‘Phenomenal athlete’ – The forward with ‘international wing pace’ who could solve Steve Borthwick’s back-row conundrum
Steve Borthwick alongside Bath star Ted Hill.
Ex-England stars Tom Wood and Jonny May have praised the talents of Bath’s “phenomenal athlete” Ted Hill following a stellar end to the season.
The flanker, who can also play at lock, has endured an injury-hit campaign, missing five months through a leg issue sustained in October.
However, Hill returned in March and quickly got back up to speed, starting all of the West Countrymen’s games on their run to the Premiership final.
Three years between caps
He has been tipped for an England recall with the former Worcester Warriors forward seeking to add to the two caps earned in 2018 and 2021.
The 25-year-old made his debut as a teenager against Japan but did not play another match for the Red Rose for three years before appearing off the bench against the USA.
Hill was subsequently discarded by Eddie Jones and has since failed to earn the recognition of the Australian’s successor, Steve Borthwick.
That may change over the coming weeks, though, as Borthwick prepares to finalise his squad ahead of the Japan and New Zealand games in the mid-year series.
“I think Ted Hill’s a phenomenal athlete. I’m surprised he’s not playing regularly for England, other than the fact the back-row is always so hotly contested,” Wood said on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.
Back-row is one of the areas where England are well stocked. They do not lack for options in those positions but what Hill does provide is that hybrid forward Borthwick so likes.
He is akin to Courtney Lawes, given his lineout ability, physicality and work ethic and, with the Red Rose great now retired from internationals, a spot has opened up at blindside.
Ethan Roots and Ollie Chessum took that role during the recent Six Nations but, with the latter out of the upcoming tour through injury, Hill has the natural qualities to take on that responsibility.
The Bath star is also remarkably quick, according to May, who revealed that the 6ft 5in back five forward is one of the fastest around.
‘Shocking quick’
“Ted Hill is so fast by the way. People don’t actually realise he’s probably the fastest player in the Premiership. He is a joke quick, he is shocking quick,” the ex-England and Gloucester speedster said.
“He’s like international wing pace, I’m being deadly serious. Eddie used to chuck him on the wing when we played 12-a-side and he burnt me once.”
💨 The pace from Ted Hill! 🤯#InvestecChampionsCup #EXEvBAT pic.twitter.com/HOTDb9PzJL
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) April 6, 2024
Like May, Wood also hailed the athleticism of Hill, who scored one of the season’s outstanding tries by catching a box-kick and running away from Exeter Chiefs’ fast men Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Josh Hodge.
“In the last few years in my career, I worked with a guy called Eamonn Hyland, who is the S&C coach at Northampton, but he came from Worcester having worked with Ted Hill, and he always spoke so highly of Ted,” the former Worcester, Northampton and England back-row added.
“Ted is tall, rangy, athletic, unbelievable hands. He takes high balls, chases box-kicks and catches then, and runs like 60 or 70 metres.”
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