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'He has got such X-factor... when he has a seven out of ten he is not happy with that'

Could a fit-again Alfie Barbeary be a bolter for a Lions jersey? (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Wasps boss Lee Blackett has described his excitement that Alfie Barbeary, the 20-year-old described in some quarters as England’s best young prospect, is back in harness as the 2020/21 season steps up in pace with this Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup round of 16 match versus Clermont. 

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The Coventry-based club have been enduring a difficult run of results in the Gallagher Premiership, winning just two of their last nine matches and looking increasingly likely to fall short of repeating last season’s progress to the Twickenham final of the tournament.  

However, they have seen a number of players marked absent for many of those losses become available in recent weeks, among them the youthful Barbeary who was voted the Premiership player of the month for December before suffering a syndesmosis ankle injury that required surgery. 

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Barbeary, who began December by being called into Eddie Jones’ England squad the week of the Autumn Nations Cup final, stepped off the bench to significantly help Wasps during the come-from-behind win at Newcastle on March 19 and he made his first start in 13 weeks last Saturday at home to Sale. 

The result – another Wasps loss – wasn’t kind and Blackett is hoping that Barbeary, who has scored five tries in eleven Premiership career appearances, can now take his frustrations out on French side Clermont when they visit the Ricoh.

“I thought he was really, really good,” said Blackett about how Barbeary fared in his 34-minute comeback at Kingston Park as a sub for Sione Vailanu. “When he came on against Newcastle I thought he was almost game-changing for us. He had a really good game. 

“Probably wasn’t as busy as he would like to have been at the weekend against Sale but he is showing signs in training. One thing with Alfie, the difference you need to see in games is where he really comes alive, that competitive edge he has gets out there. He was pretty frustrated last week. 

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“He is used to starring every single week so when he has a seven out of ten he is not happy with that. Alfie wants to be running through people, smashing people. That is what he prides himself on and he is getting back. I was really, really pleased with him against Newcastle. He was a game-changer for us and he was one of the people who got us a result up there. So I have been pretty pleased with how he has come back.”

Barbeary, who grew up idolising Manu Tuilagi, came through the ranks as a hooker, representing England at U20s. However, his involvement with Wasps has been in the back row and it is in that sector where Blackett believes the forward will spend the next while developing rather than in the front row.  

“I think at this moment in time we feel he is not ready there. The problem is if a couple of parts of his game are off at hooker he is probably not going to be on the field whereas as you have seen at this moment of time he has got such X-factor we just want him on the field playing for us and he is desperate. 

“He is someone who probably doesn’t enjoy training that much but he loves being on the rugby field, he just wants to play rugby. He just wants to get out there and he is absolutely desperate to be out there so, at this moment of time, he is working on all the other stuff, we’re working pretty hard with him on the other stuff but at the moment for selection for Wasps we are thinking of him as a back row.”

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Eliza Galloway 36 minutes ago
Geoff Parling: An Englishman roasting the Lions?

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JW 1 hour ago
James O'Connor, the Lions and the great club v country conundrum

Lol you need to shoot your editor for that headline, even I near skipped the article.


France simply need to go to a league format for the Brennus, that will shave two weekends of pointless knockout rugby from their season and raise the competitions standards and mystique no end.


The under age loophole is also a easy door to shut, just remove the lower age limit. WR simply never envisioned a day were teams would target people under the age of 17 or whatever it is now, but much like with Rassie and his use of subs bench, that day was obviously always going to come. I can’t remember how football does it, I think it’s the other way around with them, you can’t sign anyone younger than that but unions can’t stop 17 or 18 yo’s from leaving for a pro club if they want to. There is a transaction that takes place of a few hundred thousand for a normal average player. I’d prefer rugby to be stricter and just keep the union bodies signoff being required.


What really was their problem with Kite and co leaving though? Do we really need a game dominated by Internationals? I even think WR’s proposed calendar might be a bit too much, with at minimum 12 top tier games being played in the World Championship. I think 10 to 12, maybe any one player playing 10 of those 12 is the best way to think of it, for every international team is max, so that they can allow their domestic comps to shine if they want, and other nations like Japan and Fiji can, even some of the home nations maybe, and fill out their calendar with extra tours if they like them as a way to make money. As it is RA don’t have as good a pathway system, so they could simply buy back those players if they turn good. Are they worried they’ll be less likely to? We wait for baited breath for the new season to be laid out in front of us by WR.

It could impose sanctions on the Fédération Française de Rugby, but the body which runs the Top 14 and the ProD2, the Ligue Nationale de Rugby, is entirely independent.

It’s not independent at all. The LNR is a body under, and commissioned by, the FFR (and Government control) to mediate the clubs. FFR can simply install a new club competition if they don’t listen, then you’d see whether the players want to stay at any club who doesn’t tow the line and move to the new competition, as they obviously wouldn’t fall under the auspice of world rugby. They would be rebels, which is fine in and upon itself, but they would isolate themselves from the rest of the game and would need to be OK with that. I have no doubt whatsoever that clubs would have to and want to fall in line to remain part of the EPCR and French rugby. Probably even the last thing they would want is to compete with another French domestic competition that has all the advantages they don’t.


All those players would do good for a few seasons in France, especially the fringe ones, with thankfully zero risk of them being poached if they turn good. New Zealand had a turn at keeping all of it’s talent, and while it upticked the competitiveness of the Super Rugby teams into a total dominance of Australian and South African counterparts (who were suffering more heavily than most the other way at that stage), it didn’t have as positive an effect on the next step up as ensuring young talents development is not hindered does. Essentially NZR flooded the locate market with players but inevitably it didn’t think the local economy could sustain any more pro teams itself, so now we are seeing a normal amount of exodus for the availability of places again. Are Australia in exactly the same footing? I think so, finances where dicey for a while perhaps but I doubt they are putting money constraints on their contracting now. It’s purely about who leaves to open up opportunity.

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