"Nobody saw it coming" – George Furbank: Northampton Fullback Backs England's Blitz Defence Despite Felix Jones Exit

08/28/2024 05:14 AM

England and Northamptonfullback George Furbank is backing the ‘blitz defence’ to stay amongst the Twickenham coaching plan, despite the departure of England defence coach Felix Jones from the back room staff. The Irishman is credited for introducing the high tempo line-speed to the squad, with Furbank hopeful that the tactic remains within Steve Borthwick’s play book.

The England door is now open to a new defensive coordinator, with a change to the tackling game plan on the cards at Pennyhill Park. Whilst Furbank doesn’t utilise the high pressing line speed with his Northampton Saints club, the fullback backs the structure on the Test match stage, and the feeling of dominance it brings when executed correctly.

“I think it helped us go from a defence where we’re sort of sitting fourth or fifth ranked in the world, to one or two in the world. I think we definitely saw massive improvements. Like you said, it can become an all or nothing thing, but the majority of time, if you get that right and you train it, it becomes a very, very difficult defence to attack against.

“Well, I mean, we’ve experienced it here at Saints. You can you face those defences and it’s hard to be able to move the ball and execute your game plan. It’s a ‘D’ (defence) that took over half to get to fully understand, but I think once you do it, you feel like such a dominant side.”

“I guess we weren’t expecting it (Felix Jones’ England departure). Nobody really saw it coming. We weren’t expecting it. So, it was a bit of a shock. It was a bit odd timing. But Steve (Borthwick) is already planning to bring some new people in. I’m sure they’re going to do a great job as well.”

Another recent departure from the England coaching staff is Aled Walters, with the Strength and Conditioning specialist taking a place amongst the Ireland national set-up. Given the fact that the Ireland squad is headed up by British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell, a spot on the plane ‘down under’ is also a likely shout for Walters, for the 2025 tour.

Furbank could well be reunited with Walters, if the duo both get the call-up for Australia, with the fitness specialist sorely missed by those whom he ‘beasted’ in gruling cardio sessions. Walters was renowned around the England camp for his humorous outlook on life, with Furbank amongst the players that will miss the musings of the cardio coach.

“He definitely bought a lot of humour to the meetings. He bought a massive amount of energy. So again, we’re going to have to find that somewhere else. Now someone else can have to step in, step up, and provide that energy.”

The changes to the England coaching staff have certainly thrown a spanner in the works, as Borthwick’s brigade prepare for upcoming Autumn Tests this November. England take on the international quartet of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Japan in four action-packed back-to-back weekends, with the countdown ticking to find a prompt ‘plan B’.

However, Furbank believes that the solution could be found amongst his Northampton teammates, as the boys in green, black and gold make up a solid contingency of the England back-line. At their full flight, a possible back-line combination includes Alex Mitchell, Fin Smith, Fraser Dingwall, Ollie Sleightholme, Tommy Freeman and George Furbank, who bring a solid representation of the East Midlands to the England squad. Such cohesion could be the short-term answer to England’s currently disjointed coaching set-up.

“It definitely makes it even more enjoyable for for me to play in a backline, that’s made up of a lot of the boys I play with week in, week out. I feel like it just calms you a little bit, you feel a bit more at home, but you get used to (other England players) once you’re training together, and that squad now has been pretty similar for the last year and a half or so.

“Once you get used to training and playing with each other, no matter what clubs you come from, I think you build those connections, and it makes a play set. Like I said, it makes everything just feel a bit more calm, bit more easier, and everything clicks a little bit more.”

Amidst all of the England disorganisation, the fact that Northampton Saints are entering the 2024/25 Premiership Rugby season as reigning champions flew slightly under the radar in the chat with Northampton’s playmaker. Furbank did not have any time to rest on his laurels after lifting the Premiership trophy, as he promptly flew out on tour in Japan and New Zealand to wrap up his 13-month season.

The flying fullback admitted that the title triumph at Twickenham felt like a long time ago, and reflected on how the squad has changed since the Saints first league title in 10 years. The victory over Bath marked the end of the road in Saints colours for club legends Courtney Lawes, Alex Waller and Lewis Ludlam, with the trio amongst an assortment of other players that departed Franklin’s Gardens for pastures new this past Summer.

“It does, to be honest (feel like a long time ago). We didn’t have too much time to reflect on it, going straight from that into (England) tour. So it’s been a bit of a weird one, to be honest. It’s probably still not like fully sunk in a way, because we didn’t have that time to reflect on it. So it was obviously an amazing occasion, an amazing day I’m never going to forget. But it was also weird then going straight from that, and then trying to switch into England mode.”

“This is our first week back in with the whole squad. So I think we might have a little bit of chat about it. But look, you’ve got to take the memories from that and take the learnings from that. There’s a lot of this team now that can say we’re winners, and we’ve been and played in big games, we’ve done that.

“Obviously we’ve lost the likes of Courts (Courtney Lawes) and Sue (Alex Waller) who had done it before, and could say they were winners, and we drew on their experience a lot. Now there’s quite a few of us in that boat, so we’re going to have to really step up and and use that experience from last season to then drive us again.”

Despite the changes to the faces around the training ground, Furbank expressed how the game plan will stay the same for the defending Premiership champions. The expectations are higher for next season as the title holders, however Furbank and his teammates are not feeling the weight of the Premiership winners medal upon their shoulders.

“They’re going to be missed. There’s a few world class players who’ve left, but we’ve also filled that with a lot of talent as well. A lot of new guys coming in who are going to bring a bring a new hunger, a new sort of energy. Our squad age has probably dropped a bit with Courts and Sue leaving, but yes, it’s an exciting place to be. We’ll draw from those things last year. But ultimately we’ve got a new squad and a new legacy.”

“I don’t think we’re going to change too much with our game plan this season. Obviously there’ll be some little different bits that (Sam) Vesty or Radars (Lee Radford) will look to bring in. But ultimately, last year, we focused a lot on ourselves, and I think this year is going to be no different. We feel like we’ve got a game where we execute our game, we’ll go and win the majority of games, and yes, it’s about performing on the day. You never want to be stagnant. But nothing massive is going to change.”

Sounding off this preview of the new season, Furbank addressed the new-look elephant in the room. Northampton’s new badge has generated a mixed reaction of reviews, yet by all accounts the rebranded logo has been shipping the replica jerseys off the shelves in the Saints club shop. Giving his opinion upon the design that marks a new era for Northampton, Furbank understood the need for a change.

“Actually, I didn’t know to start off with, to be honest, because I’ve been a Saints fan for quite a while, and I was probably one of those who sort of sat on the fence, felt like we’re losing a bit of history. But now I think it actually looks really good on the kits and the training kit. I completely understand the reasons why we’ve done it. I think it’s quite an exciting badge, and hopefully it draws in a bit of a younger crowd, can be a bit more recognisable on social media as well.”

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