Williams keen to impress

By Steve Grace
31/1/18

Prop Harry Williams says England's training environment is one where all players feel they have a chance of being selected.

The Exeter Chief made his England debut on the 2017 summer tour of Argentina and came on in all three Old Mutual Wealth Series games later that year.

With Dan Cole having been England's mainstay tight-head prop for a number of years, Williams says he has to believe he is able to impress enough to be included in head coach Eddie Jones' starting side.

“I think everything is always up for grabs," he said. "There will always be in any professional or international outfit more established players, I do feel here it is a pretty fluid squad and if you go well and put the performances in you will get picked.

“All I can do is play well for my club when I’m not here and when I’m here train as well as I can. All any player can do is control the controllables and I can’t control whether I’m picked to start or on the bench or not picked, all I can control is how much effort I put into training and then the actions I have out on the pitch. So that’s what I’ll focus on and hopefully after that selection will take care of itself. I don’t think anyone is untouchable and I don’t think anyone can have that view if they want to push on."

It has been a rapid rise for the young front-rower since he was plucked from Jersey Reds in the Greene King IPA Championship and added to Rob Baxter's ranks in Devon.

As well as his five Test caps, Williams has featured in two Aviva Premiership finals - winning last season's edition - but the 26-year-old reveals he considered giving up rugby, and never thought he'd earn international honours.

"I said I would give myself until I was about 24 and if nothing was happening by then and I was stagnating I probably would’ve knocked it on the head, but it didn’t and I managed to press on and get the offer from Exeter," he added. "I wouldn’t say it was always going to happen but I eventually I got there. From where I was then to where I am now I feel like I’ve taken a lot of steps forward."

Eight uncapped players were named in England's 35-man Six Nations squad, including two front row practitioners in Alec Hepburn and Lewis Boyce, who Jones drafted in for the injured Ellis Genge and banned Joe Marler.

And Williams describes the England camp, as well as his relationship with the coaches as an 'honest' one.

"If they don’t think I’m doing something well they’ll tell me and if they think I’m doing something good they’ll tell me that it was alright.

“I think it’s hyped up a lot more than it actually is in reality the coach-athlete relationship here is straight down the line, and if you’re doing well you’ll be rewarded and if you’re not doing so well you’ll be told what you need to improve on."