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Not since 1983 had a 32-year-old made an England debut, but old stager Willi Heinz revelled in his first run

Willi Heinz was delighted to become England’s oldest debutant since 1983. The 32-year-old Gloucester scrum-half made his debut in Sunday’s World Cup warm-up match at Twickenham, an appearance that gave him memories of a lifetime and a victory over Wales.

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“It was an amazing occasion,” Heinz told RugbyPass. “Walking out before the game and just having a look around Twickenham.

“I have only played here a couple of times, so to just re-familiarise yourself with how big and how awesome it is, to come out and sing the anthem and listen to the crowd… I’ve been pretty nervous all week and to get into the game, that was what I was really after. It was awesome, a really special day.”

Heinz was helped to settle in by a strong display from England’s forward pack in attack and defence which paved the way for the 33-19 win. 

“They [the forwards] were fantastic. They really fronted up. We started pretty well. There were certain occasions where we lost momentum in the game, which is always going to happen against a quality opponent. 

“But I thought we were good at recognising what was working well for us and that was going back to set-piece – scrum, maul and lineout. The forwards were delivering in that area, so if it’s working why stop using it. They were immense.”

England’s previous home game saw them throw away a comfortable interval lead against Scotland. Not so this time around as they maintained enough focus to weather a Welsh resurgence just after half-time.

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“It’s been a big focus for the group over the last six weeks. We’re also working hard on how we manage games and when we do lose momentum, not letting it be a massive problem.

“Understanding that there are going to be periods in the game when you are under pressure and maybe you just have to soak it up and absorb it for a while… I thought we did that.”

Heinz was partnered at half-back by George Ford, who captained the side in his 56th cap. “I thought George led the team brilliantly. He was really calm and clear, gave really good focus to the group when we needed it.”

Eddie Jones has kept everyone guessing with his seemingly inconsistent decisions over who is best to deputise for first-choice No9 Ben Youngs. Given his age, Sunday’s late recognition of the Christchurch-born Heinz wasn’t lost on the scrum-half.

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“It’s really, really special. I know that’s a word that gets thrown around a lot but a day like this, at 32 I probably thought this opportunity was past me. 

“I guess I have tried to always work hard through my career and it has taken me a little bit longer than it takes other people, but just absolutely delighted. I feel honoured and privileged and grateful to the boys and to the coaching staff and management for giving me the opportunity.”

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Tom 20 minutes ago
Will Bristol's daredevil 'Bears-ball' deliver the trophy they crave?

Also a Bristol fan and echo your sentiments.


I love watching Bristol but their approach will only get them so far I think. Exeter played like this when they first got promoted to the prem and had intermittent success, it wasn't until they wised up and played a more balanced game that they became a consistently top side.


I really want Bristol to continue playing this brand of rugby and I don't mind them running it from under their posts but I don't think they need to do it every single time. They need to be just a little bit more selective about when and where on the pitch they play. Every game they put themselves under so much needless pressure by turning the ball over under their posts trying to do kamikaze moves when it's not required. By all means run it from your goal line if there is a chance for a counter attack, we all want to see Bristol running in 100m tries from under their posts but I think until they learn when to do it and when to be pragmatic, they are unlikely to win the premiership.


Defense has been a real positive from Bristol, they've shown a lot of improvement there... And I will say that I think this kamikaze strategy they employ is a very good one for a struggling side and could be employed by Newcastle. It's seems to have turned around Gloucester's fortunes. The big advantage is even if you don't have the biggest and best players, what you have is cohesion. This is why Scotland keep battering England. England have better individuals but they look muddled as a team, trying to play a mixed strategy under coaches who lack charisma, the team has no identity. Scotland come out and give it full throttle from 1-15 even if they struggle against the top sides, sides like England and Wales who lack that identity drown under the relentless will and synergy of the Scots. If Newcastle did the same they could really surprise some people, I know the weather is bad up there but it hasn't bothered the Scots. Bristol can learn from Scotland too, Pat is on to something when he says the following but Scotland don't play test matches like headless chickens. They still play with the same level of clarity and ambition Bristol do but they are much better at picking their moments. They needed to go back to this mad game to get their cohesion back after a couple of seasons struggling but I hope they get a bit wiser from matches like Leinster and La Rochelle.


“If there’s clarity on what you’re trying to do as a team you can win anything.”

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