Player Watch: The Mighty ‘Quins – Danny Care and Tom Guest
In the third installment of his examination of the brightest young talents in English rugby, Rob Douglas turns his entirely impartial attention to his beloved Harlequins. Here he profiles England Saxon back rower Tom Guest, and the newest addition to the England squad, scrum half Danny Care.
Danny Care, Scrum Half
A graduate of the full spectrum of junior representative honours of every age group from U-16 through to U-21, in addition to competing in the England 7s team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, this young Scrum Half is at the heart of the late season renaissance currently being witnessed at Harlequins.After winning five of their opening seven matches of the season Quins had quietly established a healthy position in the Premiership whilst the World Cup was capturing all of the attention of the rugby world. Danny was very much to the fore at this stage, vying with Steve So’oialo for the No. 9 shirt whilst Andy Gomarsall was away on international duty. A suicide-inducing run of 8 games without a win in all competitions followed towards the end of the year, coincidentally as Danny found himself increasingly sidelined.
However, convincing back to back wins, including the Premiership double against Worcester and then an impressive and very tough away victory at Vicarage Road has swung the momentum of Quins’ season and Care was at the forefront of both these peformances. He is small in stature, standing at 5’9” and only tipping the scales just over 12 stone, but is surprisingly strong on his feet, has a first-class pass (seemingly not so much of a pre-requisite at the highest levels these days) and is never afraid to have a go around the fringes whilst constantly chivvying his forwards. Jon Hobbs was quite right in his review of last week’s Premiership action when commenting that it may not be just his England spot that Gomarsall has let slip.
Richard Wigglesworth had an eye-catching debut last week, but is a long way from the finished article. It is perfectly clear that Gomarsall, Peter Richards and Shaun Perry have all had their time on the international stage. Only time will tell if Harry Ellis returns to competitive rugby after his awful knee injury, compounded by a bout of MRSA in hospital, as the hugely gifted player he undoubtedly was. Paul Hodgson is knocking on the door but the England hierarchy do seem somewhat hesitant to open it. Danny Care is only 21 and has yet to serve his club apprenticeship having joined from Leeds following their relegation, but he is well placed to do so under Gomarsall’s experienced mentoring in the ambitious, developing atmosphere engendered by Deano.
With the Mighty Quins only four points from a top-four playoff spot (and no knockout cup distractions), as if you needed another reason to keep one eye on the Stoop, just bear in mind the name of their ambitious and talented young pretender at Scrum Half.
Tom Guest, Back Row
Originally I had thought to profile Jordan Turner-Hall as the second pick from Harlequins in this feature, as exciting a centre as there is in the Premiership right now for sheer potential. However, I took exception for two main reasons: firstly his age, as having just turned 20 a month ago I am finding it increasingly depressing to glorify the talent of these youthful athletes who were sitting their 11+ and noticing funny black hairs sprouting when I was busy with my A levels. Secondly, an only slightly older back row forward decided to announce himself as a serious prospect, noticeably in a Man of the Match performance for a losing side away at Sale.
Guest has been around for a while having made his Quins debut in the friendly against the Natal Sharks at the Stoop on 10th February 2005. He has been groomed through the Academy, but he has struggled to varying degrees with a number of injuries. Still only 23, he is one of a number of young hopefuls in these competitive positions, such as Jordan Crane and of course, Tom Croft at Leicester, who all seem to possess an unnatural amount of speed on top of all the other essential physical attributes.
Since the glory days of Mick Skinner and Brian Moore, Quins have often suffered from a lack of power up front, and indeed their current front five flirts with the journeymen tag, but the back row is a different proposition. Guest looks set to star, and is just as comfortable on the blindside as at No. 8 so Nick Easter can relax, and they are well balanced by Will Skinner at openside, not forgetting the estimable Chris Robshaw.
