"Pick of the bunch" - Will Greenwood ranks England's three debutants
Rugby NewsSunday, 10 July 2022 at 09:12
Three players made their first start for England as they stopped the rot and drew level in their summer series with a win against Australia in Brisbane.
Writing in The Telegraph, England legend Will Greenwood ran the rule over all three players with one of the trio standing out.
"I was impressed with the three youngsters in the backs that Eddie bravely picked to start the second Test.
"All three of Eddie’s bold selections deserve to keep their place and start in the series decider next week. They are only going to get better with more time together and more time in an England shirt."
ENGLAND'S DEBUTANTS RANKED:
#3. Guy Porter
- Age: 25
- Club: Leicester Tigers
- Position: Centre
Greenwood wrote: He got one defensive read wrong where he just bit in too early but, other than that, he did his job by occupying the midfield with a couple of strong carries and tackles. .
"England’s biggest change in how the midfield operated was in the way Smith and Farrell played, rather than Porter’s inclusion over Joe Marchant.
"Overall, it was a solid start to his international career."
RUCK'S RATING: 6/10
DID YOU KNOW? He moved with his family to Australia at the age of seven and captained Sydney University rugby team.
#2. Tommy Freeman
- Age: 21
- Club: Northampton Saints
- Position: Back-three
Greenwood wrote: "On the wing, Tommy Freeman did not get as much ball on debut as he would have liked, but he balanced popping up in the midfield with a couple of good touches while holding England’s width nicely.
"As this England side grow in confidence, they will naturally move the ball wider more often and that is when we see the best of the likes of Freeman and Henry Arundell."
RUCK'S RATING: 7/10
DID YOU KNOW? Freeman was released by the Leicester Tigers academy at the age of sixteen for being too small
#1. Jack van Poortvliet
- Age: 21
- Club: Leicester Tigers
- Position: Scum-half
Greenwood wrote: "The scrum-half was the pick of the bunch, adding real zip and tempo to England’s attack.
"The 21-year-old was undoubtedly helped by the quick ball generated by England’s dominant pack in the first 30 minutes."
"Van Poortvliet showed impressive composure and it is clear that he has spent time learning how to box-kick with masters of the craft in Richard Wigglesworth and Ben Youngs at Leicester.
"England have quite the stock of young nines at the moment."
RUCK'S RATING: 9/10
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- Jordie Barrett over Damian de Allende is far from being correct. The hype around Dupont is also overreaching, he's probably 4th in the world and has been since the 2023 WC. He also avoids certain matchups which is strange. The rest of the list is pretty good apart from minor subjective biases.JasonMarlow16-09-2026
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