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Teammate and former England player backs Thacker to wear the rose
By Josh Raisey
After playing a key part in Bristol Bears’ pulsating 27-27 draw with London Irish on Sunday, Harry Thacker’s credentials for a possible call-up to the national team have only been boosted.
The hooker’s form has mirrored his club’s this season, as they have both made terrific starts to their campaigns. He moved to Ashton Gate last season from Leicester Tigers probably in the hope of moving out of Tom Youngs’ shadow, and it is paying dividends.
Given his form, the 25-year-old must undeniably be on Eddie Jones’ radar ahead of the 2020 Six Nations. The Australian has already suggested that there may be an overhaul of his squad with the beginning of a new Rugby World Cup cycle, and Thacker may be a beneficiary.
Jamie George looks likely to retain the number two jersey for England, and with Luke Cowan-Dicke and Jack Singleton also vying for a place in the national squad, it will not be easy for the Bristol man, even with the recent retirement of Dylan Hartley.
In light of his performance against London Irish, whereby he beat nine defenders, scored a try and got an assist, Thacker’s teammate and former England international Jordan Crane has suggested that the hooker is given his chance with England.
Capable of playing as a loose forward, Thacker showed how dangerous he is in the wider channels of the field against Irish, however, the crucial stat is that he had a 100 percent lineout success.
Regardless of how flamboyant a hooker may be in the loose, the priority and the most fundamental requirement is that they are solid in the set-piece. Without a dependable lineout, no team can expect to thrive and no hooker can expect to rise to the top of the game. This was the quality that made Hartley so dependable and trusted for England, and this is therefore the stat that gives the most promise for Thacker, although he will need to back it up consistently.
With Pat Lam’s side now sitting in second place in the league, a few of his players will hope for calls to the England squad in the New Year, and Thacker is one of the main candidates.
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Latest Comments
I'm honestly not so sure. I initially thought just reckless mainly because no player should be capable of doing that intentionally.
There's a strong argument that he's working both the eyes. It's his left hand he uses which is furthest from the ball he's contesting. His fingers are also clenched which I don't think is a natural way to try and rip a ball.
Go to comments"I see those teams, SA in particular, as only improving their performances in EPCR."
well, its gone the opposite direction so far!
"I don't like your model that requires them to reach Semi Final level in the Challenge trophy, given the bottleneck that will be URC with 16 teams playing for only 4 places."
my model would have given SA 3 spots in a 16 team CC this year, which is the same number as they have in the 24 team version that is actually taking place. But yes, if they keep getting worse it would get harder for them to get places. It would also get harder for you to argue that they deserve places though!
"I suggest by giving say Englands two semi finalist first seeds of the english teams, then the next best 4 on the league table as much better (it catches improving teams faster)."
interesting argument, but it doesn't always go that way. Gloucester are improving, but they improved in cup competitions before league fixtures started going their way. The same is true of Sharks, and the same was true of la Rochelle. I think maybe this is just an argument for allowing more teams to qualify via the challenge cup!
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