"Pass the Torch" – 5 Uncapped England Hopefuls who impressed in Round 2 of the Premiership
09/30/2024 09:45 AM
The second round of the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership season is in the books, with five more matches providing the opportune platform for England hopefuls to impress. Steve Borthwick will be scanning the Premiership in the coming weeks, as he pieces together his squad for the incoming 2024 Autumn Internationals.
England have a blockbuster schedule lined up for November at the Allianz Stadium, with high octane Test matches against the All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies and the Brave Blossoms of Japan filling up the calendar. There is all the more reason to get into Borthwick’s plans for the fringe England hopefuls, as the England A squad returns to take on Australia A at the Twickenham Stoop this November.
This past weekend the Premiership treated fans to five more fast-paced fixtures, which begun in an unforgettable West Country derby. Gloucester’s new-coming wing Christian Wade crossed over for a hat-trick, to guide the Cherry and Whites to their first win at Ashton Gate, since Pat Lam took charge as Bristol Bears Director of Rugby. This 44-41 thriller was an instant classic, and set the marker for the rest of the weekend’s action.
RESULTS: PREMIERSHIP RUGBY ROUND TWO
Bristol Bears 41 – 44 Gloucester RugbyI Harlequins 28 – 14 Newcastle Falcons
Saracens 45 – 26 Sale Sharks INorthampton Saints 30 – 24 Exeter Chiefs
Leicester Tigers 15 – 20 Bath Rugby
Here are five England hopefuls who impressed, in the second round of the 2024/25 Gallagher Premiership season.
Honourable Mention: Will Butt (Bath Rugby)
Narrowly missing out on our top five, but well worth a mention is Bath’s versatile midfielder Will Butt. The 24-year-old has had to bide his time to shine in blue, black and white, and made good on his opportunity in the win over Leicester Tigers.
Ruck’s Bath Rugby Reporter Sam Jess said: “Having had limited game time over the past few years, injuries at Bath mean Will Butt has started the season alongside Ollie Lawrence, and he is making the most of his time in his preferred position. Another brilliant defensive performance and attacking display with two major line breaks, one of which led to Will Muir's try, helping Bath on their way to victory.”
1. Afolabi Fasogbon (Gloucester Rugby)
One of the fastest righting prop prospects on the England radar, Afolabi Fasogbon continued to impress in his most recent outing in Cherry and White. The tight-head held his own in the scrum time battle with the experienced Test match loose-head Ellis Genge, and certainly earned the respect of the ‘Baby Rhino’. In a clip that has since gone viral on social media, Genge and Fasogbon shared a brief show of respect after the game, much to the delight of the England fans.
Ruck West Country Rugby reporter Ben Thorne said: “The 20-year-old prop was superb when he came on at half time, holding his own against the first choice England loose-head, Ellis Genge. Fasogbon won a crucial penalty in the Gloucester 22 against the Bristolian opposite him and carried well, busting a tackle in the last five minutes to get his side onto the front foot.”
2. Tobias Elliott (Saracens)
Tobias Elliott is the newest young talent taking to the StoneX Stadium, having returned to the club from a season long loan out at Championship club Ampthill. The 21-year-old wing grabbed a well taken try against Sale, and has now doubled his tally for the season after opening up his account last weekend with a stunning score against Gloucester. Saracens Director of Rugby Mark McCall was delighted to see his young flyer continue to impress.
"He's doing well isn't he.” McCall said in the post match media conference. “So he's had two games, and not everything's been perfect, and he's made the odd error here and there. But he's done a lot of brilliant things, and when he does make an error, what I'm most impressed with is how he forgets about it and does the next thing well. And that's a really good trait in a young player."
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