sport news CHRIS FOY: Fin Baxter may look back on Saturday afternoon as the time when his ... trends now
Fin Baxter may look back on Saturday afternoon as the time when his life changed forever. The Harlequins prop conquered a monster and announced himself as England’s next prop star.
A remarkable aspect of what Quins achieved in Bordeaux is that, for all the razzle-dazzle brilliance and the 12 tries – six apiece – in the classic, close encounter, so much of the post-match talk was about the visitors’ baby-faced loosehead. All the attention was fully deserved. What Baxter did defied the laws of physics.
The 22-year-old is not a small man by any means. He weighs more than 18 stone. But he was up against Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna, whose weight is conservatively listed as 23st 2lbs, but may be far more than that. He is a cult hero in the French city where he lives and works. They adore the havoc he wreaks on opposition scrums.
Not this time. Baxter destroyed him, despite the five stone weight deficit he had to contend with. It was a triumph of hard graft and superbly-honed technique, founded on years of dedication and the expertise passed on at Quins by scrum coach Adam Jones, Joe Marler – England’s veteran No 1 – and leading tighthead Will Collier.
On Saturday, Baxter, Collier and hooker Jack Walker led one of the greatest set-piece onslaughts surely ever produced by a Premiership side in France.
Harlequins pulled off a historic upset to beat Bordeaux and reach the Champions Cup semis
Fin Baxter conquered a monster in Bordeaux in the shape of Tonga captain Ben Tameifuna
Harlequins' jubilant players celebrated with their travelling supporters after the final whistle
The rookie on the left-hand side of the visitors’ front row used strength, craft and guile to drive under and through the stunned Tameifuna time and time again.
It laid the platform for Quins to strike from close-range lineouts on their way to one of the finest victories in the club’s history. Baxter did what Thomas Domingo did for years in the colours of Clermont Auvergne and France – he made light of a size mis-match.
Having played for England ‘A’ against Portugal recently, he must surely go on the national team’s summer tour of Japan and New Zealand.
The opening Test in Tokyo presents an ideal opportunity to introduce him at senior international level. If he can do what he did in Bordeaux, he is ready and equipped for the task.
Collier, who won two caps for England in 2017 and has been one of the best scrummagers in the country for several years, paid an emphatic tribute to his young team-mate. ‘He is going to be a world-class loosehead, I have no doubt in my mind about that,’ he said.
‘I think he is going to win a ton of caps. He definitely has the ability to progress to Test level very quickly and I hope the powers-that-be see that as well, agree with me and push him on.
‘I love scrumming with Fin – he is baby-faced and he gets under-estimated. People see him and think it’s going to be an easy day, especially when he is up against massive tightheads. Very quickly, they look at each other and say, “He’s actually a very, very good player”. He could progress to be one of the best in the world.’
On a day when Chandler Cunningham-South also showcased his claims for an England starting place with a rampaging demonstration of forceful ball-carrying, there was a wider satisfaction to be gained from Quins’ success against the odds. It was a boost for the Premiership, but also for perceptions of the sport.
This is what it is supposed to look like. It was a thrilling spectacle but also founded on core staples of tough, aggressive forward play. When it comes together like it did at Stade Chaban Delmas, rugby is a truly breathtaking sight.
Will Collier predicted that his team-mate will go on to win 'a ton of caps' on the international stage
England prop Ellis Genge has sounded alarm bells over rugby's continuing 'class problem'
Potential being missed in English rugby
Ellis Genge is right, English rugby does have a class problem.
