England and Scotland compete to sell Sharks wing Tom Roebuck

'I would like to play rugby for the national team' Tom Roebuck says. Credit: Getty Images/Nathan Stirk

Tom Roebuck is the subject of an international tug-of-war, with Sale Sharks rugby director Alex Sanderson reporting that both Scotland and England are circling the highly regarded wing.

Roebuck is dual-qualified as he was born in Inverness but grew up in Cheshire. The 22-year-old was called up to the England squad under former head coach Eddie Jones last October after backing the breakout season he enjoyed in the 2021/22 campaign. He followed this up with eight Premier League tries this season.

He remains unrestricted, however, allowing Scotland boss Gregor Townsend to mount a potential cross-border raid following Cameron Redpath's previous attacks. and Ruarid McConnochie, who is a former England coach.

However, Jones' successor, Steve Borthwick, remains interested in Roebuck, who combines high ball dominance with a sweeping running style. Sanderson challenged Roebuck along with fellow young defenders Joe Carpenter and Arron Reid to showcase his international quality in the Premier League final against the Saracens on Saturday.

«Honestly, I think they all aim for international places, but that's just my opinion and I'm not the England manager,» Sanderson said. “Scotland are knocking [on Roebuck] and Tom got a call from Steve [Bortwick], and rightly so, because he wants to keep his options open regarding the choice of a third defender.

«Let's face it.» , the competition is high, with [Henry] Arundell, [Anthony] Watson, [Freddie] Steward and all these guys. There are good wingers around. But those are the games that matter. These games are the most intense and are where you earn your reputation; these big events. So far, all three have done it.”

Roebuck leaves his options open. Townsend has already announced his squad for the World Cup, and while Roebuck didn't feature in Borthwick's first Six Nations campaign, it seems like the wing spots are up for grabs, especially with Jack Nowell excluding himself from the World Cup.

His training camp experience under Jones has only whetted his appetite, but Roebuck is evasive about what he's attached to. “I haven’t actually made too many decisions about it yet because I haven’t had to do it yet,” Roebuck said. “I would like to play international rugby. For now, I haven't had to worry too much about it. This is a good position.

“Everyone knows that every rugby player in this world wants to play international rugby, so being part of an international camp was very important. I think it was very helpful to see what other players in my position are doing and what I can learn from it and where I can show that I could be better in certain aspects. That was key for me: what can I show and what can I do to become a better player, so I will participate in future camps.”