Biarritz had a fantastic day in the Top 14 yesterday as they scored ten tries to beat Agen convincingly. That game will no doubt feature over the next few days, so until then, here’s a nice try scored by their fullback Iain Balshaw recently.
Over the last few weeks one of the biggest talking points in English rugby has been that the RFU have announced that English players playing abroad won’t be in contention for England selection after the World Cup. That means guys such as Balshaw, Jonny Wilkinson, James Haskell, etc won’t be considered.
It seemingly hasn’t deterred anyone though, as Wilkinson himself has extended his deal with Toulon, and Balshaw this week signed for another three years. While he hasn’t played for England for some time and is seemingly not on the radar, good form and tries like this one might have possibly changed that.
With Martin Johnson saying he won’t pick players from foreign clubs, no matter what guys like Wilkinson and Balshaw do in France, they won’t play for England again, until they move back to their home country.
As we’ve seen with New Zealand and South Africa though, there does seem to be room to adjust the rules when needed, as the RFU said they’ll do ‘
in exceptional circumstances
‘.
This try is just a nice example of what Balshaw – who has frustrated England fans in the past with his hot and cold form – can do in a little space with ball in hand. Incidentally, it’s actually Wilkinson who he chips in this clip.
Time:
01:28
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