With Nick Easter being selected for the upcoming RBS Six Nations, the selection has a sense of nostalgia for many fans and no doubt for the man himself. Of course his selection was widely due to the injury to Ben Morgan, but Nick Easter has been a standout performer for Harlequins this season and many gone by. He is not only powerful, but a skilful operator in the back row and still going for the old guard at the ripe age of 36.
He came in to professional rugby quite late, in his early 20’s, when he signed for Harlequins from Orrell, where he stayed ever since; recently becoming the most capped Quin in the professional era surpassing 233 appearances. He is at around the 250 mark now, some achievement in the modern era and he is truly a “one club” man.
In terms of his England career he is nearing 50 appearances and made his debut in the 2007 Six Nations. Later that year in a World Cup warm up game against Wales, Easter became the first number eight to score four tries for England in a match. During the 2007 tournament, where England made the final he was regarded as a key figure in helping England get that far in the tournament. England eventually losing out to South Africa of course; solid performances for England became routine for Easter, most notably perhaps in the win vs. Australia in 2010, England’s first in Australia for seven years.
Arguably a comment Easter made after the 2011 World Cup was his downfall in terms of England selection since 2012, until now of course. He was quoted as describing the quarter final loss as “£35K down the toilet”, something which didn’t resonate well with the fans or management seemingly.
However that is obviously in the past, and he has continued to perform well for Harlequins helping them to the Amlin Cup in 2011 and their first ever league title in 2012. His powerful running, superb offloading and general leadership around the field have all helped this selection by Stuart Lancaster. He is still regarded, in many circles, as the best number eight in England. I’m sure, if called upon the England fans will be desperate for the big man to carry his club form in to his performances for the red rose.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @JackPitt94. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
“Main Photo:”
