'I know England are speaking about him and he is on their radar'

Guy Pepper, who made a Premiership record equalling 34 tackles in the defeat by Saracens, can take a step closer to an England call up when the young Newcastle Falcons open-side flanker faces Harlequins at Kingston Park on Friday night.

Newcastle, who managed just two Premiership wins in 2023, have now gone 13 matches without a victory in the league but despite that dire run of results, Pepper, son of former Harlequins forward Martin, has consistently impressed and has caught the eye of Steve Borthwick, the England head coach.

Falcons are winless in the Premiership and the Challenge Cup this season, the first under Alex Codling’s control as head coach following his arrival from Oyonnax who he helped gain promotion to the Top14 in France.

While the team has struggled to make an impact, Pepper has stood out as a real talent and Codling admits it is a challenge balancing the need to manage the player’s game time and finding that first win.

Codling said: “I have eulogised every week about Guy and he is getting better and better and the statistics tell you that not just my eyes. He is going to be a really good leader – he already is. There was a conversation around the senior England squad a while back but he picked up that serious (foot) injury and so the first priority was to play well and he is doing that with bells on.

“I know they (England) are speaking about him and he is on their radar - we will find out exactly where in due course. He still has a lot of do at the age of 20 but he is in a good place, getting better every week, is extremely physical and is good over the ball. Elements to keep adding to his game include ball carrying and decision-making around the breakdown, working with the referee in Premiership and European games.

“Saracens were packed with internationals and Lions players and in terms of judging Guy, he was against Ben Earl, Billy Vunipola (both England), Juan Martin Gonzalez (Argentina) and Andy Christie (Scotland). When you do not play for one of the top teams in the Premiership and put in 34 tackles at the age of 20 it is an incredible achievement. When we were under pressure, particularly in the second half against the win, he went toe to toe with the best – the champions.

“He is studying for a degree at Durham University and is an all-rounder and very grounded. Guy is very professional and he is a flag bearer for the next generation coming through and so he is important in a number of contexts.

Falcons player Guy Pepper leaves the field with an injury during the Gallagher Premiership Rugby match between Newcastle Falcons and Exeter Chiefs at Kingston Park on November 26, 2023 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

“The challenge I have in my role is to get that balance of when and how many minutes they play. In an ideal world you are dropping young players into a team packed with experience and in a sense they will learn faster in a situation like this. In the long run, as tough as it is, you can draw a huge amount going forward.

“Guy equalled the tackle record for a Premiership match in the game with Saracens and the dichotomy is about player welfare and I rested Guy earlier in the season because he has come back from a serious injury and I am very conscious of the load he has. I am also very conscious of how important he is for us as a team and also the opportunities he may have in the wider sense because of the way his is playing.

“These are the constant balancing acts I have as a coach and we have constant conversations about his playing load because he is desperate to play having missed so much rugby in his young career. I hope he can kick on and play on a wider stage which he deserves (the opportunity) to do.

“We have boys who put their hands up (for England) it speaks volumes for them as people and players. All they can do is put their best foot forward every week which they have done. “

Codling, who lost Matias Moroni with a knee injury against Saracens and also England hooker Jamie Blamire, who has picked up an infection from a cut, must now try and shackle his former club Harlequins on Friday night at Kingston Park. He said: “We are No1 in the Premiership for the first period of a match but games don’t finish after 20 mins and the game is about maintaining momentum.

“When we lose it we find it harder than most to get it back and we have to manage our discipline and accuracy better. We give opportunities to teams we shouldn’t and at this level it is very hard to get it back.

“When you are where you are everything seems to conspire against you and you have to dust yourself down and show resilience which we have. We have to roll away at the tackle and the unforced errors which we make far too many. Selection is a challenge with the position we are in.”