This weekend, England U20s Assistant Coach Andy Titterrell will be looking to the future of his side. The former Sale Sharks hooker will be joining up with England U18s Head Coach Jonathan Pendlebury, to run a specialised training camp for England’s most promising front and second rowers.
The England U18s ‘Front Five Positional Camp’ is set to take place in Bisham Abbey Sports Centre, in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. This is the first time that the England U18s will run the specialist camp, in what is being heralded as an innovate clinic, for the England Rugby Pathways level. Titterrell has a keen eye for talent as he held the position of Wasps Forwards Coach for the best part of six years, and is credited with bringing through numerous homegrown talents, including Jack and Tom Willis.
Titterrell hung up his boots after securing London Welsh promotion into the Premiership back in 2014, after a decorated playing career saw him represent England and the 2005 British and Irish Lions. A key focus on the upcoming England U18s camp is scrummaging safety, and Titterrell the teaching methods have progressed insurmountably since his playing days.
“I guess 20 odd years ago, a player got a lot of their experience from actually playing, and actually being I guess, in the coalface of it in training. The game had not long been professional at that time as well, completely different in terms of body shapes, laws of the game, from a jumping perspective, as well as from a scrummaging perspective.
“And they’ve evolved over I say, 20 years, and I guess where it (scrum training) is now, it is very much more of a technical aspect of it. When you’re just taking the scrum, with the loose-head and tight-head, the way that they hold themselves, different feet positioning (is taught). I guess every coach will want to try and coach them (props) how they want to scrum at their club, whereas we (England Pathways) see it very much as a generic (method) with the youth players, in actually trying to get them to scrum safely, and not just be too concerned with their size.
The innovative England U18s camp goes a long way beyond just identifying talented front five players. The players could also have the opportunity to scrummage against older players, but as Titterrell explains, this will only be approached if it is deemed safe to do so.
“So they try and draw on some of the experience from the first team. But, what with the sizes of the first team, there’s the safety aspect of scrummaging with older players as well. And that’s something that we’re looking at doing in this camp.
Embed from Getty Images“But certainly to a degree, if we feel that they (England U18s players) are competent enough and can hold their own bodyweight, within certain criteria before we actually go into, you know, maybe a binding sequence, but it’s more of a case to give them the technical aspect of it.”
As the name of the camp suggests, the specialist England U18s training will also have a predominant focus on the line-out. The former British and Irish Lion talked through the plan of action for the tight-five camp, that is set to get underway this Friday.
“You know, from a propping perspective, into a hooking with the throw-in as well. And then also trying to get the guys an understanding of the (line-out) jumping mechanics, because a lot of these 18 year olds, they’ve never been lifted in a line out before. So sometimes the first time they get that opportunity is in a camp.
“And it may be four days out, untill there’s a game being played. So there’s not a lot of time, when you take that into consideration, just in terms of what we’re trying to feed into the players. As I said, they’re very technical aspects of the game, that those boys have to try and learn. That’s why we’ve gone with a three day (camp).
“Two days very technical. One (line-out) jumping and throwing, the other day scrummaging, and then the final day will be a mixture of those two into some small sided games, and some skills, where we can continue to push what we want the boys to be able to go out there and do.”
The former Sale Sharks hooker is understandably taking a keen interest in the England U18s players who run out in the number two jersey. One such talent is England U18s captain Kepu Tuipulotu, who recently went viral for a stunning solo try against Ireland in the 2023 U18s Six Nations. Titterrell was full of praise for the London Irish Academy prospect, and is interested to see what he and the other hookers will bring this weekend.
“Look, I think with Kepu, clearly you can see, and people can see that he understands the game, he gets the game. He likes playing the game, and that is what rugby is. I think for us as coaches, not just in the pathway, but coaches at clubs, they shouldn’t try and pigeonhole players like that (Kepu Tuipulotu), you know, let them go out, let them play.
“We understand, you know, having been in that senior environment as well, we understand that there’s a lot of consequences at the top end of the game. I think what we obviously want to do is to allow players within the pathway, to try and flourish. One, enjoy their rugby, but two, try and understand and make decisions when they see what’s in front of you. And when you get players like Kepu, and there’s plenty more within within the pathway system, U18s and U20s.
“(There) are probably a lot of other players that are untapped at the moment just in terms of, being able to get eyes on them. But I think where this camp will come into play, and also with Kepu himself and the other U18s hooker’s, Alfie Longstaff as well, from a technical side of things, it’s about being consistent over and over again.
“And I think when it comes down to throwing, which is highlighted with the hooker, I think there’s many moving parts of that. So it’s not just the throw, we want to try and pair that up with the timing of what the actual jump and the movement looks like across the floor. So if we’ve got someone that is slow across the floor, that hooker has to be able to make sure that his timing meets the path of the jumper is. (If) the jump is fast, the throw can be fast, if the jump is slow, the throw can’t be fast, because he’ll ultimately miss it.
“So it’s trying to understand and give these guys opportunities to experience that within the camps. In the individual training sessions that we do with them, the throw-ins, the throwing sessions that they do either at the clubs, or with JP (Jonathan Pendlebury) and myself, outside of their time within the pathway. It’s about giving them the opportunities to have some one-on-one coaching.”
Having played every match for Sale Sharks in their 2005/06 Premiership winning campaign, Titterrell knows what it takes to excel in the front row at the highest level. He endured a baptism of fire for his England debut, in the 2004 Summer Tour to New Zealand, which fast-tracked him to return a year later amongst the British and Irish Lions.
