1
'I love Harry Wells': Why Leicester enormously respect their lock
By Liam Heagney
Leicester boss Steve Borthwick has outlined his enormous respect for Harry Wells, the 28-year-old forward who has followed up his England debut last July by becoming an inspiring presence in the Tigers team that has won all 15 matches so far this season. Wells has featured in 14 of those wins, his only absence coming in a Premiership Cup match in November.
Not only has he starred at second row but he has also demonstrated his versatility and was packing down in the back row last weekend versus Newcastle in an emergency when Borthwick’s resources were stretched. He will now start against Wasps this Sunday at blindside.
Ex-England assistant Borthwick is usually a stoic figure, seldom betraying his emotions, but he opened up this week ahead of Sunday’s league derby when asked about the contribution of Wells at Leicester.
“I love Harry Wells,” gushed Borthwick, who took over at Leicester in the summer of 2020 ahead of the post-lockdown resumption of the suspended 2019/20 campaign. He inherited a squad used to losing but it has since been transformed and the influence of Wells hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“He is just a tremendous bloke, a brilliant family man and his hunger to do well and improve are incredible. This is a guy who has been playing a good number of years and I have asked him to go and try some things that are a bit different and I have asked him to look at things in a bit of a different way and he has embraced that.
“That deserves enormous respect but the thing that gets me the most, the thing that I love the most about Harry would be how much he cares about Leicester Tigers. It struck me almost immediately that this guy absolutely loves this club and if you have got people like that it is a good foundation to work on.”
Reflecting on how Eddie Jones took an interest in Wells and handed him an England Test debut six months ago, Borthwick added: “I was so, so happy for him, so proud of him and so happy for his family, his wife and his boys. To play for your country, I remember the first time I played for England and I will never ever forget it.
“I am proud of all the boys who play. I want them all to play for their respective countries and I am especially proud, clearly, of players playing for England. For him to do that and achieve that dream I was so proud of him."
LEICESTER (vs Wasps, Sunday)
15. Freddie Steward; 14. Harry Potter, 13. Matt Scott, 12. Dan Kelly, 11. Guy Porter; 10. George Ford, 9. Jack van Poortvliet; 1. Ellis Genge (capt), 2. Julian Montoya, 3. Dan Cole, 4. Calum Green, 5. Eli Snyman, 6. Harry Wells, 7. Tommy Reffell, 8. Ollie Chessum. Reps: 16. Charlie Clare, 17. James Whitcombe, 18. Joe Heyes, 19. Kini Murimurivalu, 20. Nic Dolly, 21. Ben Youngs, 22. Freddie Burns, 23. Matias Moroni
Trending on RugbyPass
2
Rugby league club explain why they're releasing Ben Lam
3
How humble Wallace Sititi reacted to prestigious All Blacks award
4
URC basement dwellers Dragons heap more misery on Newcastle
5
Latest Comments
Actually there is still an English-Welsh component at U20/U18. While the rebranded Anglo Welsh cup had it's last season in 2017/18, relate that to the English and Welsh teams at that period.
England were just off a 17 match winning run and Wales were still a force. A ringing endorsement for the rugby exposure beyond their sole domestic leagues.
France (still) don't prioritise their national game over their clubs because the club game makes much more money for much fewer people/owners. That's why no union would now touch a non-French player plying their trade there. The French leagues are also an instant path to certain brain damage with their laughable approach to player welfare.
Go to commentsI think it's hard to grasp the effect of long lasting fatigue following a super packed season. The Springboks have won a world cup, then SA clubs did ok in club competitions right after and then the boks had a great 2024 year. Fatigue have to come in at some point. Yes the trips are an issue but I really think for the sake of the SA (and Argentinian, who have a similar schedule) players, a deal should be found to let them have more rest every year.
Many criticized France for resting their best players in the summer, at the cost of the attractivity of the series, but the answer to the current debate about the Champion cup might be partly found in this type of management.
Go to comments