Bolter: a word that spikes in usage on a quadrennial basis as a British and Irish Lions tour rolls around and everyone ponders their own squads.
Usually, the term is reserved for code-hoppers or young thrusters who rip out of the blue and into contention. Jeremy Guscott qualified in 1989, Martin Johnson did in 1993 and Will Greenwood and Eric Miller were surprise picks in 1997.
Leigh Halfpenny and Keith Earls would have been eligible for the moniker in 2009, while Stuart Hogg was the 2013 version. Louis Rees-Zammit probably counted on the 2021 trip to South Africa.
Later this year, when Andy Farrell unveils his group for Australia, Elliot Daly could redefine the bolter label to mean a player who has toured twice already, in 2017 and 2021. Few would have him in their predicted parties prior to the start of the Six Nations, yet an assured tournament must have nudged him into the reckoning. Past experience will be among the criteria considered by Farrell, and Daly has five Test appearances for the Lions on a vast resume.
Consolidating a try-scoring display from the bench against France in round two, Daly delivered another influential performance against Italy. He epitomised England’s urgency to spark their first try, punishing a spill from Stephen Varney by gathering Jamie George’s pass and gliding up to halfway.
Following an injury to Ollie Lawrence that caused Steve Borthwick to reshuffle his backline and deprived the hosts of a midfield focal point, it was a gorgeous grubber from Daly that allowed England to break out of their first flat patch. He swept around Fin Smith and struck the ball in behind Ange Capuozzo with the outside of his renowned left boot, curling it into the path of Tommy Freeman.
In a sense, it had been rather brave for Steve Borthwick to pick Daly in his starting team. The 32-year-old had not worn England’s No 15 jersey since 2021, and dropping Marcus Smith to the bench proved predictably divisive. As it happened, Lawrence’s demise meant that Daly only spent eight minutes at full-back.
Even in that short period, while Lawrence was lying stricken on the turf in fact, there was another moment of class. Daly arced into the line, took a pull-back from Fraser Dingwall and looped a cut-out pass over Ben Earl to Freeman. Feeding the edges of the England backline like this would have been a major reason for Daly’s inclusion.
Borthwick continually praised England’s adaptability in the aftermath. The breakdown interpretations of referee Andrew Brace, with Italy happy to contest fiercely on the floor, represented another tricky aspect of the game. England’s head coach also earmarked Dingwall and Daly as “two of the most intelligent players I have worked with”.
“They see space in the front line, they see space in the back-field and they connect with those around them,” Borthwick continued. Such qualities never go out of fashion, and facilitate team-mates. Indeed, moving between positions requires a degree of unselfishness.
Daly has metamorphosed multiple times over a fascinating career. He emerged at Wasps in the early 2010s as a prodigiously talented outside centre with a lightning outside break and a booming left foot. However, his Test introduction under Eddie Jones, like that of Jamie George, this weekend’s centurion, came largely from the bench. When he was promoted and established himself, it was as a left wing. Warren Gatland probably deserves credit for accelerating that process.
Spiky defence
The gnarled New Zealander started Daly, then 24 years old, for the Lions in all three of the 2017 Tests against the All Blacks. Eventually, Daly would become England’s go-to full-back before George Furbank and Freddie Steward usurped him on the back of the 2019 World Cup. He bounced back for the 2023 World Cup as a left wing and stayed in the team for the 2024 Six Nations, but missed the ensuing summer trip to Japan and New Zealand, upon the birth of his first child, as well as last autumn. Daly’s telling cameo against France was his first cap in 11 months.
Anthony Watson, another member of the Lions’ back three in 2017, launched a somewhat spiky defence of his old mate last week. He chastised the tendency to yearn for “shiny things” and suggested that Daly could be like Willie le Roux, the exceptional Springboks playmaker. Certainly, there has been a palpable poise to Daly’s contributions these past few weeks. The Lions will need a Swiss Army knife of a back, if only to cover different roles from the bench. Tom Jordan of Scotland and Ireland’s Jamie Osborne would be more traditional bolters.
In the shorter term, England must reconfigure their backline for Cardiff, with Borthwick steadfastly confident in starting either Daly or Freeman as outside centres. Henry Slade should be ready to return. Oscar Beard, a dynamic runner for when England need to be direct, is another candidate. The uncapped Harlequin and Dingwall looked a complementary pairing for England A during the defeat of Australia’s second string last November. Whatever line-up they land on, Daly will be at the Principality Stadium in some capacity.
Wales hoist plenty of contestable kicks, which will bring Freddie Steward into the equation as a possible full-back as well as Marcus Smith and Daly. Whatever line-up that England land on, the latter will be at the Principality Stadium in some capacity.
Back to the Lions, then, and veteran bolters. Taulupe Faletau could well find himself on a fourth tour. Any charge from Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell would come from the French club scene. Daly is striving to be a unique sort of selection; one that has been hiding in plain sight.
Thanks to versatility, experience and – most importantly – form, he is putting together a decent case.
