Joe Cokanasiga sends message to Steve Borthwick after World Cup upset with England

Joe Cokanasiga, the enthusiastic player of Sunday’s match, sent a message to England and Steve Borthwick; do not forget me. After the disappointment of missing out on selection for the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations, Bath’s big winger has learned to smile again.

Cokanasiga scored twice and should have scored a third had it not been for him keeping an eye on the line as he had already won the match. “I’m glad they picked man of the match earlier,” he said later, grinning. The now 26-year-old has not featured in England since appearing in the first warm-up match in Cardiff.

As Bath head coach Johann van Graan explained after Sunday’s win, this difficult moment forced Cokanasiga to reset and re-evaluate.

He said: “We talked about things like ‘what are you good at and how can we make it better’, ‘what are the things you’re given to work on and how can you make it better’ and the big one was: ‘Joe, why are you playing rugby? Because he’s an incredible rugby player and he loves it. He’s back to playing well, training hard, doing extras in practice, improving his all-around game. “We had a lot of good performances today, but this was a lesson for him.”

His attacking qualities were always there, but it was still fun to watch Çokanasiga fly out of the blocks against Sale. 30 seconds later, he trucked past scrum half Gus Warr…

…later in the first half, in another move that started well behind the gain line, he made much more progress than most wingers could in that position, with Sale needing three tacklers to bring him down.

With the ball in his hands, that ability was never in doubt. Cokanasiga beat six defenders in two tries on Sunday, making it 10 in nine games since the start of December. The question has always been whether other areas of his game can match that prowess going forward. Bath used him slightly differently against Sale; In attack, Cokanasiga regularly came out from the wing and created mismatches, leading to clear breaks…

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…and also Bath’s first two tries, initially with Cokanasiga used as Finn Russell’s inside ball option and later as bait. Training outside center throughout the week helped Çokanasiga get used to spending more time outside the wing, and the results were clear.

“It’s great to see him carry the ball in one hand,” Van Graan said afterwards, adding that young coaches all over the country should be screaming at his hands. “It’s great to see him playing rugby with a smile. Look at how his aerial game has improved, how his defense has improved with some of his shots.”

He chased playfully in the air against Sale, finished with 11 tackles in defence, and was explosive in both good and bad ways. He flew off the line like a cannonball to stop Rob du Preez and missed…

… a run off the line in the second half led to a Sale timeout that could have been more damaging had Arron Reed not slid.

But there was no doubt about Cokanasiga’s determination. The best kick chase in the game led to a huge tackle on Joe Carpenter which resulted in Cokanasiga suffering his first shoulder ‘sting’.

However, he showed his hunger and toughness for defensive work by getting up in time to run back and help Ben Spencer complete an excellent try-saving tackle on Reed.

‘Safe player’ is a dangerous label to put on anyone, but there is no doubt Chokanasiga is at his rugby best when he has a smile on his face. The appointment of offensive coach Lee Blackett seems very important in this regard. “He helps me a lot, puts me in different positions that I’m not usually comfortable with. That’s a good thing for my whole performance and my whole game. He’s very good at giving players confidence and when you have that you can feel unstoppable,” Cokanasiga said later.

Russell’s arrival at The Rec looks crucial, helping to provide Cokanasiga with more touches and finding him in space, and if a group is playing as well as Bath’s at the moment, there will be playmakers (Russell, Ben Spencer, Cam Redpath) to choose from. they have time. Strikers at Cokanasiga, Muir and Ollie Lawrence, everything is falling into place.

Wing is an area where England appear well stocked at the moment; Tommy Freeman has been one of their best players in the recent Six Nations and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has exploded into Test rugby with his performances against Scotland and Ireland. Elliot Daly remains a great option, while Tom Roebuck, who attempted a smart tackle for Sale on Sunday, and Bath’s Will Muir are on the radar. All being well, Freeman and Feyi-Waboso will take part in three Tests as part of the tour this summer to continue building on their experience.

Yet Cokanasiga’s potential remains fascinating, approaching the six years since his UK debut. It looks possible he could be recalled this summer if he shows further improvement in his defending and aerial play (areas undoubtedly where Borthwick would like to see improvement) as the Bath team looks to find its best form.