As the England A schedule is revived once again this season after the success of the Portugal fixture, James While spoke with England’s Director of Elite Rugby, Conor O’Shea, to understand the importance of a proper international pathway.

The old enemy

England‘s revitalised A team schedule resumes in November with England hosting the old enemy Australia A at the Stoop on Sunday, November 17, with a further fixture planned against Ireland A during the Six Nations at Ashton Gate on February 23.

O’Shea is committed to the vision of a broader A team calendar but admits that Test windows and segueing the fixtures to work with the Test periods is a challenge that he’s working on overcoming.

“Our A team calendar always depends on availability of the opposing teams. We need to account for form, fitness and availability in order to deliver something robust, so we’re not focusing purely on Test windows because you miss out on a tranche of players that are in the periphery of a match squad,” O’Shea explained.

“Our aim is to give the players a chance to play at high, near-Test intensity, but also to give them that transitional pathway into the senior team. So, there’s different ways you can look at it in terms of timing to get the best players out there.

“There’s been discussions with other unions on putting together a mini-series or the like, and whilst that’s not yet confirmed it’s obviously in our thinking.

“But the key thing is balance,” he continued. “You never rule anything out in anything in sport. But there are game limits the players have to adhere to, and then the balance of club v country, and not taking the players away from their core employers too often.

“At the very top level, with the full internationals it’s a slightly different arrangement with a framework for squad time. For the A’s we’re looking for a balance of how many games and when, and I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way to look at it. The concept of three or four teams getting together and playing each other over two weekends or similar is something that’s been discussed, but right now that might be a few years down the road.”

Bigger picture

“The bigger thing for me is the unbelievably positive opportunity for young players, the fringe senior players, or even for some senior internationals that maybe coming back from injury to just test themselves, and with the senior guys giving experience to younger fellas, and those youngsters seeing what it’s like to work in different environments or with different coaches.

“We’re going to make sure, from a coaching perspective, that that coaching team is not just the same the whole time, either. It’s a really good opportunity to develop excellence in our broader coaching community. Of course, it’s about the A team winning and being competitive, because that’s what people see and value, but it’s actually not the only goal. We will be looking at the backroom staff make-ups as well purely to give coaches opportunities for personal development as well,” enthused O’Shea.

“Coaches will themselves face different and unique challenges. Players like something a bit different, and they get energised by just hearing the new voice even if it’s the same message delivered by new voice and I have worked with Premiership Rugby to agree that we’ll be broad in giving opportunities for people to be part of this culture.”

Touch points

“By saying that, we will aspire to have a consistent thread that goes through the games. We are going to play three this year, the two announced, and then one pre tour, which will be finalised pretty soon.

“With the Lions going away, we’re going to have a group of players who won’t have played a huge amount from end of season to the Argentina/Americas tour, so we’ll use that fixture as a bridge to that tour for this year.

“I want to reinvigorate that rugby weekend concept. You think back to going to those eves on international weekends down in Richmond or wherever. Catch a match on Friday evening then England playing Ireland the next day – they’re great traditions.

“And you also get some really good friendships through that sphere as well, because it’s less pressurised. There’s more of a chance to have that kind of social element post-match in the team environment than it would be after a Test so it’s a really beneficial situation to get into.

“You know, I’m excited about the Australia game at the Stoop around the Cook Cup game. I cannot wait for the Ireland A game, and I think playing it at Ashton Gate would be incredibly special as well, because you’ve got Ireland down the road in Cardiff the following day and others will be traveling back after the Scotland game from Twickenham. So, there’ll be a lot of supporters that are going to make a big weekend, and that’ll be a cracker of a game.”

Picture of success

“If you asked me what success looks like for the programme, I don’t think I’ll put a timeline on it but I’d like to see clusters of players from what had been a couple of really good U20 teams continue to develop their relationships together. So that’s not something that you’ll necessarily be able to measure, but that consistent contact point of group,” O’Shea continued.

“I believe that any team, a club or country, that grows together to develop a really unique bond happens because you share some really special memories when you’re away on tours, in rooms together and I believe that taking those units, friendships and relationships into the Test arena will prove really beneficial for both the players and coaches concerned.

“There’s so much exciting talent in English rugby. I’d like them to be giving Steve (Borthwick) and the coaching team really big headaches through this programme I’d like to see two or three names that play England A pushed through because they were given this chance. That would satisfy me greatly.”

England A will be announcing their coaching staff on Tuesday, October 8 with the wider squad expected early November.