It was the very start of an England career that, on Sunday afternoon, will reach a special milestone that underscored the value of patience and resilience to Jamie George. The front rower will raise his bat against Italy as he wins cap No. 100, in doing so becoming the first male English hooker to compile a century as the heart and soul of his side.
But George had to wait his turn. His 18 appearances off the bench to begin his time in Test rugby remain a national record, a player long tipped for the top forced to bide his time as Dylan Hartley led England’s rebirth under Eddie Jones. “When I reflect on my journey so far, it’s not been straightforward, It’s been challenging, difficult, frustrating, and I’ve not got opportunities when I felt I was ready to.
“I would be lying if I sat here and said I didn’t throw a strop every now and then. I was ambitious, I still am, I still want to start every game, I still want to be the best hooker I possibly can be. What I learnt is that I can be tough, resilient, can make the most out of those situations. For me it was always about refining my core skills, controlling what I can control, being ready for the opportunities. A lot of that revolved around my fitness, my running capacity and my lineout throwing.
“I wanted to be the best lineout thrower in the world, the fittest hooker in the world. That’s the way I saw it. I can confidently say that I can look back and say I did capitalise on that period, and I’m a better player because of it.”
As a player, George has changed significantly. Once a free-wheeling, free-thinking and occasionally free-kicking forward of many faces that emblemised England’s evolution, he is now one of the best nuts-and-bolts hookers in the world, a pillar of lineout and scrum solidity.
“I think you just mature,’’ he outlines. “I was probably a little bit reckless when I first came into the international scene, because you want to make an impact. I still want the ball, if there’s ever an opportunity to put the ball on the toe I’ll do. But no, I always think you come into the team and focus on yourself and your own performances. Now for me I’m obviously focused on my own performances, but I want to make sure the players around me are better for me being on the field.”
Off the pitch, George has long been a vital leader. Teammate Tom Curry describes him as England’s great leveller, ensuring that the energy is right. “He’s such a strong character and a go-to guy in terms of that balance the team needs,” the flanker explains. “It’s quite a rare thing in sport.”
But those resilient traits forged in his formative Test tastes have had to be shown again of late. Having elevated George to high office after the departure of close friend Owen Farrell before last year’s Six Nations, Steve Borthwick decided the time was right for another change of captain ahead of this campaign. Almost without warning, the England head coach called time on George’s tenure in a brief conversation over a coffee in St Albans.
“It wasn’t a two-way conversation, it was very one-way,” George reflects. “I don’t think you can plead your case, like a break-up.
“I wasn’t expecting it but at the same time I understood it. Steve has always been very clear with me and very honest and I have worked with coaches before who haven’t be. I really value that with Steve and the way he did it.
“I was gutted, I was disappointed, I felt like I had a lot more to give. But, at the same time, his decision and who he has picked, in Maro [Itoje], is a fantastic decision and what he has done in the last few weeks has been really impressive.”
A punch to the gut caused George to consider, briefly, what the future may hold. “The first thing on my mind was, ‘is that me?’” he admits. But a hamstring injury suffered for Saracens just before the Six Nations began was curiously well-timed. “I was watching that Ireland game desperate to be involved and that is when you know. There were always question marks but then I knew I was desperate to go on.
“Whether it was off the bench, in any capacity, I wanted to be on the field and I wanted to be able to help. That will be case as long as I lace my boots up, I want to be helping and contributing any way I can for England.”
Counsel and consolation from his wife, father, Saracens boss Mark McCall and Farrell helped George through the rough patch, but it is to a different sport that he looked for inspiration as he embarked on this new chapter. A cricket badger, George recalls the broken, beaten figure that Joe Root appeared when he relinquished the Test captaincy in 2022; in the three years since, England’s greatest ever batter has apexed again.
The circumstances of his demotion may be entirely different, but in two impactful, match-turning cameos off the bench in England’s two tight wins, George hopes that he has begun his own revitalisation.
“I look at Joe Root now and the freedom he has and the way he has kicked on and become the best batsman in the world arguably. That is hugely inspiring and I see that as the sort of trajectory I aspire to be like. The way he has reacted to it I see it as a huge positive. It has freed him up and allowed him to play even better than he already was. That is how I would love it to be and I am feeling a bit of that.
“Yes, I am ambitious, I want to be the best I possibly can be, I want to start the game. But I'm not going to throw my toys out the pram and not give everything of myself if I'm on the bench. Because I'm playing for England. It's the best thing ever and I love it.”
