'All Black-esque': Only a matter of time for Dombrandt to take England No.8 jersey

Harlequins No.8 Alex Dombrandt continued his pressing form with a three try performance against Northampton in front of a bumper crowd at Twickenham for Big Game 13 which has furthered calls for him to wear the same jersey for England.

Former England captain Chris Robshaw explained it's 'only a matter of time' before Dombrandt is wearing the No.8 for England on BT Sport's post-match commentary.

The Quins loose forward made his starting debut in the summer against Canada but featured off the bench against Tonga, South Africa and Australia in the Autumn.

"He has good lines, he's a smart player. When he first came to the club, everyone just saw this big guy and no one really knew much about him," Robshaw said on BT Sport's post-match coverage.

"But every time he got the ball in training he made a difference, he was taking high balls, he just looked comfortable with the ball. I think we are seeing that more and more.

"For him to do that at Twickenham, on this stage, I think it's a matter of time before he gets that England No.8 shirt as well."

Since the last World Cup England coach Eddie Jones persisted with Billy Vunipola before opting to use Tom Curry at the back of the scrum. Jones' preference for the incumbents had kept prolific Premiership try-scorer Sam Simmonds out of the side for a long time.

With Dombrandt now pushing his case forward, a logjam of options are available for Jones to pick from ahead of the 2022 Six Nations campaign that England will start on February 5th away to Scotland.

After his showing in Big Game 13, England fans were sure of Dombrandt as the man that should start.