He was late to the Tuesday afternoon Zoom, an overrun at training pushing back the original rendezvous time, but the delay didn’t fluster him in the slightest.
The lobby of the England team hotel in Cape Town was as busy as a railway station concourse when RugbyPass dropped by in midweek to shoot the breeze with Nathan Michelow, the No8 who has brewed up a storm with his performances at the World Rugby U20 Championship.
The immediate effect switch from the Gallagher Premiership will enable the 22-year-old to go straight into the team for a start in Saturday’s fixture at Ulster.
If Steve Borthwick really wants Nick Evans as part of his England coaching team for the Rugby World Cup, he should be there but the RFU needs to pay up.
Saracens halfback Gareth Simpson will realise his Super Rugby “dream” on Sunday when the Western Force take on the Highlanders in Invercargill.
Wasps CEO Stephen Vaughan has explained the staggering nine-figure level of debt that left the Gallagher Premiership club in need of a minor miracle to escape the financial turmoil that ultimately resulted in 167 players and staff being made redundant last Monday.
The future of England midfielder Ollie Lawrence has been decided as he has signed a long-term deal with Bath, who have also signed his fellow Worcester colleague Fergus Lee-Warner for the remainder of the 2022/23 season in England.
Leicester academy graduate Harry Glynn definitely won’t forget his swashbuckling first Top 14 start for La Rochelle, the 21-year-old making quite an impression last month.