The Times - UK (2022-02-03)

64 Thursday February 3 2022 | the times

SportRugby union

Scotland should target Ellis Genge in
the Calcutta Cup clash, according to
Ryan Wilson, the man who successfully
burrowed under England’s skin in 2018.
Wilson, the fifty-cap back row,
started a scuffle in the Murrayfield tun-
nel four years ago which rattled Eddie
Jones’s side, who lost the match 25-13.
And before the latest meeting of the
old foes Wilson thinks the Scots can rile
up the English again — particularly
Genge, the Leicester Tigers prop.
“The one place where I think Scot-
land can definitely get the upper hand is
getting stuck into Genge,” Wilson, 32,
who won his last cap against France in
the 2021 Six Nations, said.
“Who’s going to captain them? I can’t
see it being Genge. If I was Scotland I
would definitely go in and target him,
and try to get him to lose his head, like
you’ve seen plenty of times this season.
“In such a tense environment, at
Murrayfield, with everything on top of
him, to try and get into him and wind
him up — I would love to see that
happen. I would cling on to him like I do

Scots told to target hot-head Genge

anyone — you saw how he reacted to

Francois Hougaard in the Wasps-

Leicester game. Not only did he try and

half-push, punch him, but he ended up

trying to pull his hair!

“I can’t tell you what I’d say to him! It

would be a case of constantly being on

him. Some people react a lot easier than

others. I was quite good at taking a lot of

stick, staying calm, and laughing it off.

The most frustrating thing when some-

one is giving you grief is if you smile and

laugh. It makes you more angry.”

And Wilson has some advice for

England too: pick Marcus Smith over

George Ford.

“With all the hype around Marcus

Smith, it would almost be a cop out [to

pick Ford],” he said.

“You’ve got to be confident in the way

you want to play. Is it going to be tactical

to start, then wait for Smith to throw it

about?

“Maybe they are worried about the

pressure, and what it’ll be like, the first

game of the Six Nations. If Smith is

named I believe he’ll be able to cope

with the attention that comes with it.

But will it be too much for him?

“They’ll certainly look to target him

if he is named. George Ford has been

there and done it, but also been there

and not done it very well.”

Wilson believes that a settled

Scottish side, full of new British & Irish

Lions tourists, will have enough to beat

England.

“It’s exciting, isn’t it?” he said. “For

the first time I’m looking forward to

going to Murrayfield. I used to hate

going to watch, I used to dread it, and

wish I was on the field. I’m genuinely

excited to see how this game is going to

be. I have no doubt the backs have what

it takes to carve England apart. The

forwards is the one bit where I am

questioning, ‘Will we get the upper

hand there?’

“From 2018 I have just seen the

Scotland team accelerate. More people

want to play for Scotland now, as

they’re doing a bit more. I genuinely

believe — without putting a spell on it

— Scotland can win and are favourites

going in.

“Having the fans back in the stadium

is definitely something we’ve got on

our side.”

Will Kelleher

It is easy to forget sometimes that Tom
Curry is still only 23. The England
flanker has already amassed 39 Test
caps, including three for the British &
Irish Lions, and played in a World Cup
final.
Curry, below, is now widely expected
to become the youngest England cap-
tain since Will Carling in 1988 and his
credentials for the role could not have
been more heartily endorsed yesterday.
“This is the natural progression
for him,” Alex Sanderson,
Curry’s director of rugby at
Sale Sharks, said.
Eddie Jones, the En-
gland head coach, had to
appoint a new captain
for Saturday’s Calcutta
Cup clash with Scotland
after Owen Farrell was
ruled out of the Six
Nations with an ankle
injury and Courtney Lawes,
who impressed as under-
study in November, fail-
ed to recover in time
from concussion to be
available for the game.
Jones will confirm his
decision this morning
when announcing the En-
gland team, which could
feature a recall for Elliot Daly.
The versatile Saracens back was
not included in the original Six
Nations squad but is under con-
sideration to play at outside
centre, with England anx-
ious to inject experience
into their depleted side.
George Ford is the
only member of the
29-man squad to have
captained England
before but he is unlikely
to oust Marcus Smith from the fly
half’s jersey, which will mean a first-
time captain for England at BT
Murrayfield.
Maro Itoje and Ellis Genge, the
Leicester Tigers captain, have been

Three “games” that honed Smith's craft

1 Attackers

Defenders

Direction

of play

Pass

Run to

score try

2 Attackers

Defenders

Direction

of play

Kick

3 Attackers

Defenders

Direction

of play

Attacking players

in an offside

position waiting to

receive passes

Attacking players in an offside

position waiting to receive a kick

Extra attackers

Game 1: Two offside

Two attacking players stand in an offside position waiting

to receive passes. Helps train players to look for spaces

Game 2: Turn and kick

Two attacking players in an offside position wait to receive a

kick. Helps players hone kick-pass skills

Game 3: Clermont Auvergne

Designed by Brighton old-boy Alex King when he was at the

French club. Attacking team have two extra attackers. Helps

players identify overlaps

‘Inspirational’ Curry backed

Alex Lowe

Rugby

Correspondent

tipped as contenders for the role but

Curry is the favourite. He will be 23

years and 235 days old when England

tackle Scotland, 53 days younger than

Jonny Wilkinson was when he cap-

tained England against Italy in the

2003 Six Nations.

Sanderson compared Curry’s leader-

ship qualities to Farrell’s — he coached

Farrell at Saracens before moving to

Sale.

