Time for great White hope to shine

Chris Jones13 April 2012

Saracens prop Julian White has come a long way since the car crash in New Zealand which left him with a shattered left leg and ankle.

White, who has been recalled to shore-up England's scrum against the mighty French pack at Twickenham on Saturday, reassessed his rugby and personal life as he hobbled around on crutches in the Hawke's Bay region of New Zealand.

White made the long journey south to play rugby and experience a new life and was enjoying his time away when the crash happened.

The 27-year-old was even considering staying in New Zealand and forging a playing career in the land of the All Blacks having already been included in the Canterbury Crusaders Super 12 squad.

He said: "I went to New Zealand on a working holiday, played for Hawke's Bay and then briefly for Canterbury in the Super 12, but then suffered the broken leg.

"I was 24 years old when I broke the leg in several places and also the ankle, and while my career wasn't threatened by the severity of the injuries, I did feel a long way from home.

"If I hadn't suffered the crash I may have opted to stay in New Zealand because I loved the lifestyle and the rugby.

"While I was coming back from that crash, my coach at Hawke's Bay heard I was going home and he was also involved with Bridgend. He rang up and asked if I was interested in coming back to Britain and playing rugby in Wales. The first season was a bit of a struggle because I wasn't really right after the crash and needed to get stronger and fitter.

"My contract with Bridgend came up for renewal at the end of the second season and they were struggling a bit financially and the opportunity to go to Saracens came along. I was English and decided it would be a good move and I decided to give it a shot."

White was spotted by Mark Evans, then at Sarries and now chief executive at Harlequins, who raved about this strong scrummager that no one else had picked up.

White made an immediate impact, gaining rave reviews from Phil Keith-Roach, the England scrum coach, and won a place on last summer's tour to South Africa, playing in both Tests against the Springboks.

He is now locked in a battle with Gloucester's Phil Vickery for the England No 3 jersey and gets the vote on Saturday because his rival is out with a neck muscle injury that is blighting his career.

Having beaten injury himself, White knows you have to make the most of any opportunity, particularly at Test level, and he expects a rough ride from the French front row.

With Phil Greening, whose strength is in loose play, at hooker and debutante Steve Borthwick, a tall, lean line-out expert, at lock, White will have to shoulder responsibility at the scrums.

If White moves, then the whole England pack will start to buckle at this key area of conflict.

White said: "This is a great opportunity for me because there is a Lions tour to Australia and I would love the chance to play down under again.

"This is my Six Nations debut and a dream come true because I used to sit at home as a youngster in Devon and watch the games on television.

"The scrum is a massive part of the French game plan and we have to be spot-on every time because they are the best in the championship.

"It has been frustrating not being part of the team in the other games but I knew Phil (Vickery) was in because he was playing really well.

"I didn't feel bitter because he was showing outstanding form." THE contentious issue of replacements in international rugby is being addressed with moves to ban the award of caps for anyone who comes on for the last 20 minutes of Test matches.

"The International Rugby Board discussed a number of proposals but there wasn't sufficient acceptance for them to come into force yet," said Vernon Pugh, the IRB chairman. "We discussed not being allowed to bring on anyone in the last 10 minutes and the possibility that anyone who came on in the last 20 didn't receive a cap.

"It does devalue international rugby if the final period is spent watching players being replaced as it becomes a stop-start affair."

The IRB also said the 2003 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand will have four pools of five teams, ending the need for quarter-final qualification matches.

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