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Forget the openside options, it's time for England to find their Pieter-Steph du Toit on the blindside

Will Nick Isiekwe announce himself as an England option now he is out of Maro Itoje's shadow at Saracens? (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

You would struggle to find too many individual campaigns that top that of the one turned in by Pieter-Steph du Toit last year, as the gifted blindside flanker set new standards at his position.

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The Springbok was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2019, in the wake of his nation lifting the Rugby World Cup for the third time and his wonderfully complementary performances alongside talismanic captain, Siya Kolisi.

Despite the trend of playing with two more mobile and defensive breakdown-oriented flankers in recent years, with the Australian combination of Michael Hooper and David Pocock and the English duo of Tom Curry and Sam Underhill chief among the impressive proponents, du Toit and South Africa went back to basics and it is something which paid off for both the individual and the team.

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Courtney Lawes speaks openly about England rugby, Eddie Jones, BLM and much more

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Courtney Lawes speaks openly about England rugby, Eddie Jones, BLM and much more

Beyond his strong all-round skill set, perhaps the areas where du Toit most impressively singled himself out last year were with the physicality he brought on both sides of the ball, his ability to clear out aggressively and accurately at the breakdown and his presence as a lineout option. In those facets, du Toit was as good, if not better than anyone else at his position.

There are not many players with du Toit’s ability in world rugby, though he has become a torchbearer for the more traditional blindside flanker, whose value in international rugby seems to currently be trending up. You need look no further than the impact Courtney Lawes has brought to the role for England in recent seasons to see a homegrown example of this.

Even for Eddie Jones and England, whose array of openside flanker options seems to be overflowing, with Curry and Underhill joined by the likes of Ben Earl, Jack Willis, Lewis Ludlam and now a rumoured call-up for former Wales U20 captain Tommy Reffell, the temptation to go down the size route at six is surely a tempting one.

In addition to Lawes, whose displays on the flank in recent years have been highly impressive, both Nick Isiekwe and Ted Hill have been championed as contenders for this spot moving forward.

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Isiekwe has been shining at Saracens for multiple seasons now, though it was his man of the match-winning performance on debut for Northampton Saints, away from the strength of his Saracens’ teammates, that has particularly caught the eye of late. As for Hill, he has seemed to take to captaincy at Worcester Warriors like a duck to water and has continued to maintain his lofty standards of performance, irrespective of the expectations now on him as a leader.

At 22 and 21 respectively, Isiekwe and Hill have plenty of time on their sides and both have already made their international debuts for England. The higher they take their games, the harder pressed Jones will be to more regularly adopt a traditional and physical blindside, over the mobility and fetching skill that opting for the ‘Kamikaze Kids’ combination that served him so well at the Rugby World Cup in Japan would provide.

The well is far from dry beneath that, too, something which is being exposed as a much-needed silver lining by the recent Coronavirus outbreak and its subsequent impact on professional rugby.

The 19-year-old George Martin was excellent for Leicester Tigers in their home loss to Bath, exhibiting all of the work rate and physical presence that had become synonymous with Leicester forwards during the club’s heyday. He packed down on the blindside in that game, though he is more than comfortable stepping into the row, a position he played throughout his U18 seasons with the Tigers academy.

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At London Irish, Ben Donnell has begun to come to the fore, with Adam Coleman continuing to rehab from injury in Australia, and the academy product has looked comfortable at lock, despite Irish’s post-pandemic struggles. He could well be seen as difference-maker at blindside moving forward, especially with Chunya Munga beginning to emerge at Hazelwood and arguably possessing the more natural frame for a second row.

Both Martin and Donnell are benefitting from the short turnarounds between games that are forcing Gallagher Premiership sides to use the entirety of their squads and though the quality of games is being affected as a result of this heavy rotation, these are experiences which will be critical to their development during these formative years of their professional careers.

All four have the versatility to switch between lock and blindside, something which they will hope provides them with an ace up their sleeves when they attempt to crack Jones’ fiercely contested group of second and back rows.

George Kruis’ departure for Japan creates a potential short-term opening, whilst Lawes is set to turn 32 next season and there will be attention focused on whether or not there is any of the physical decline that inevitably comes to all players. Given the strength of the second row unit in particular over the past five or so years, this seems as good a time as any to be pushing for England involvement at the position.