Titterrell oversees the progression of the England U20s in his current role, with two Premiership prospects now making waves in the front row. Hookers Craig Wright and Nathan Jibulu have steadily progressed under the watchful eye of Titterrell. Wright has progressed into the fold at Northampton Saints, whilst Nathan Jibulu has been earning first team caps in the famous quarters of Harlequins. Titterrell is delighted as to how well both players are progressing, and discussed their journey’s and skills which they bring to the front row.
“Both of them when we’re on different pathways. And I think that’s a good… I’d say comparison. Craig was a very good thrower, early doors at U18s. So I think with Craig, it was more a case of, you could probably accelerate his learning a little bit faster, challenge things in and around the individual, throwing sessions, line outs as well.
“And he had questions for you in a different way, that Jibs (Nathan Jibulu) had questions for you. They’re both very exceptional rugby players, but Jibs was probably a little bit slower in terms of his uptake from the technical side of things.”
“But with Jibs, it was very much an understanding, and a feel for the throw. And I think that progression… one thing I love about Jibs is that he didn’t make our Six Nations squad last year, in his final year of U20s. Didn’t make it. He had his work on’s, he went away, and you saw, I guess the dedication and the discipline from those camps that we had in the Six Nations.
“For him to then go away and play, put into practice everything that he’d learned and continue to do so. And then by the time the Junior World Cup came round, after the first match against Ireland, where he came on in the second half, he was then our starting hooker. And I think that’s a really nice progression, that you can see in that period of time.
“In that, yes, he’s had to deal with some disappointment by not being selected and some tough conversations with him. But ultimately, when he left the U20s programme, he was he was our starting hooker.”
“So I think from a technical side of things, he (Jibulu) took a little bit longer to get there than what Craig (Wright) did. But then, you know, Jibs, excelled in different aspects of his game that Craigie had to practice on, and go away on. And so I think that’s a really good example of two players on a different course, needing different things from their academies or of clubs, different things from their pathway coaches, as well.”
Jibulu made his Harlequins senior debut in the 2022/23 Premiership Rugby Cup. This competition has long been a means to introduce academy prospects into the first team rugby landscape, with Jibulu marking the occasion with a debut try against London rivals Saracens. The competition has since been re-vamped for the 2023/24 season, with the 12 RFU Championship clubs included in the new format.
Titterrell discussed the importance of the Premiership Rugby Cup competition, when introducing the next generation of talent to centre stage. However, as the former Waterloo, Saracens, Sale, Gloucester, Leeds and Edinburgh hooker presents, everyone’s path is different.
“I think when players come out of our U20s and they’re given opportunities at Prem Cup, that’s the next step up before they reach into a consistent senior programme, or a senior 23. Everybody’s path is different. Joe Carpenter (Sale Sharks fullback), we were talking about him the the other day. I sat with Joe, when I was watching their game against Bedford he was playing for Sale FC at the start of last year (in National League One), and ended the season in the (Premiership) final. You know, everybody’s journey is different.
“So I think they’ve got a support network around them of players and coaches. Sometimes you need to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right opportunity. But I believe, when you get given that opportunity, that’s one that players need to take. And what you’ll find is those players will then thrive in those environments. And, you know, once they get in there, what we want them to do, as I’m sure the first teams want as well, we want them to stay there. And we want them to be competitive at that level.
“Some guys, you know, after two or three games, they may have to come out, go back to a Championship club or a National club, depending on where they’re dual-registered at. Get some more game time, and then they move back up again. But it’s not as linear as what what people expect it to be.”
Two of Titterrell’s former protégé’s who have gone on to reach great heights, are former Wasps back row brothers Jack and Tom Willis. Both of the siblings underwent spells in the French Top 14 following the financial collapse of the Coventry club last season, with Jack continuing his time in title-winning Toulouse. Tom has since returned from Boardeaux-Begles back to England, to embark on a new venture with 2023 Premiership Champions Saracens.
Unfortunately, the brothers were unable to re-unite in France at the Rugby World Cup, as only Jack made the cut for Steve Borthwick’s 33-man squad. Titterrell is immensely proud of both Willis brothers, especially after they each overcame the uncertainty of being made redundant back in October 2022.
“Look, I think that there are two quality players, and there’s other players there that left Wasps at different times, that were coming through that Academy system as well, which obviously JP (Jonathan Pendlebury) was a part of. So, Will Stuart (Bath) was one of them. Tom West (Saracens) was another one of them. I know, Tom West had been into a couple of the senior training camps as well. But I think with Tom and Jack (Willis), both of them just had a very relentless sense around themselves, both of them only know 100%, which I think’s a great quality to have.
“And, they (Jack and Tom Willis) are where they are because of their discipline and their dedication to what they enjoy doing. And I think it’s a prime example, as you kind of alluded to there with the unfortunate scenario that happened with Wasps, (Worcester Warriors) and London Irish, a lot of players found themselves without clubs. And then had to find a different route around to get back playing.
“By all accounts, Tom had an exceptional period of time out and Bordeaux and then obviously came came back and joined Sarries whilst he was still out there, and still performing exceptionally well.”
“So I think that it was only a matter of time, before he got got involved with the England set up, and again, both Jack and Tom came through the (England) pathway system. So I think those two especially, they drive each other. Very similar to Tom and Ben Curry. If you’ve got players like that, especially two of them at the same club as back row forwards, you can learn an awful lot off them.”
“And you can watch their mannerisms on and off the field, and ultimately, they’re at the top for a reason, because they’re obsessed with certain things. So not everybody’s like that. But the reason why they’re (Jack and Tom Willis) are at the top, is because they do things incredibly well. Consistently well.”