Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'He's the best attacking 12 in the league' - giant centre backed for England

Mark Atkinson /PA

Gloucester boss George Skivington rates England new boy Mark Atkinson as the best attacking No12 in the Gallagher Premiership and is backing the 6ft 5ins centre to win a first cap in the Autumn internationals.

ADVERTISEMENT

At 31-years-old, Atkinson is a very late bloomer but at 16st 7lbs, he offers the kind of mid-field threat that has made Sale’s Manu Tuilagi – when fit – a key member of the England team. Atkinson was instrumental in helping Gloucester into a 33-15 lead mid-way through the second half before Sale stage a late rally that saw young outside half Tom Curtis narrowly fail with a difficult touchline conversion that would have won the game for the visitors who ended up with two bonus points.

A pass, backwards over his head to set Jonny May free on a 50-metre gallop and superb pass of his left hand that gave Lions wing Louis Rees-Zammitt the room to create his second try in a 33-32 bonus point win highlighted the skills Atkinson possesses along with his physical strength.

Video Spacer

A Clockwork Orange, Islander remedies and Jonny Hill | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 4

Video Spacer

A Clockwork Orange, Islander remedies and Jonny Hill | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 4

Atkinson was included the first England training squad of the season by Eddie Jones and Skivington the Gloucester head coach, believes his tall centre is ready for international recognition. He said: “Aki’s quality and rightfully he is in the England squad. He’s the best attacking 12 in the league, in my opinion. I think he finds holes, he reads the game and bosses things really well. He is crucial for us – he’s been outstanding – and he’s a great 12 to have on your shoulder if you are a 10 managing the game. I’ve got my fingers crossed that he’ll be picked in the autumn.

“I have met Eddie and Martin Gleeson ( England attack coach) and they like what they see. Aki is untried at that level, so they want to keep watching him develop a bit more. Now he knows that he’s in the fold, it’ll be interesting to see how his game goes but they are positive about him. There are probably two 12s in contention for that shirt and everyone at Gloucester is hoping Aki gets it.”

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

S
SK 32 minutes ago
What is the future of rugby in 2025?

Set pieces are important and the way teams use them is a great indication of how they play the game. No team is showcasing their revolution more than the Springboks. This year they have mauled less and primarily in the attacking third. Otherwise they have tended to set like they are going to maul and then play around the corner or shove the ball out the back. They arent also hitting the crash ball carrier constantly but instead they are choosing to use their width or a big carrying forward in wider areas. While their maul is varied the scrum is still a blunt instrument winning penalties before the backs have a go. Some teams have chosen to blunt their set piece game for more control. The All Blacks are kicking more penalties and are using their powerful scrum as an attacking tool choosing that set piece as an attacking weapon. Their willingness to maul more and in different positions is also becoming more prominent. The French continue to play conservative rugby off the set piece using their big bruisers frequently. The set piece is used differently by different teams. Different teams play different ways and can be successful regardless. They can win games with little territory and possession or smash teams with plenty of both. The game of rugby is for all types and sizes and thats true in the modern era. I hope that administrators keep it that way and dont go further towards a Rugby League style situation. Some administrators are of the opinion that rugby is too slow and needs to be sped up. Why not rather empower teams to choose how they want to play and create a framework that favours neither size nor agility. That favours neither slow tempo play or rock n roll rugby. Create a game that favour both and challenge teams to execute their plans. If World Rugby can create a game like that then it will be the ultimate winner.

34 Go to comments
J
JW 5 hours ago
'Let's not sugarcoat it': Former All Black's urgent call to protect eligibility rules

Yep, no one knows what will happen. Thing is I think (this is me arguing a point here not a random debate with this one) they're better off trialing it now in a controlled environment than waiting to open it up in a knee jerk style reaction to a crumbling organtization and team. They can always stop it again.


The principle idea is that why would players leave just because the door is ajar?


BBBR decides to go but is not good enough to retain the jersey after doing it. NZ no longer need to do what I suggest by paying him to get back upto speed. That is solely a concept of a body that needs to do what I call pick and stick wth players. NZR can't hold onto everyone so they have to choose their BBBRs and if that player comes back from a sabbatical under par it's a priority to get him upto speed as fast as possible because half of his competition has been let go overseas because they can't hold onto them all. Changing eligibility removes that dilemma, if a BBBR isn't playing well you can be assured that someone else is (well the idea is that you can be more assured than if you only selected from domestic players).


So if someone decides they want to go overseas, they better do it with an org than is going to help improve them, otherwise theyre still basically as ineligible as if they would have been scorning a NZ Super side that would have given them the best chance to be an All Black.

147 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Razor's 2024 All Blacks Christmas wish list Razor's 2024 Christmas wishlist
Search