a 46-35 Premiership Cup victory at StoneX Stadium in March. He hopes to be celebrating some more tries if given the chance to face them again but this time with a different outcome.
He says: “It was a while back now that I was with Northampton but I had a lot of fun there playing with a lot of my mates from the local club and from school. But now it’s all about Sarries and doing my best for them. We’ve had a strong season so far but we want to keep the focus and make sure we end it well.”