paths, as George explained.
“You can see the parallels in how they had some pretty disappointing campaigns, some tough losses. Very
much like us. There are not direct parallels in terms of the way the game is played but in the team culture
and the rest of it. That’s something Eoin Morgan is very keen on talking about so I have chatted about that
with him before.
“He is a very impressive bloke and I have learnt a huge amount from him in terms of what he has done with
the England cricket team.”
The hooker practices his lineout throwing
technique at England’s training camp in Treviso
(Getty)Thankfully for sport enthusiasts such as George, the final day of the fifth Ashes Test will end four days
before the start of the Rugby World Cup, when it will start to become clear over the course of the next six
weeks whether George and co. can follow in their mates’ footsteps.
There are four Quilter Internationals before then for England to finalise their preparations, starting with a
double-header against Wales home and away before matches at Twickenham and St James’s Park in
Newcastle with Ireland and Italy. For George, these games represent something quite special, given it’s
where this England journey started four years ago
Having proven himself at Saracens alongside John Smit and Schalk Brits, George found himself with the
chance to prove he should be in the 2015 World Cup squad at the expense of Dylan Hartley, Tom Youngs or
Rob Webber. In the end, Hartley’s ban for headbutting George ironically secured the latter’s place in Stuart
Lancaster’s squad but, in the four years since, the Saracens hooker has not just guaranteed himself of a place
in the final 31-man squad fitness-dependent, but as potentially the best player in the world in his position.
England have been put through an intensive