It only lasted 20 minutes, but what a statement Jamie George made in the win over France. After losing the England captaincy and missing the start of the Six Nations, his response proved his enduring value as a talismanic ‘idol’.
Those who know him expected nothing less. Now, having overtaken Dylan Hartley to become the country’s most-capped hooker with 98, the 34-year-old is surging towards a Test century. The only debate is about the precise terms of his role, rather than whether he has a role at all.
In tough circumstances, his resilient spirit and selflessness have been highlighted. On the eve of naming his tournament training squad last month, head coach Steve Borthwick informed George that his year-long stint as captain was over, with Maro Itoje to be elevated in his place. Five days later, the veteran suffered a calf injury in a Champions Cup fixture, which meant he was ruled out of the championship opener against Ireland in Dublin.
George was wounded in more ways than one, but he rallied impressively. Having assured Borthwick that he was a fast healer, he regained full fitness ahead of schedule and was fast-tracked back into the matchday 23, ahead of rookie club colleague Theo Dan. Then, with Le Crunch in the balance, George added power and energy, accuracy and nous off the bench.
When England snatched a dramatic 26-25 win over the title favourites at Twickenham on February 8, Mako Vunipola was on a social outing with his Vannes team-mates, as the only jubilant viewer in the room, surrounded by dejected Frenchmen. Having formed a front-row alliance with George over so many years, for Saracens, England and the Lions, the prop offered a resounding tribute.
‘He showed his experience and his quality as a player to come on and steady the ship,’ said the older of the Vunipola brothers – both now playing across the Channel. ‘Jamie brought calm to the situation. It pushed the boys over the line.’
Jamie George dealt with a lot of setbacks before a ball was thrown at this year’s Six Nations
George lost the England captaincy with Saracens team-mate Maro Itoje succeeding him
The 34-year-old then got injured in the build-up to their first match with Ireland and missed it
Given the double-whammy of setbacks he had endured in the painful month of January, what George did was a tribute to his resolve in adversity. ‘It shows the character of the man,’ said Mako. ‘He really enjoyed the responsibility of being England captain and you can tell he took pride in that. He would have been gutted, but he’s a team man first and you can see that in how he’s responded.’
What was evident in England’s last outing was the way George added leadership clout in the final quarter, at a time of heightened stakes and tension. Putting aside his frustration at losing the captaincy, he was a reassuring presence, offering input to support Itoje.
‘Nothing is going to change,’ said Vunipola. ‘There is no ego there (with George) and they both have great respect for each other. They work well together and there’s a reason why they have been captain and vice-captain before, but now it has just changed round. They work together in the set-piece, but also around the field and in the way they communicate, which can only help the team.’
Back at Saracens, what they saw was a favourite son who once again set about making the best of a difficult situation. He stayed with them to go through the rehab process when he was supposed to be off in northern Spain with England, preparing for a seismic encounter with Ireland. But George didn’t allow himself to wallow, as befitting someone who dealt with far worse in February last year – soldiering on through the Six Nations despite the death of his beloved mother, Jane.
‘If you look at the calendar year, from when he found out he wasn’t going to be captain any more to the year before that, when he was given the captaincy, he lost his mother shortly after that,’ said Mark McCall, Saracens director of rugby. ‘There were tell-tale signs of what sort of person he is, after that, to show the resilience and the leadership he did in a difficult moment for him and his family. It was staggering really.
‘Fast-forward a year and he obviously had some bad news again, but for those people at the club, you wouldn’t have known for a second that he had been given bad news. That is always the test of a player, how they deal with adversity and what they are like round the place. Jamie always takes the choice to go down the positive route.
‘Even when he was recovering from injury in the week England were playing Ireland, he did a full training week with us and helped prepare the team for our first Prem Cup match. It was a younger group of players and Jamie did everything he could. He was very vocal in meetings and really supported the younger players; advising them and guiding them.
‘To be honest, in that week, nobody would have blinked an eye if Jamie had just done running and some individual work, to prove his fitness and go back into camp. But he didn’t do that; he chucked himself into a full training week and helped out.’
George returned from injury quickly and played a key role off the bench in a win over France
The 34-year-old was a picture of happiness after his 98th England cap ended in a brilliant way
Inside the Red Rose camp, there has been profound admiration for a popular figure. After the narrow loss to Ireland, Borthwick spoke about an experience deficit, so George was exactly what he needed in that sense, but the way he has handled himself of late has resonated within the England squad.
Another of the Saracens contingent, Ben Earl, was asked how his club-mate has been since coming back in and he said: ‘Amazing. Truly inspirational in terms of the hardship he’s had over the last however long. Throw in not being in at the beginning of the campaign, and how tricky that must have been for him, I thought his performance was nigh-on game-changing. He just oozes class.
‘I’m so, so pleased for him and hopefully he continues to be an idol for myself and others, in how to carry yourself around a group and how to lead. You take a role away from someone like that and it doesn’t change who they are, they still lead. It’s inspirational.’
Now, the intrigue is where George goes from here, at an age and in an attritional position where longevity is not expected. Will he embrace the possibility of a role change, into an influential so-called ‘finisher’ off the bench, or strive to usurp Luke Cowan-Dickie and reclaiming the starting spot?
McCall said: ‘He’s the best of both worlds, in that he’s competitive enough to want to start and play as big a role as possible, but also humble enough to think that if what Steve and the team need is for him to come off the bench, he can do that job as well.
‘Age is not the thing you look at now. It is about hunger and ambition, and Jamie still has that hunger and ambition, for sure. He’s two away from 100 caps for England, which tells its own story about a front-row forward.’
There was a fascinating perspective from Mako Vunipola, which tackled a perception issue. George is widely regarded and liked as one of the sport’s good guys, but that somewhat disguises the fire which burns within. He is driven, to an extent which belies the genial exterior.
George’s Saracens and England team-mate Ben Earl (left) has labelled him an ‘icon’
England head coach Steve Borthwick (centre) has to decide whether to start George against Scotland or bring him on as a replacement
‘Don’t mistake the fact he’s a nice guy with him being laid-back in terms of wanting to compete,’ said the loosehead. ‘He has an inner edge about him. Jamie will always battle to be starting. I’m sure he will be on the training field trying to push, get better and prove he should be the first-choice hooker.
‘He is actually ridiculous; naturally very fit and also very competitive. He doesn’t want to get beaten in any of the fitness stuff. You can see that in how many minutes he plays, but also in the speed that he can recover from injuries, as he did this time.
‘There haven’t been many games I can remember for England or Sarries when he’s been unavailable due to injury. That is a testament to how he recovers and looks after himself away from the game. Not many 34-year-olds can say they are still playing top-level international rugby, especially in the front row. That’s credit to his work ethic.’
George is back, emphatically so – undeterred by the latest setbacks he has had to overcome. Now, the task is to keep benefitting Borthwick, Itoje and England with the impact of his wisdom and that motivational fire which still burns within – whether he is wearing the No 2 or 16.
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The post The inside story of how talismanic ‘idol’ Jamie George bounced back from losing captaincy and injury blow to drive England to victory over France first appeared on Rugby 247.
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Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-02-18 07:46:26
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