Harrow School captain Kepu Tuipulotu was among the young prospects at the RFU top five meeting. Photo: Robbie Stevenson < p>On the night England officially topped their group and secured their World Cup quarter-finals with Japan's victory over Samoa in Toulouse, the senior staff were preparing to pilot an initiative designed to strengthen the foundations of the senior team for years to come. come.
Inspired by football camps for teenage goalkeepers and dryland training for young high jumpers, the Rugby Football Union organized the first meeting of the top five. Over the weekend at Bisham Abbey, a group of 26 up-and-coming prop men, hookers and boys from across the country, aged 16 to 19, the tallest at 6ft 9in and the heaviest at 19, immersed themselves in an intense program. /p>
Rotations included a 'flying school', a dedicated lineout workshop led by former Harlequins hooker Joe Gray, a self-explanatory 'scrum club' and a Sunday lunch focused on how pianists can contribute to attack in the open field. scenarios. The classes were taught by experienced nutritionist Andy Kasper and psychologist James McKenzie. Mako Vunipola visited him on Saturday along with Nigel Redman and Conor O'Shea, two influential figures in the RFU.
This «special support», as Jonathan Pendlebury explained, was to be as broad as FA schemes for stoppers.
«The FA have been doing this with their goalkeepers for eight or 10 years now,» said the England Under-18s head coach, a former second-rower turned RFU. in 2019 from a leadership position at the OS Academy.
“As you would expect, it was everything from technical and tactical moves, from catching to kicking and decision-making between the posts, to off-field training, mental support and thinking about the physical makeup of the future England goalkeeper. will look. In rugby we definitely have specialist skills: kicking, scrum passes. But our goalkeepers are our props, our hookers and our front five.»
Steve Borthwick would no doubt welcome the move, although Pendlebury and Andy Titterrel, who also led the top five camp from his post, England Under-20 coaches insist it was not caused by failures at elite level.
England Under-18s head coach Jonathan Pendlebury says the RFU project was inspired by the FA's goalkeeper development scheme. Photo: Robbie Stevenson
“Coaching is evolving and there are a variety of strategies,” Pendlebury added. “RFS has moved from an information dump to learning through games: playing as a teacher. This makes some sense, but if you don't know what you're doing, the game won't teach you anything. When you have games with small squads, some of the taller, longer, wider, deeper, bigger and better looking players can get a little lost in them when a scrum or lineout requires more organization. .
“Now we have a prop that can run nine meters per second. We have prostitutes who are excellent decision makers. We have 6'9″ locks who can jump high, run fast, defend and escape with a short frame. The game changes this way. This is not an area that has been forgotten, but simply improved.”
The inherent challenges in developing a top five forward are many, especially when, as Pendlebury points out, they may sit their A-Level exams in May and then be asked to move up to the Premier League's first team on July 1 of that year. Age-specific wrestling laws prioritize safety with restrictions on pushing and controls on angles of movement. Below academy level, heavier castles may not have teammates capable of lifting them. And it is unlikely that the strongest will face their physical equals with much regularity. All these problems prompted Pendlebury to unite people from the under-17 and under-19 groups.
Since joining the development pathway system in 2020, Titterrell has noticed a trend among the top five tight end hitters. “I found that they were either in great shape and could play the game, but struggled technically during the scrimmage, or vice versa,” he reflected. The harvest excited Titterrell. “God, there are a few,” exclaimed the 42-year-old, who toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 2005 and won the Premier League title with Sale Sharks the following season.
< p>Despite senior players being unable to attend due to National League and Premier League Cup fixtures, some intriguing names were invited to Bisham Abbey. Sonny Tongauhiha, son of cult hero Soane, is a tough, tough guy causing a stir at Northampton Saints. Cameron Miell signed for Leicester Tigers in January as a schoolboy at Paul Roos Grammar School in South Africa. Exeter Chiefs' Oscar Beckerleg started in the engine room during England Under-18s' Six Nations campaign last season. During the same tournament, Kepu Tuipulotu fell head over heels and then tore through Ireland while trying to clear 55 metres.
Tuipulotu being tested Photo: Robbie Stevenson
At 18, the Harrow School captain arrived at the hookers after moving from the center to the back row and then forward again to the front row. He's doing well, winning the Academy League with London Irish last season and then being named man of the match in England U18s' 41-0 win over France two months ago. We can expect to hear a lot more about Tuipulotu; and not least because the suitors will be circling. He is currently still associated with the London and South Central Academy, as the London Irish feeder was renamed when the RFU took over, and plans to take his time and evaluate his options as a university education is important to him.< /p>
An easy-going but thoughtful character, Tuipulotu is grateful for his close family network. Father Sion joined Newport in the early 2000s and older sister Cecilia became a sensation for Wales. Vunipola and Faletau also have a close connection. Kepu himself identifies three heroes: Malcolm Marx, Richie McCaw and his father. «Flight School,» where he honed his throwing skills and practiced his lifting pod skills, was an important part of his First Five camp.
“I’ve reached a time where I need to specialize in a certain aspect,” Tuipulotu said. “To be the best, I have to try my best to throw the ball, wrestle and hit; these specific skills. But nothing should be neglected. Just because I'm working on my throwing doesn't mean I can neglect catching and passing or stepping before contact to gain yardage.»
There is no escaping the fact that these young people will require physical size. During the current World Cup, England Rugby's TikTok channel planned to create a breakfast for Joe Marler that included chorizo, feta and eggs and contained 650 calories. Ollie Chessum's protein shake, enriched with peanut butter and Greek yoghurt, contained 773 calories. Crucially, Titterrell leaves room for latecomers to prioritize technique, and a visit to watch Olympic divers train confirmed «repeatable excellence in fundamentals.» He and Pendlebury have linked this to set-pieces, with the front five aiming to score around 13 lineouts and 10 scrums per game.
The men's path in England has been criticized in recent years, with less impressive results, and the gradual rise of Ireland and France, underpinned by coordinated youth development, has been used to scald the RFU. Eddie Jones defended Borthwick, his successor, decrying the lack of new talent and indirectly blaming the governing body. The top five star camp does seem like a well-thought-out concept that could pay off well, and Pendlebury ends on a cheeky note.
«It's almost like 'keep watching,'» he said. “Drill is a dirty word. Tweet about getting beat up because someone might not like the workout. However, if appropriate, the exercise is still a good coaching practice, as is 15 on 15. Whatever matters to a person at any given time is still good. We know where we're going.»
«It's no surprise that Ireland and France are doing so well even though they haven't won the World Cup yet.» Pendlebury added. “We don't just want to win the second tournament. We want to win it for the third, fourth and fifth time.»
If England are to achieve this in the future, their line of props, hooks and locks will be crucial.
Свежие комментарии