Easter's international crusade
Mon, 06 Oct 2008 10:53
Nick Easter eyes out the back row competition
With top southern hemisphere players continually making the move to Europe in search of a change in scenery - not to mention Euros and Pounds! - England and Harlequins No.8 Nick Easter has already been there and done that... Well, sort of...
The 30-year-old loose forward spent a year in South Africa back in 2000 on an old-fashioned 'gap-year', working at a well-known boys high school in Cape Town and just "playing some rugby".
"I worked at Rondebosch Boys' High School," says Easter to rugby365.com, "and I played for Villagers, which is basically just down the road.
"I had just finished Uni and I fancied a gap year, so I took the chance to head out there and had a great time."
Those who came into contact with Easter at Villagers still talk fondly of the "powerful English guy" that left his mark at the established Claremont-based club, whilst those that opposed him were left licking their wounds for some time afterwards.
"I'm still in touch two or three guys at the club," reveals Easter. "I was obviously out in South Africa with England last year, but I wasn't able to get to Cape Town, so I couldn't meet up with the guys."
So, then, what about returning to Cape Town, perhaps for a taste of Currie Cup or Super 14 rugby?
"You can never say never," admits Easter.
"Cape Town is a great place to live, probably the best place in the world if you ask me. So yeah, would I consider it? Sure, but it all depends on where I'm at should it ever come up.
"I guess a more viable option could be playing in Australia, especially with them opening some Super 14 spots up for foreigners now," he adds.
"Epi (Taione) had a stint with the Sharks during the Super 14 and now he's back in England with us at Quins, and (Fred) Michalak's down at the Sharks, too. So, yeah, guys are certainly playing across the world now."
When it comes to playing abroad, or playing with overseas players, for Easter, it's more about those 80 minutes out there every week, with him explaining: "It's more about speaking to the guys and getting their views on the game and their approaches to the game, that's what I find interesting.
"It's all about comparing standards across the world and what other guys can bring to the party. At Quins, for instance, we've got guys like Gary Botha and Nick Evans in our mix and it's great being able to see what they can bring to the party."
With the likes of Easter, Botha and Evans (before his injury) in the mix, Quins made a strong enough start to the 2008/09 season, beating Saracens and Bristol, before suffering defeats to Gloucester and London Irish - the latter coming at home, much to Easter's disappointment.
But Quins redeemed themselves with a deserved 30-23 win over Worcester Warriors last Thursday night, the Londoners scoring four tries as they moved into fourth place on the Guinness Premiership standings.
"The key is winning your home games," says Easter, almost stopping mid-sentence as he realises that he has just stated the obvious. "Our aim is to make the Stoop something of a fortress for opposition teams - make them work for any points here."
Aside from the huge battle that Quins are facing in the Guinness Premiership, Easter is facing something of his own fight - trying to win a place in Martin Johnson's England squad.
"Once you get a taste of international rugby, you just want more," confesses Easter, who has won 16 Test caps since his debut in 2006, "I'm itching to get another chance."
Easter missed England's tour of New Zealand in the summer with a hand injury and he has since been named in the England Saxons squad, missing out on selection in the 32-man Elite Player Squad in the face of stiff competition from other back row players in the country.
"I was gutted to have missed out on a chance of playing against the All Blacks in New Zealand," says Easter, "but you can't exactly expect to perform against a team like them with just one hand!
"It was, however, good to get some time off after a busy few months since making my England debut. Of course, I would've liked to have made the EPS squad, but all I can do at this stage is play my best rugby for Quins and if it [a call-up] happens, I'll make the step up."
Whilst England supremo Johnson might be concerned with depth in certain positions, back row is one area where English rugby is well served.
Aside from Easter and his club colleagues - Will Skinner and Tom Guest - every other Premiership club boasts at least one, sometimes even two, players who would not let their country down at the highest level.
"Us back rowers are not quite skilful or fast enough to be backs and we're not quite hard enough to be playing in the second row," chuckles Easter.
"[But] if you ask me, we're actually brighter than those poor guys in the second row - we don't have to do all the hard work they do!
"But seriously, it's the best position on the pitch, as you're always involved no matter if it's a tight or a loose game. The only drawback seems to be that there's a lot of good players vying for the same positions."
By Howard Kahn
* Interview opportunity courtesy of Rugby Expo 2008, which takes place on November 17-18 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in London. For more information, visit www.rugbyexpo.com
