“Everyone prefers to start but I’m comfortable finishing. Whatever role I’m given, I’ll do my best. It’s been unusual for England so far.”
These may be comments from Saracens hooker Theo Dan, reflecting that his impact on the national team at the World Cup in France and this season’s Six Nations has been limited to cameo roles.
But they were actually taken from an interview with England captain Jamie George in 2017, who appeared to be blocking the 22-year-old’s path to club and country.
Watching Dan tackle Harlequins for Saracens at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last Saturday, a terrific performance that resulted in two tries in the 52-7 win, brought back memories of the time George had to wait behind John Smit and John Smit. Schalk Brits at Saracens and Dylan Hartley in England.
The fact that George was a Test hooker on the New Zealand tour in 2017, making 17 caps for England but never starting a match for his country, remains one of the remarkable facts in British and Irish Lions history.
Perhaps it is because of his own experiences that George has taken Dan so thoroughly under his wing.
George’s appointment as England captain in January mirrors Hartley’s appointment as leader of Eddie Jones in 2016, seemingly making it impossible for the young rival to break into contention on the international stage.
“He’s an incredible person, an incredible mentor to me,” Dan said of his captain after England’s stunning Six Nations victory over Ireland at Twickenham. “I’m done with superlatives for him because he’s been so nice to me.
“It’s pretty easy when you’re an older player and you see a younger guy being a little bit aloof, but he can’t be the other way around. He’s taken me under his wing. He’s been an incredible mentor to me over the last few years.
“Although selfishly as a player you want to play as much as you can. But the reasons why I didn’t play in the World Cup were very clear. Jamie is one of our leaders and has done incredible things in rugby and has a history.
“Before the World Cup I was capped and everything came to me very quickly. The reasons were completely understandable, but the main messages for me were to keep going, keep improving my game day by day, week by week and I had to be patient and the minutes would come.”
“Sometimes it can be hard and you get frustrated, but every day he tries to get a little better.”
Herein lies Dan’s problem. With George, 33, looking set to be a mainstay in Steve Borthwick’s side for at least the next two seasons, how can he gain enough game-time experience against front-line opposition to force himself into contention for England?
Dan’s rough fielding against Harlequins was no different from the flamboyant English, but like the English, question marks hung over his size to play Test rugby. At 5ft 10in, he gives up nearly two stone under his captain’s weight and is occasionally inconsistent in his delivery off the line. However, his statistics show how much of an impact he can make, it is a reflection of his strength and power.
He has started just three of 12 games for England this season, while George has started 12 of 13, but Dan has managed to provide leadership in many key aspects of the game, including making more carries, breaking off the line, making dominant tackles. , meters scored, defenders beaten and turnovers gained.
Context is important here, as George’s workload is against superior opposition and does not include set-piece impact, but it does suggest that Dan has the potential and athletic ability to develop into a Test match-quality hooker to bring crucial depth into a position. The depth chart in English rugby is worryingly shallow.
It’s one thing to dazzle against the Quins in north London, but can he have the same impact against the All Blacks in Auckland or Dunedin this summer?
George was named on the bench against Quins following his Six Nations efforts and how Saracens use the duo for their Premiership and Champions Cup campaigns will be fascinating and a strategy likely to be watched closely by Borthwick. . George is back in the starting lineup for Saracens’ trip to face Northampton Saints on Friday night.
What works in Dan’s favor is that he seems to enjoy his mentoring role, rather than viewing George’s understudy as a threat to be marginalized. The image they shared of Saracens’ result at the Stade de France after England’s bronze victory against Argentina shed light on the tightness of this relationship.
After the victory over Quins, Dan said: “I’m grateful to have the trust of the coaches and it works well for Jamie and I, who are dynamic.”
“I’ll start, he’ll play 30, he’ll start, I’ll play 30. We’ve got a great partnership, it’s great, and let’s keep it that way.”