Guest was typically assured in his England Saxons debut away in Rome this season, and personally I would be very surprised not to see his explosive brand of dynamism and pace included on the England tour this summer. His ability as an extra lineout option should not be underestimated, and despite the wealth of riches we seem to possess at the moment, he is being widely tipped as a future England No.8. Let’s hope he helps steer Quins into a Heineken Cup spot so he can gain an extra dimension of experience in addition to giving the boys a chance to redeem this year’s woeful showing in the European competition…
Finally, another quick summary of our previously featured players: Ollie Philips continues to turn out solid performances for Newcastle while his mate Ben Woods has been integral to the England Saxons’s success this season; Dylan Hartley has already made a name for himself with an audacious try-scoring assist in the Saxons win over Ireland A and it is impossible to ignore Chris Ashton’s remarkable strike rate for Northampton, now standing at an obscene 33 tries from 23 matches!
by Rob Douglas
Player Watch – Dylan Hartley and Chris Ashton
In the week that Brian Ashton has named his squad for the forthcoming Six Nations, here is the second instalment of our look at budding young talent that, although lesser known, may be getting discussed by the powers that be at Twickenham…
Out of sight, out of mind? Northampton Saints may have slipped down to National Division 1, losing some of their better known stars such as Ben Cohen and Steve Thompson along the way, but they look set for a certain return straight back to the Premiership and will be bringing some new firepower with them. Rugby followers will have heard these names bandied about on Sky’s The Rugby Club and among certain clued up journalists, but what do we actually know about Northampton’s brightest young stars, both of whom have been tipped to do great things?
Dylan Hartley, Hooker
Born in New Zealand and brought up in Rotorua, Hartley plays with the rugged, confrontational style of rugby you would expect from the country that has reared men like Sean Fitzpatrick. Qualified for England he looked set to challenge for an outside shot at a place in the 2007 World Cup squad after a strong 6 Nations with England Saxons but was ruled out following a 26-week suspension for gouging in April.
Nevertheless he has cemented his place as Thompson’s natural successor in the front row and quickly established himself as a favourite at Franklin’s Gardens, signing a 2-year extension to his contract in November. Still only a fresh faced 21 year old he has the physical attributes to mix it with the big boys, his 1.85m frame weighing in at 111kg, and he knows where the try line is, scoring on his Saxons debut.
Mark Regan may be the incumbent for England, but can he really run out in the number 2 shirt a few days after his 36th birthday? Lee Mears is having a typically rumbustious season in a resurgent Bath team, but there are still doubts about the pocket dynamo brand he represents on the international stage. It may be a fair leap from playing teams such as Moseley and Esher to opposing Wales at Twickenham, but Ashton has the opportunity in the next year or so to really stamp his authority on the style of England’s play and Hartley may just feature prominently in Yoda’s philosophy.
Chris Ashton, Full Back
Of all the rugby league converts to switch codes, Chris Ashton has probably received the least attention, possibly because of his age and inexperience and that he joined a team just relegated from the Premiership. It was a bold move for the former Wigan Warrior – their player of the season last year already capped by England in the 13-a-side format and not long turned 20 – to move south to Franklin’s Gardens in August.
However, with a return of 20 tries from 17 matches, including a brace against local rivals Bedford at the weekend, it appears to have reaped dividends for club and player already. Unlike some of the more established and prominent players to cross the divide later in their careers (with the notable exception of big Jase), it clearly has not taken Ashton long to bed in and find his feet at union.
Equally adept on the wing, Ashton is not the biggest back standing at 5’ 10” and tipping the scales at 93kg but has skill and pace to burn with an outstanding finishing ability. He scored with his first touch of the ball as a replacement in his debut against London Welsh and his strike rate is nothing short of sensational. All the talk is of Mathew Tait showing great potential from Full Back but don’t be surprised to see the head coach’s namesake in England colours before too long.
Finally, a quick review of our previously featured pair: since the time of writing, Ben Woods has continued to turn in consistent performances for the Falcons, very prominent in their first away win in months at Saracens recently. Ollie ‘Shooter’ Philips meanwhile was included in the England 7s squad yet again, having a good tournament in Dubai where England were desperately unlucky to lose to Fiji in the semi-finals.
By Rob Douglas
The Rugby Blog Player Watch - Ben Woods & Ollie Phillips
I floated the idea recently about starting a player watch – The Rugby Blog keeping its eagle eye on a select group of lesser-known English players starting to make a name for themselves in the Premiership or elsewhere, and got a wide array of potential subjects suggested to me.
