Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Gloucester full-back Jason Woodward presses case for England place

My thoughts for The Times on Gloucester's European Challenge Cup semi-final win over Newcastle Falcons.

He threw a couple of rash early passes, but after that it was a supremely eye-catching display by Gloucester full-back Jason Woodward, whose pace onto the ball, lines of running and off-loading dexterity were all top class.

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With Bath's Anthony Watson sidelined for six months by a torn Achilles sustained against Ireland in the Six Nations, the door is surely now more than ajar for New Zealand-born Woodward to tour South Africa with England this summer, not least because his attacking mentality is similar to Watson's.