Bristol Bears scrum-half Harry Randall

Harry Randall has been a key influencer every week for Bristol | Kyran Bracken

HARRY Randall played really well last weekend, picking up the man-of-the-match award in Bristol's win over Exeter. With him being dual-qualified to play for England and it has sparked talk about whether should cap him during the Six Nations – but I think that's too early.

Last weekend was the first time people properly started talking about Randall. He had a very good game against a very good team, and it's rare to see a No.9 scoring from a driving maul! The most important thing was his overall influence on proceedings.

He's young – just turned 23 – and initially he didn't seem that authoritative to me. His core skills are OK, but sometimes he box-kicks straight out or too long or short, which seems to be prevalent in the .

Basics should be a given but are often overlooked and if he wants some help I think I could speed up his pass if I had a few sessions with him.

I like him as a player and he's one for the future, but up to now his influence has been limited. Sometimes I wouldn't have known he was playing as he hadn't put his stamp on the game the way he did against Exeter. The big question for me is, if England were to play in Paris now, would he perform and not be a shrinking violet? Can he be a Faf de Klerk-type influencer? At the moment he's showing signs that he can but there's some way to go.

What I noticed early on was he was a very energetic player, getting on the end of tries and creating things. He's one of the smallest in the Premiership at 5ft 8ins and 12st 6lbs so people may question his size, but look at Antoine Dupont who's tiny – he's very sharp and probably the best in the world at the moment so I don't think size should ever be questioned at nine. Although having said that he does look like he could be cut in half like a piece of paper compared to other stockier nines like Dan Robson or .

However sometimes it can be an advantage to be carrying little weight. Tiny guys can be a nightmare to play against because they're wiry and jinking all over the place.

The main thing for a No.9 is being an authority throughout the match; speeding a game up, slowing it down and becoming a match winner, the way De Klerk, Ben Spencer or Robson are. Scoring from a driving maul is great but it's not going to happen very often.

The nine is a key part of the team's spine who touches the ball more than anyone else. Core skills to keep things tidy are a prerequisite, the main thing is how they can change the course of a game. For instance, can Randall still influence a match when it's not going well? Can he think on his feet and direct the team into a winning position with his strategy like Dupont might do? It's all easy on the front foot but what if you're losing up front and can't get the ball away, can you play in those conditions? Randall needs to have more performances like he showed against Exeter on a consistent basis to be talked about in the same breath as Spencer or Robson. Over a year, he needs to have five or six of them where he has ruled the roost and controlled the game.

It will be interesting with Tom Whiteley, 25, joining him at Bristol next season from . Whiteley has something about him. He was let go by Quins before joining Sarries so he's one who looks like he might be maturing at a later stage, a bit like Spencer who played for before joining Saracens.

I think Whiteley, who has played 40-odd games for Saracens, will jump the rankings at some stage. He's one to watch for sure, I can see him having a big impact next season.

Exeter No.9 Jack Maunder is another youngster who is beginning to make his mark. He's only 23 and won his solitary England cap in 2017 against . Since Nic White left Sandy Park Maunder has played a lot of games, but again, how many times has he really been influential? I think back to my rivalry with Matt Dawson. He wouldn't mind me saying I had a better pass than him but Matt had a knack of changing a course of a game on his own, like with the in ‘97. Maunder's tidy but does he stand out?

“Randall looks to be the best of the young No.9s but has a way to go”

The Premiership is littered with international players, but it is also littered with established Premiership players and Academy players.

International players should stand out for a reason: they are the cream of the cream, especially at 9 or 10. Callum Sheedy is standing out at Bristol running the games, is another who always fronts up and can take a mistake and carry on. Johnny Sexton and Owen Farrell are the same – their influence is constant. It takes a while to get there but if you want to be considered an England player you can't ever just be an average Premiership player. Then once you get to England reckoning you have to stay there, which is the hardest part.

Organising those around you is also a huge part of a 9's job. That doesn't take talent, it requires tactical nous. Lawrence Dallaglio was one of the best ever captains – along with Martin Johnson – because he was brilliant on the pitch but also had a brilliant mind. It's not always about running for the cover tackle – it's more the influence on the whole game and 9s are more important than any positon other than 10, who still needs his 9 to be able to pass the ball to him! If a 9 or 10 is struggling the impact on the match is massive.

Alex Mitchell (23) has been training with the England squad and Eddie obviously sees something he likes, but having watched him a bit, like Maunder, I question if he is having a big enough influence. Look at Robson and Spencer and they'll be doing ridiculously good things, same with Care, the forgotten hero, doing chips over the top and turning games for Quins. Ben White also looks a good prospect at Leicester, but these guys aren't quite there yet.

Eddie is stuck on Ben Youngs, which I've said before I don't agree with, and for him to pick one of these young guys they would have to be playing like Randall did last week multiple times. And if they play that well Eddie probably wouldn't pick them anyway as everyone will be telling him to do so! For the up-and-coming generation, to play in a really key position you have to be extra special at club level because that could still equal very average at international level.

I'd love to see Spencer and Robson get a run of games and these younger players have to overtake those two on the fringes. I can't see Willi Heinz being involved and it would be a shame if he is still ahead of Randall in the pecking order if there are injuries to Youngs, Spencer or Robson. In that case I'd love to see Randall get on the bench and experience it for the future. He isn't quite there yet but he's the best of the young guns pushing through – but a word of warning, in Tom Whiteley you've got a very good player coming your way!

KYRAN BRACKEN