Ex-England boss likens Ted Hill to current All Black blindside

As far as RugbyPass is aware, Ted Hill is as English as they come with absolutely no New Zealand blood running through his veins.

But the way the 25-year-old, Worcester-born blindside plays for Bath, with power and pace and a leg drive that makes him hard to stop in contact, is reminiscent of a good Kiwi six.

Former England and Scotland boss and current Bath first-team coach Andy Robinson, who knows a thing or two about flanker play, agrees, and even goes a step further by likening Hill to All Black workhorse Ethan Blackadder, who averaged 18 tackles per game in his three Rugby Championship appearances this summer before injury struck.

“Yes, you look at Ethan Blackadder, that’s the way he plays. Ethan is probably not as quick as Ted but he certainly has those skills,” Robinson said.

Saturday’s Twickenham showdown between England and the All Blacks will come too soon for Blackadder as he continues his comeback from a calf injury. All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson recently confirmed that the versatile Crusaders forward has progressed well in his rehabilitation and could come into contention for the match against Ireland in Dublin on 9 November or against France in Paris eight days later.

But will it also come too soon for Hill?

Just five minutes after the restart at the Rec 🏟️

💨 Ted Hill spots a gap and there’s nobody close to reel him in#GallagherPrem | #BATvSAL pic.twitter.com/jd9I4jOIou

— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) October 26, 2024

While Hill wouldn’t look out of place in an All Blacks jersey in Blackadder’s absence if his family tree had looked different, muscling his way into an England one has proved beyond him since the last of his two England caps was won in 2021. Chandler Cunningham-South – a player with strong Kiwi connections – stands in his way.

However, Hill appears closer to getting the red rose on his chest than at any time during his three-year international exile. On Sunday, he was called up as an injury replacement for Ollie Chessum, Steve Borthwick finally recognising what Bath fans have been saying for ages – that he’s a Test quality operator.

To underline the point further, Hill put in a try-scoring Player of the Match performance at The Rec on Saturday as Bath surged to the top of the Gallagher Premiership table on the back of a 40-13 win over Sale Sharks.

As fast as any of the Bath backs, Hill’s super-strength could propel him into the mix for this Saturday’s Autumn Nations Series curtain-raiser, while he has also shown his ability to play lock and even on the wing, when called upon by his club this season. Borthwick, another former man of Bath, selects his match-day 23 on Thursday.

“Right from day one, and I wasn’t here at the club then, I saw the impact that he had the very first time that he played for Bath,” Robinson said.

“He and Ollie Lawrence, coming from Worcester, have performed so well for this club.

“He is as quick as any of the backs in the club. So when he makes a line break, you certainly know about it and his footwork for the try that he scored was sensational at the weekend.

“But what that try also showed was the power that he has to break tackles, and then the speed to finish it off. We all knew about his speed but he is bringing that power now, and that is an area of his game he has been really working on.

“Everyone is hoping he gets an opportunity to showcase that in the Test match arena.

“Added to it, he has got great lineout skills, anywhere in the lineout, and he is also very good in the air at chasing kicks, which is another thing that he has added to his game. So you look at him as a player and you just keep seeing him improve all the time.

“He has a specific role in his defensive duties in our system, and he is a very good defender as well. He is a complete player.”

While Hill hopes to get his long overdue chance with England, another Bath flanker tipped for the top, Guy Pepper, is waiting to hear the severity of the ankle injury he picked up against Sale.

The all-action former Newcastle openside appeared to be a lot of pain when he limped off and Robinson said it was too early to tell what the problem is.

“There is no news currently. Because there is so much swelling it is difficult to know yet. But he is in a better frame of mind around the club today. We’ll wait for the scans and then we’ll be able to communicate that.”