Last Thursday’s announcement of Eddie Jones’ 31-man England squad to tour Argentina in June was met by the wider rugby community with a considerable number of raised eyebrows.
Declaring the squad was selected with an eye on developing players to be better than the English contingent chosen to represent the British & Irish Lions on their concurrent summer tour to New Zealand, Jones did not shy away from making a number of controversial selections.
At the top of that list was the inclusion of Sale Sharks’ New Zealand-born winger Denny Solomona who only qualified for England on residency grounds last month. Other surprise selections alongside Solomona include his 18-year-old Sale teammates Ben & Tom Curry, and twelve other previously uncapped players including Saracens’ 18-year-old lock Nick Isiekwe, Exeter scrum-half Jack Maunder and Bath-bound flanker Sam Underhill, the latter an especially controversial choice since the 19-year-old is yet to play a single game in the English Premiership.
Yet Underhill is not alone in potentially holding the unique distinction of being a capped English international before making a single domestic appearance in the Premiership. Indeed, Underhill will be joined in Argentina by Piers Francis, a name unfamiliar even to some of the most dedicated English rugby fans.
For those puzzled by the name on the official RFU press release, here are the basics: Francis is a 26-year-old fly-half currently with the Auckland Blues franchise in Super Rugby. However, in March of this year it was announced that Francis had agreed to join Premiership side Northampton Saints ahead of the 2017-18 season thus rendering him available for England selection despite the RFU’s policy of deliberately excluding overseas-based players from international contention.
As with the decision to include Sam Underhill - who currently plays his club rugby with Ospreys in the PRO12– the choice to pick Francis in the EPS is controversial but in line within the RFU’s own selection criteria and a shrewd move on Eddie Jones’ part.
Francis will be one of three fly-halves vying for gametime against the Pumas, competing with incumbent starter George Ford and Saracens’ stalwart Alex Lozowski for the England no.10 jersey. However, Francis’ added experience and utility as an inside centre could also earmark him for increased utilisation away from fly-half, especially since one of the strongest components of his game is his footwork and ability to attack the midfield channels.
But Francis’ fast-track inclusion for international honours marks the culmination of an unorthodox first act of a suddenly blossoming rugby career.
Born in Gravesend, Kent, Francis was a member of the Saracens academy until age 18 when, in a bid to further his playing opportunities, he chose to move to New Zealand. Linking up with the Auckland provincial side for the 2011 ITM Cup, Francis made 7 appearances as the province failed to progress out of their division. The following year Francis signed with Waikato making 8 appearances and kicking 10 points in a similarly disappointing campaign for his new side, although his performances earned him the chance to participate in the Chiefs’ wider training squad.
His showings in the ITM Cup however would lead to a full-time move back to the British Isles, signing a two-year contract with Edinburgh rugby ahead of the 2012-13 season.
However, after an up-and-down first season in the Scottish capital, Francis missed almost the entirety of the 2013-14 campaign with a foot injury and he was released from the club at the end of the season.
A short-term contract with Doncaster Knights in the Championship followed before Francis opted to return to New Zealand in March 2015 for another stint in the ITM Cup, this time with Counties Manukau. It was with the South Auckland side that Francis made his breakthrough, appearing 19 times and scoring 191 points across two years and earning a contract with the Blues for the 2016 season.
His first season with the Blues saw Francis predominately deployed at inside centre, starting the final 11 rounds of the season in the no.12 jersey, with the then-25-year-old being awarded the franchise’s Rookie of the Year award, with special mention of his sterling individual defensive ability and communication and his late-season adoption of kicking duties which saw him slot 36 points in the Blues’ final three games.
This season, injury to Ihaia West has seen Francis play the brunt of his minutes as the Blues’ incumbent fly-half and his impending departure to Northampton has been lamented as a significant loss for the Auckland franchise.
However given the Blues’ middling fortunes this season with Francis helming the fly-half position (the Blues are currently the lowest-ranked New Zealand franchise and sit 6th in the 10-team Australasian conference) and his best performances in a Blues shirt coming as a centre, one wonders whether Francis’ ultimate deployment for both England and Northampton could, or should, come with a ‘12’ on his back.
Regardless of where, or even if, Francis plays during the tour to Argentina this summer, Jones’ inclusion of the 26-year-old in his England squad adds another chapter to Francis’ remarkable story leaving England to get an opportunity to pursue rugby professionally and eventually earning the honour of representing his country. But it also speaks volumes about Eddie Jones’ desire to find and develop the best possible England players, regardless of conventionality, and how Jones is unafraid of giving players even with an unorthodox career trajectory, every chance of proving their worth at the highest level.