In the wake of the world cup with every man and his dog giving not just their teams of the world cup, but also their predictions for the national team in four years, perhaps it is useful to study the breeding ground of today and look for some hidden gems. After all, who had genuinely heard of David Strettle, Danny Cipriani or indeed Dan Ward-Smith even two or three years ago? Granted, none of these made the world cup this time round for whatever reason but they have certainly grabbed their share of headlines in recent times and will all be in the hunt for Six Nations berths.
Perhaps the die-hard or their own well informed club fans saw the untapped potential of these and others long before they achieved recognition. Over the next few weeks/months/seasons The Rugby Blog will attempt to speed up and facilitate this process by highlighting those players we think may have slipped through the net unnoticed or without the plaudits they merit. Rumour has it Rob Andrew is a regular reader.
The criteria is selective but excludes no-one, dependant not on age, background, club or even league – just look at Nick Easter’s unconventional pedigree before Deano snapped him up and nurtured the big man into something approaching world class.
This will be an ongoing feature that will follow the progress of those it deems worthy and we welcome ideas from readers who can justify a particular player’s inclusion. Possible subjects in the frame are Tom French (Wasps), Richard Blaze, Tom Croft and Jordan Crane (Leicester), Nick Wood (Gloucester), Lee Thomas and Ben Foden (Sale), Andrew Higgins and Matt Banahan (Bath), Tom Biggs (Leeds), Danny Care and Jordan Turner-Hall (Harlequins), Rob Higgit (Bristol) and Chris Ashton (Northampton).
This week we turn our attention to the North-East and a pair of players who both earned their stripes for Durham University (one also subsequently gaining a Cambridge Blue) before being snapped up full time by the selectors at Newcastle.
Ben Woods, Flanker
Having had the misfortune to be born in Barnsley, the 25 year old Woods has recovered from an horrendous leg break in 2004 to establish a regular starting place in the Falcons back row. Not exactly a household name yet, Ben has represented England Saxons in the last two Churchill Cup campaigns.
A victim of an abundance of talent in the Durham back row and also his own versatility, Woods spent 2 years playing in the second row in the university 1st XV. Nevertheless, he was consistently spoken of as being the outstanding forward on the park, in the tight and loose, not to mention a committed team player, and has since become an out and out number 7 at both Cambridge and Newcastle.
Tom Rees took over from Magnus Lund as the openside of choice for England only to be usurped by two of the older, bigger, more experienced squad members at the World Cup. In this fiercely competitive position, Woods could arguably be the man to fit somewhere imbetween the two camps, a specialist with a bit of northern grit and a competitive spirit to match his engine. England have searched in vain for a worthy heir to Neil Back: watch this space.
Ollie Phillips, Wing
In the star studded Newcastle backline it is small wonder this pug-faced baldy has been overshadowed by his more glamorous team-mates. However, a streamlined lack of hair and a propensity for chewing wasps hasn’t stopped Phillips from quietly and effectively going about his business this season.
With a strike-rate of 6 tries from 9 appearances, including a hat-trick against Spanish giants El Salvador, Ollie has a sharp rugby brain and an eye for space which marks him out. In a show of solidarity with his mate Woods he went as far as sustaining a broken leg of his own in the same season, but bounced back to gain a call up to the England 7s squad from Mike Friday whom he had previously impressed in the Samurai invitational side.
Ever the dedicated professional, he sacrificed what could have been a promising drinking career to pursue the rugby angle, going tee-total whilst squatting prodigious weights in the Maiden Castle gym at Durham Uni. A stalwart of the University 1st XV he was prominent in the inaugural years of the Team Durham program and an influential member of the side that captured the BUSA title at Twickenham in his final year.
Despite complex and at one point very treacherous contract negotiations at the end of last season, having cemented his place this year during world cup absences he is currently the Falcons top scorer, one of the first names on the team sheet and definitely one to look out for in the future.
As a buddy I can (hopefully) afford to big him up in this abusive, flippant manner without him despatching Carl Hayman down on GNER to inflict some retribution, and in all seriousness we wish him and Woodsy a successful season and will continue to chart their development, good or bad!
By Rob Douglas
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