As for the back row resources, that’s going to be a tougher sell. The cadre of openside options mentioned earlier are all in the early stages of their careers, with none yet even having approached what would traditionally be considered their ‘primes’. If these blindsides are to successfully make the case for the balance they would provide in that loose forward trio, they are going to have to do it by outplaying their vaunted, fleeter and smaller back row colleagues.

There has understandably been a lot made of that impressive depth at seven, especially when compared to a dearth of options in that traditional mould in years gone by, though that should not diminish what is rapidly becoming a rather impressive array of talent at blindside, too.

Isiekwe and Hill are among the hottest properties in English rugby, whilst Martin is beginning to prosper in the East Midlands and Irish will be hoping that Donnell’s performances are not attracting too much attention from their Premiership rivals. For those with their eyes on a succession plan beyond that, you need look no further than recent schoolboys Ewan Richards at Bath and Kayde Sylvester at Northampton, or Saracens U18 prospect and Felsted pupil Obinna Nkwocha.

With English schools and academies producing these versatile forwards at a fair clip, England fans should be wary about diving too deeply into the pool of opensides, with the Springboks and du Toit having emphasised strongly the value of having a true blindside in a balanced back row.

One thing is for certain, though, and that is that England have not had such a deep and talented pool of flankers to pick from in many years.

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TI 1 hour ago
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Rieko took literally years to turn from a defensive liability at 13 into a guy, who’s defensively sound as it befits the position. And it all came at the cost of him being much less of an offensive threat, than what he used to be. Proctor is a natural 13, he handles, passes, and kicks way better than Rieko ever will, he just isn’t as fast.


It’s unfair to judge Tupaea on the handful of games he’s had in 2022 before he got nearly crippled by a Wallaby lock. What could Tupaea/Proctor pairing be, if they got the same amount of chances as Jordie/Rieko?


Because no matter how you spin it, playing a player outside of his natural position is a poor asset management. No matter how talented he is, he still competes against players who had years and years of practice at the position. And if said guy is so talented that he actually CAN compete against specialists, imagine how much better still he could have been, if he had all those years to iron the toothing issues at the position. It just drives me mad.


Two things I hate in rugby union beyond description: aping after league, and playing players outside of their natural position. Especially considering, that they all admit they hate it, when they’re allowed to speak freely. Owen Farrell spent 80% of his international career at 12, saying every time when asked, that he is a 10 and prefers to play at 10. Those players are literally held at a gunpoint: play out of position, or no national jersey for you.

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Hellhound 2 hours ago
What has happened to Aphelele Fassi?

Willie will always be the most missed player for me once he retires. He wasn't interested in scoring tries. The ultimate team player. Has the most assists in tries in the Bok team, and his kicks always spot on, at least 95% of the time. He reads the game like no other player can. He wasn't flashy, and people didn't notice him because of that. Great rugby head and knowledge. He should be catapulted into an assistant coach in the rugby system. He should really consider coaching.


Damian Willemse is an excellent fullback and he is the number 1 fullback. He can play the entire backline positions, except maybe 9, but I'm sure he would be able too if he wanted. No one is taking that away from him, only stand in while he is injured. He is world class and you don't swap that out. He also got wicked dancing feet, great eye for openings, and reads a game like few can, like Willie Le Roux. Also very strong on his feet, with absolute great hands and his kicking game is just as good.


As for Aphelele Fassi. What a great find and he has exceptional talent that Rassie will mould into a world class player. Yet.... He is nowhere even close to Damien Willemse. He has a long way to go to get there, but he is surrounded by great team mates from who he will gain lots of advice and support. He can play wing and fullback and Rassie may just try him out as a flyhalf or centre too. He has the abilities to expand his game. He is for sure a future star, but not yet at the stage to take away Damien Willemse's spot. However, DW start and AF on the bench, that is an awesome replacement. Between the 2 they cover all positions in the backline once AF gets that training. The Boks could go 6/2 permanently if they wanted. 6 forwards, a scrumhalf and AF. I may be wrong, but Rassie will spread AF around.

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