England call-ups a ‘double-edged sword’ for Harlequins
Harlequins head coach Tabai Matson has admitted their England call-ups could leave the club with a selection headache during the Autumn Nations Series.
While he was delighted to see uncapped trio Louis Lynagh, Jack Kenningham and Sam Riley get the nod, he said it was a “double-edged sword” for Quins.
Joe Marler, Alex Dombrandt, Joe Marchant and Marcus Smith have also been picked by England head coach Eddie Jones, but though it comes as little surprise that the Premiership champions should be represented in numbers, it does leave Matson with potential problems come the year-end internationals later in 2021.
“It’s a reflection of the success they’ve had,” Matson said. “Whenever a program does well it promotes its players to higher honours. As a club we’re thrilled that those guys have been recognised and they move forward.
“It’s always exciting when they want to have a look at players from your club, but it’s also a double-edged sword. We’ll have to adjust and clearly if they all make the squad it will make it difficult in those winter months.”
Lynagh’s selection stole the headlines given the 20-year-old is the son of former Australia captain Michael, but his form has certainly merited it.
Two smart finishes against Newcastle last weekend took him to eight tries in 13 Premiership appearances and helped Quins begin their title defence with a 26-20 win.
Next up is a match against Worcester at the Stoop, one that Matson said would provide an entirely different challenge.
“From what we’ve seen in the last couple of weeks, we’re preparing for a team who will really go at us in the breakdown, something that Newcastle probably had a little bit of an edge on us,” he said.
“That’s probably the first battle line against Worcester. They tackle differently. They really slow down the ball, it’s not conducive to the way Quins want to play.
“It’s actually a really good match up between how we want to play and how they want to slow the game down.”
Cox, who has been centrally contracted by the Rugby Football Union since 2016, was due to make her Premiership debut last term but had to wait after the match between Worcester and Gloucester was cancelled amid the pandemic.
The opportunity will instead come on Saturday and Matson said he was delighted to be part of history.
“For me personally, it’s really exciting to be involved in a game where a woman is refereeing for the first time,” he said.
“It’s really exciting to do it at the Stoop and to be part of something that’s a first. She’s doing our game because she’s a quality referee and we’ll be behind her 100 per cent. It’s been a long time coming.”
Gloucester boss thrilled for England call-up Mark Atkinson
Meanwhile, Gloucester head coach George Skivington has spoken of his delight for centre Mark Atkinson after he was included in England’s 45-man training squad.
Atkinson is one of eight uncapped players selected by England head coach Jones, with his consistency of performance helping him make the cut.
Set to join up with the squad on Sunday for a three-day camp in south west London, the 31-year-old back is not short on experience in the club game.
Atkinson had spells with Sale Sharks, Wasps, Esher and Bedford before joining Gloucester in 2014 and will be eager to take the next step in November.