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Tom johnson and joe marler get england call for south africa test by ferujkll sdff
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Tom johnson and joe marler get england call for south africa test |
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England's team to face South Africa in the first Test on Saturdayshould encourage junior club players everywhere. Not so long agothe two new English caps, Joe Marler and Tom Johnson, were turningout for Haywards Heath and Reading respectively, a different rugbyuniverse from the showdown with the Springboks this weekend. Thereis talent in the lower leagues for those prepared to seek andnurture it. Marler, still only 21, also counts Worthing and Esher among his oldclubs, while the 29-year-old Johnson, the son of an air commodore,is the first Exeter player to be capped by England since 1963.Together they will feature in a starting lineup showing fourpersonnel changes from the big win over Ireland in March, with BenYoungs and Mike Brown earning recalls and Ben Foden switching tothe left wing. The Boks' gaze, though, will be inexorably drawn to Marler, whofavours a dyed-blond mohawk which, at first glance, makes it lookas if Stuart Lancaster has picked the mad leather-clad biker, Wez,from the old road warrior movie Mad Max 2.
The new prop is noordinary Joe and has forced his way into the internationallimelight courtesy of an outstanding season for the new Premiershipchampions Harlequins. The South African front-row of Tendai "Beast" Mtawarira, Bismarckdu Plessis and the latter's brother Jannie will waste no timeprobing for weaknesses but Marler, a feisty competitor who enjoyedhis stint on loan to Esher two years ago, does not seem fazed. "You've got to front up because they're going to be playing in yourface. It'll be on the edge but we have to be able to controlourselves and match them physically. You want to test yourselfagainst the best." His discipline, he insists, will not waver"regardless of whether I've got funny hair" and he has maturedconsiderably since a couple of stormy contests against Gloucesterand Leicester two seasons ago.
"I'm sure [the Springboks] will tryto pick on lots of players but there's no point going off andlooking for a scrap left, right and centre." Marler's rapid improvement as a scrummager has also been partlydown to long, uncomfortable training sessions opposite Dan Coleduring the Six Nations period. He did not get any game time butlearned a huge amount. "I thought: 'I've got to get things right orI'm going to be embarrassed.' Coley's one of the best in the world.To go up against him for seven weekends in a row was a greatlearning experience." Quins' much-improved scrum has also boostedhis confidence. "We wanted to eradicate the mindset of everyonethinking we had a soft underbelly and show we were not going to bebullied." Johnson, who also spent time at Coventry before Rob Baxter luredhim to Exeter five seasons ago, was born in D sseldorf and grew upin Cheltenham where he was a scrum-half until the age of 18. Afterleaving Oxford Brookes University, he came close to training as aparatrooper and delayed a career in the forces as a 22-year-oldonly because Coventry offered him a one-year contract.
Lancaster will want all the firepower he can muster this weekendand has succeeded in assembling a team with a hungry look to it.Johnson and Marler are both productive ball carriers and theredeployment of Foden to the wing is a proactive move that shouldalso help to nullify South Africa's aerial kicking threat. Brownhas also been picked on form and is a vastly more effective playerthan the one who made his Test debut in South Africa five yearsago. Youngs's form has gradually been returning, too, and he has beenentrusted with the No9 jersey ahead of Lee Dickson and Danny Carefor a game of major significance. "If we are serious about becomingone of the best sides in the world, we need to benchmark ourselvesagainst the best," said Lancaster.
"You can feel the weight ofexpectation and pressure it's a bit like the calm before thestorm at the moment. The beauty of this series is that we've gotthree games to see who learns the quickest.". I am a professional writer from Luggage Cart, which contains a great deal of information about ge wireless phone , ge telephone manuals, welcome to visit!
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