by It was the very beginning of a career in England which, Sunday afternoon, will take a special stage which underlines the value of patience and resilience to Jamie George. The front rower will raise his bat against Italy while he wins Cap No 100, which becomes the first male English hooker to compile a century like the heart and the soul on his side.
But George had to wait for his turn. His 18 appearances off the bench to start his stay in test rugby remains a national record, a player for a long time for the summit forced to do the job of his time while Dylan Hartley led the renaissance of England under Eddie Jones. “When I think about my trip so far, it’s not easy. It was difficult, difficult, frustrating and I have no opportunities when I felt ready.
“I would lie if I was sitting here and said that I was not stopping from time to time. I was ambitious. I’m still. I always want to start each game, I always want to be the best whore I can be. What I learned is that I can be hard, resilient, can make the most of these situations. For me, it was always a question of refining my basic skills, of controlling what I can control, of being ready for opportunities. Much of this revolved around my physical form, my race capacity and my launch of lines.
“I wanted to be the best line launcher in the world, the most fit hooker in the world. This is how I saw it. I can say with confidence that I can look back and say that I capitalized on this period, and I am a better player because of this. “”
As a player, George, 34, has changed considerably. Formerly a free kick, a free thought and occasionally in front of many faces that have gave up the evolution of England, it is now one of the best whores of nuts and balls in the world, a pillar of line and scrum solidity.
“I think you just mature,” he explains. “I was probably a little daring when I entered the international scene, because you want to have an impact. I still want the ball. If there is never the opportunity to put the ball on my feet, I will do [it]. But no, I always think that you enter the team and that you focus on yourself and your own performance. Now, for me, I obviously focus on my own performances, but I want to make sure that players around me are better for me on the field. “”
Outside the field, George has long been a vital leader. The teammate Tom Curry describes him as the great level of England, ensuring that the energy is good. “He is such a strong character and an essential guy in terms of balance that the team needs,” explains the flanker. “This is a rather rare thing in sport.”
But these resilient features forged in its tastes of training tests had to be shown recently. Having raised George to High Office after the departure of the close friend Owen Farrell before the six nations of last year, Steve Barthwick decided that the time had come from another change of captain before this campaign. Almost without warning, England’s head coach called Time on George’s mandate in a brief conversation on a coffee in St Albans.
“It was not a double -meaning conversation, it was very one -style,” said George. “I don’t think you can plead your case, like a break.
“I did not expect it, but at the same time, I understood it. Steve has always been very clear with me and very honest and I worked with coaches before. I really appreciate this with Steve and the way he did it.
“I was emptied. I was disappointed. I felt like I had much more to give. But, at the same time, his decision and who he chose, in Maro [Itoje]is a fantastic decision and what it has done in recent weeks has been really impressive. »»
A punch in the intestine has briefly considered George, which the future could hold. “The first thing in my mind was,” Is it me? ” He admits. But an injury to the hamstrings suffered for the Saracens just before the start of the six nations was curiously well timed. “I was watching this game in Ireland, desperate to be involved, and that’s when you know. There were always question points, but then I knew that I had to be desperately continuing.
“Whether out of the bench, in any way, I wanted to be on the ground, and I wanted to help. This will be the case as long as I lace my boots. I want to help and contribute in any way possible for England. »»
The lawyer and the consolation of his wife, father, the boss of the Saracens Mark McCall and Farrell helped George through the rugged patch, but it was to a different sport that he sought inspiration when he launched himself in this new chapter. Badger of Cricket, George remembers the broken and beaten silhouette that Joe Root appeared when he abandoned the test captain in 2022; During the three years that followed, the greatest striker in England has again seen.
The circumstances of its demotion are perhaps entirely different, but, in two cameras which turn to the correspondence of the bench in the two tight victories of England, George hopes that he began his own revitalization.
“I watch Joe Root now and the freedom he has and the way he kicked and has become the best drummer in the world, no doubt. It is extremely inspiring and I see it as the kind of trajectory that I aspire to look like. The way he reacted, I see him as a huge positive. It released him and allowed him to play even better than it was already. This is how I would like it and I feel a little.
“Yes, I am ambitious. I want to be the best possible. I want to start the game. But I’m not going to throw my toys in the pram and not give everything from me if I’m on the bench. Because I play for England. It is the best thing of all time and I love it.
