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The remarkable carrying stats of England rookies Olowofela and Ibitoye
Jordan Olowofela and Gabriel Ibitoye were among three England U20s players to be included Eddie Jones 44 man pre-season training camp squad.
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Along with giant Saracens lock Joel Kpoku (6’5, 126kg), the pair have impressed with ball in hand for England U20s, and the pre-season camp at the Lensbury Hotel will give them an opportunity to, if not push for selection, at least make a case for further involvement in Jones’ plans.
“It is an opportunity for them to show us what they have got,” Jones stated. “We have identified those guys who can potentially play for England in the future so this is a great opportunity for them.”
Both featured in the recent World Rugby U20 Championship in France and – as pointed out by Opta Stats – their metre per carry statistics stood out.
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Of the 68 players to make 30 plus carries at the 2018 World Rugby U20 Championship, Olowofela (9.9m per carry) and Ibitoye (9.4m per carry) ranked 1st and 3rd for average gain respectively.
68 – Of the 68 players to make 30+ carries at the 2018 World Rugby U20 Championship, Jordan Olowofela (9.9m per carry) and Gabriel Ibitoye (9.4m per carry) ranked 1st and 3rd for average gain respectively (Argentina's Mateo Carreras also 9.9m). Selected. pic.twitter.com/ZKtkq4UfpO
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) August 2, 2018
This of course is not Ibitoye’s first involvement with the England EPS, having appeared in a number of Jones’ Six Nations squads earlier this year.
Leaving aside his exploits in this year’s U20s Championship, he was England’s leading try scorer in the 2017 edition of the tournament in Georgia.
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If nothing else the inclusion of Ibitoye could signal the ship having sailed on the involvement of either Wasps’ Christian Wade or Sale’s Marland Yarde in Jones’ Rugby World Cup plans.
While Yarde’s troubled exit from Harlequins last season might still linger in Jones’ thoughts, the argument that Wade’s lack of size continues to play against him is hard to ignore.
While Jones has publicly lamented the apparent of emphasis on size and not skill in English rugby, his choice of wingers suggests he has a preference for larger players in the position.
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Rookie wings Nathan Earl (6’1, 99kg) and Joe Cokaninasiga (6’4, 112kg) standout, but no wing under 90kg has started during Jones’ tenure.
Leaving the size issue aside, along with the inclusion of Olowofela and Ibitoye, the return to form of Chris Ashton may well sound a death knell for any chances Wade might have of adding to his 7 England caps.
Meanwhile Olowofela has already earned 3 caps for Leicester Tigers, having come through the Midland’s clubs academy system with his twin brother Ryan.
He’s added considerable mass to a once willowy frame since making his official senior bow at the Premiership 7s in 2015.
Both Olowofela and Ibitoye might be outside bets for England’s 2019 Rugby World Cup squad, but if they can bring their explosive carrying game to the fore over the next 14 months, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.
Comments on RugbyPass
A wallaby front-row of Bell, Blake and Tupou…now that would be hefty
1 Go to comments“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
10 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
24 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
10 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
17 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to comments