Monday, 29 March 2010

Olly's on track again

In my previous posting, I raised the question of just how many playmaking wizards will still be with Bath Rugby next season.
My piece neglected to mention Olly Barkley - and after his performance against Harlequins on Saturday, that now looks like a terrible omission.
Having been out for seven months and only three games into his comeback, Barkley's profile was pretty low going into the Quins match.
But his 14-point haul - which included a try, mighty long-range place-kicking and tremendous handling - has propelled him back into the limelight in a big way.
Bath coach Steve Meehan is already taling up Barkley's chances of returning to the England set-up. And the fact that England attack coach Brian Smith was at The Rec to watch Barkley's masterful display will have done his international ambitions no harm at all.
With Riki Flutey all but anonynous during the 6 Nations, the door is ajar for Barkley.
Should the 28-year-old remain injury-free over the next year-and-a-half, then I wouldn't bet against him being a pivotal part of England's 2011 World Cup outfit.

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