“I know Owen is someone who

respects Tom massively; Tom shares

Owen’s virtues,” Sanderson said.

“There are loads of different ways of

leading. Tom is someone whose stan-

dards off the field inspire others to be

better. When he comes back to Sale the

intensity and level of training rises.

That is one man having an influence on

40 others around him.

“He has been so driven over

so many years, he lives the

epitome of what it is to be

a very high performing

elite athlete. He is more

than open to share [his

knowledge] because he

has got a real passion for

the game.

“With the potential and

the mastery of the game that

he has got, how can he get

better? This is the one

area, leadership, where

he can make strides as

he gets more experi-

enced. This is the natu-

ral progression for him.

“When he came back

from the Lions [tour] there

was talk about his leader-

ship qualities. In the past his

focus would have been on himself,

on his job and what he

needed to do next.

“Since the Lions

tour he under-

stands that if he

wants to lead he

has to take the blink-

ers off slightly and that his

communication affects

the people around him.

“Here at Sale we have

Jono Ross [the captain]

who is a motivator of

men: ‘Do this, follow

me, run through that

wall’. Tom will break it

down for you with

regards to how you run through the

wall. Tom’s brain is analytical.”

Jones has sought to build a new lead-

ership group under Farrell and Curry

was a vice-captain in the autumn along

with Luke Cowan-Dickie, Henry Slade

and Genge. Cowan-Dickie is Exeter

Chiefs club captain and Slade has led

his club this season, but neither appear

ready to shoulder the responsibility at

Test level away to Scotland.

Jones wrote off Itoje as a future

England captaincy contender after last

year’s Six Nations, essentially describ-

ing him as being too self-centred for the

role, but reappraised that view in

December after hailing his improved

communication.

To address the concerns over experi-

ence by naming a more senior captain,

such as Ford or Jamie George, would

have an impact on selection and Jones

is unlikely to do that. He has invested in

the “New England” project, to develop

new players and new leaders and

should stick with that.

One concession could well be,

however, the incision of Daly at outside

centre, who was a late call-up after

Jonny May was injured and could come

straight into the starting XV.

The 29-year-old was challenged by

Jones to become England’s “50:22 ex-

pert” which he demonstrated to great

effect with some impressive left-footed

kicks when Saracens defeated London

Irish in the European Challenge Cup.

The kicking and territorial game is

likely to be critical on Saturday with

rain and strong winds forecast for Mur-

rayfield. Daly has played at outside

centre just once for England and once

for the British & Irish Lions, in the first

Test against South Africa last summer.

His selection in the No 13 jersey would

allow Slade to slide across to inside

centre, where Jones has indicated he

wants a fellow playmaker to help Smith

run the game.

England’s back three was shaping up

to be Freddie Steward at full back with

Jack Nowell, back in the squad for the

first time since the World Cup, and Max

Malins on the wings. There were sug-

gestions last night that Malins could be

carrying an injury, which might require

a rethink, either with George Furbank

coming in at full back or Ollie Hassell-

Collins, the powerful London Irish

wing, making his debut. Jones will

confirm his side later this morning.

Revealed: the school

training sessions that

gave Smith his flair

H

ow do you build a

magician?

That was the question

I am tasked with finding

an answer to as I travel

down to Brighton College, attempting

to bottle some of Marcus Smith’s

elixir. The 22-year-old fly half is

England’s most creative attacking

force for a generation, having an

impact beyond his oval-shaped

sphere like precious few before him,

but how was he developed?

It was The Times that first labelled

Smith the “Thriller from Manila”

when he made his Harlequins debut

as a teenager in 2017.

And before the Six Nations we

wanted to delve deeper into Smith’s

craft. How did the half-Filipino

superstar fill his box of tricks with

those jinks, flicks and kick-passes?

In an attempt to discover the

answer, I laced up my moulded-stud

boots and enthusiastically pretended

— with minimal success — to

become Smith for an afternoon.

Brighton College had invited me

down to their first XV pitch, where

Will Kelleher

Deputy Rugby

Correspondent

Scotland v

England

BT Murrayfield

Saturday, 4.45pm

TV: BBC1

Radio: BBC 5 Live

34

Curry (below, aged 23)

can become the youngest

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(aged 22 in 1988)

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