by A year ago, Ollie Hassell-Collins was preparing for his Test debut. Steve Borthwick had strongly telegraphed the selection by showering the winger with excited suggestions during press calls.
For the London Irish then, although Borthwick had already been recruited to Leicester Tigers the following season, Hassell-Collins started against Scotland and Italy. Almost halfway through February, before England faced Wales, he was out of the squad. A “knee issue” was mentioned in a press release, but Hassell-Collins returned to Premiership action as early as 3 March.
Although he trained with England before the end of that Six Nations, and again during the World Cup build-up, the 25-year-old looks unlikely to add to his two caps. Twice in the past two weeks, each time referring to Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Warren Gatland cited Hassell-Collins as an example of how a rookie can be picked and then “thrown away”. Friday evening felt quite poignant in that respect.
Back in Twickenham, across the A316 at the home of Harlequins, Hassell-Collins produced the most impressive performance of his Tigers career to date. Although they also stifled their hosts in the kicking exchanges, Leicester continued to spread the ball to get forward offensively, out of defence. Hassell-Collins success. Even before the break and diving offload set up by Mike Brown for a crucial Tigers try, he slipped past the tackles and was a constant threat. Afterwards, Hassell-Collins was asked how he felt about the past 12 months and his current prospects in England.
“It was one of the highlights of my career,” Hassell-Collins said of the Scotland game. “I loved that moment. But, probably, I’m not there right now. I don’t have time to worry about that. It’s time to focus on Leicester, get on the ball and do what I do. If it happens, it happens.”
Tigers insiders are confident Hassell-Collins will return to the Borthwick set-up if he continues to improve his understanding of the game, as his athleticism is extraordinary. If he doesn’t, as Gatland has flagged, Hassell-Collins will be eligible to represent Wales ahead of the next World Cup. Either way, there is another issue to consider. As important as what Hassell-Collins discovered from his experience in England is what the episode taught Borthwick.
The difficulty of learning on the job
“My super strength is getting the ball,” Hassell-Collins said on Friday, explaining the ways in which his role at Leicester differs from the role he played in the London Irish side. “I had to add a few bits. We might kick more here at Leicester, so I’ve chased and tried to get the ball back.
“But I can’t be shy about why they signed me in the first place, which is carrying on. I’ve added bits and bobs, but nothing too big.”
Dan McKellar welcomed the skill and power of Hassell-Collins, emphasizing that these attributes were reinforced as Tigers moved the ball well against Harlequins. Off the line in the first half, a classic midfield play saw Hassell-Collins enter the third wave…
…before slicing through midfield:
Later, Jamie Shillcock turned a great load on him. With 10 minutes remaining, the slick interplay between Handré Pollard and Dan Kelly broke Harlequins – known as ‘taking the edge’ – and Hassell-Collins released:
Sometimes tigers went wide quickly with long, deep passes. They trusted Hassell-Collins to progress back upfield, often beating defenders who were tracking across, and set up a goal. In this regard, he seemed to be a focal point, as he often spoke Irish. For England, despite the lack of space and tighter defenses in Test matches, Hassell-Collins was a marginal figure, particularly in phase play.
Borthwick spoke of players transferring their ‘super strengths’ from club level to international games. Ben Earl and Joe Marchant were among those to establish themselves and achieve this, for example. Conversely, however, it felt that the less certain areas of Hassell-Collins’ game were put under the microscope and his main attributes were not allowed to shine. His comments Friday night indicated he was learning about the job.
One early kick exchange in the loss to Scotland remains in the memory. During long rallies, Hassell-Collins was urged to run with noise. Scotland’s rout got in his way and forced him to take a broken penalty.
From the line out afterwards, England conceded a try. In truth, it’s hard to remember too much else from Hassell-Collins’ first two England tours. Against Italy, he registered two carries and came on as a substitute 15 minutes into the second half.
Henry Arundell started for Dublin at the end of the 2023 Six Nations, but it was telling that Borthwick relied on Elliot Daly and Jonny May as his Word Cup forward wings. Experience and fortitude in aerial battles were seen as key assets. Max Malins scored two tries in Borthwick’s first game before retiring from the picture. May, an injured replacement for Anthony Watson, has now withdrawn from the Tests. Watson is still on the sidelines, offering scope to shake the back three.
Can team tactics accommodate a beginner?
There is always something unknown about how an uncapped newcomer will fare in a Test match. Coaches cannot have absolute certainty. But as much as they have to be confident that an untried player is ready, their team’s tactics have to be ready – or willing – to fire that player. A year ago, England didn’t seem willing to showcase the talents of Hassell-Collins on a regular basis.
If we assume that Freddie Steward or George Furbank will spend 15 in Rome, there are still a number of candidates to fill the wing spots. Apart from Daly, who would provide continuity on the left, Borthwick could turn to Feyi-Waboso, Tommy Freeman, Tom Roebuck, Oscar Beard or Will Muir. Muir, who replaced Ollie Lawrence in the squad, spent his time in Bath almost entirely as a left winger. The others, as well as Stewart, are right-wing.
Now for team tactics. There will be plenty of aero work and kick chasing. Defensively, one suspects that Felix Jones will be urging the wings to be ton attackers as they rush down the field. During the play phase, they should feel comfortable wandering around the field to hunt the ball. Feyi-Waboso, compared to the explosive Sevu Reece with Will Greenwood, enjoyed a frenzy of behavior close to the breakdown. Roebuck is proactive in Selling Sharks and Beard is a natural center.
Freeman has three caps and is showing encouraging signs. He was brilliantly involved in the second and third Tests against Australia in the summer of 2022. Freeman’s most recent cap, in the loss to South Africa that autumn, was largely forgotten. But he looks set to reach another level for Northampton Saints this season.
Of course, wings always look better as part of a team that moves the ball into space, as the Tigers did on Friday. Do that consistently over the next few months and England will build on the foundations of Borthwick’s first year. Wherever he watches from, Hassell-Collins might bring a smile.
