The Leinster centre Ben Te’o is back in contention to make his England debut this weekend after taking a full part in training ahead of the first Test against Australia on Saturday. If he is picked he will qualify for a rare place in the history books, having never played for an English club and been so unfamiliar to his new team-mates that they held an Ant-and-Dec-themed interrogation to discover more about him.
With the real Geordie entertainers unavailable on the Gold Coast this week, Te’o was grilled by a couple of impersonators – Danny Care and Jamie George – on his career and English qualifications. Te’o, 29, was born in New Zealand, played league in Australia for years and spent the past two seasons with Leinster in Ireland, but he is joining Worcester this summer and is eligible for England via his mother.
According to James Haskell, the England flanker, Te’o impressed his curious audience with his CV. “We had a little Ant‑and-Dec-style Saturday Takeaway,” Haskell said. “Danny Care actually looked like Dec’s brother, so I think he was Dec and Jamie George was Ant. We just got [Te’o] in and asked him a few questions.
“It was actually amazing to find out about his achievements. I didn’t know he had won three State of Origin titles and I didn’t know he’d played with Sam Burgess and Greg Inglis. That was the idea – to spark up a bit of conversation. It’s good to know what he is about. It’s really important that someone like Ben can come in, get up to speed quickly and be a part of the set-up. He has done that really well and the guys have embraced him.”
Poking gentle fun at Te’o’s unlikely route to an England cap – he has already played league for Samoa – is probably the best way to diffuse any tension surrounding the centre’s sudden appearance in a white jersey. He has previously been linked with both Ireland and Australia but Haskell believes he will prove himself fully committed as and when his chance comes. “For me, you never know until you see people play,” Haskell said. “The way the coaches run the place, you have to be 100% committed to everything. If you’re not, that comes out very clearly.
“From everything I’ve seen of him, he is 100% committed. I just think that any professional sportsman who has a chance to play at the highest possible level and pull on a shirt for a national team is going to want to be part of that. It doesn’t matter what accent you’ve got, what your name is or where you’ve come from. It is about how you play and acquit yourself. If you’re not involved and interested, you’ll be quickly found out and Eddie will show you the door.”
Competition for places in England’s starting XV is certainly intensifying, particularly in the back row where Maro Itoje is set to oust Chris Robshaw from the No6 jersey. Given Robshaw has been virtually an ever-present starter since 2012 it is a significant call but Haskell says team morale will be unaffected. “As you get towards the weekend, people are handing out certain bibs and you get an image of what is going on. Once the coaches have made a decision, the sign of a good squad is that the players not involved make all the difference to push the starting team and help them prepare, then get in the stand and get behind them.”
As for Itoje, his team-mates increasingly believe he can cope with any challenge, even against a quality Wallaby back row comprising David Pocock, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy.
“Considering he has won every player award and every time he takes the field he wins something I think he is overqualified,” Haskell said of Itoje. “He has been great … he has played all sorts of positions with Saracens so if that was an option I am sure he would do outstandingly well there. But at the end of the day – and I have said this until I am blue in the face – it is about the balance of a back row. It doesn’t matter what number you have got on your shirt ... balance is far more important and people have got to get their heads around that.”
Australia’s second-most capped prop, Benn Robinson, meanwhile, has announced his retirement at the age of 31. Robinson, who played in 72 Tests, sustained an eye injury this year while playing for New South Wales Waratahs.