JOSH BASSETT is set to become the oldest England winger to make his Test debut for 70 years after getting a surprise call-up from Eddie Jones.
The 29-year-old Wasps player was named in England's 34-man training squad on Thursday ahead of a summer schedule which sees England A play Scotland A followed by two Tests against the USA and Canada, all broadcast by Channel 4.
Bassett has pulled on an England shirt twice before, as an U20s player, while still at Bedford, and two years ago for the end-ofseason jamboree against the Barbarians, but never at the highest level.
Only Cyril Holmes in 1947 (age 32) and Peter Woodruff in 1951 (30) will have been older in winning their first cap on the wing if Bassett makes it onto the field in either of the North American fixtures.
It is a stat that is likely to have gone unnoticed in the Bassett household, as another less obscure milestone almost passed him by at the weekend – his 150th appearance for Wasps.
Bassett said: “I didn't have a clue, but Thomas Young has been keeping me up to date on that. He is my secret statistician in the background, he must have a whiteboard with my tally on and he's ticking them one by one.
“It is exciting to be able to reach that milestone, especially when you look at the lads who have done that in the past. It's come around quick, out of nowhere.”
Bassett added: “I signed when Dai (Young) was here in 2013, all those moons ago when we trained down at Acton and played at Wycombe.
“It's changed a bit since but it is exciting to see where the club is going especially the new training facilities being built and getting fans back in the Ricoh, which for me is the best stadium in the league.
“It's really exciting to see how we are moving forward and I am just happy to be a part of the journey.”
Bassett is the only one of the three players Wasps signed from Bedford eight years ago to still be playing. Neil Cochrane and Ricky Reeves have long since retired, but the rangy winger has not forgotten the part they played in helping him make the step up to the Premiership.
Few players have made that transition quite so successfully.
“I was very fortunate being a 21-year-old moving to London, having never been in a professional environment before, to have those two lads to lean on,” Bassett said.
“They took me under their wing and helped me out by telling me where I needed to be and what I should be doing. I think there were 15 new faces in total so it was quite a good time to join, it meant you could find your feet.
“We had some great wingers – Tom Varndell, Christian Wade, Sailosi Tagibakinau, Will Helu – it was great to be able to learn off them, experienced practitioners who had real x-factor.”
Other Wasps players may have received more attention, headline-wise, and gained international recognition, but Bassett's contribution to Wasps has been immense as a scorer and a creator.
Wingers aren't normally regarded selfless but Bassett, who has managed 61 Wasps tries, is comfortable performing either role.
“I think that's unfair stereotype, I might start a wingers' union where we have an AGM talking about how we get tarnished with brush,” he joked.
“It's great to get over the whitewash, that's the perception of what wingers are meant to do, but I think the game has come on so much and nowadays there are so many other facets to a winger's game. Being able to set tries up and finding new ways of doing that is just as important because defences are getting better and better.
“I just enjoy when I get the opportunity to pull the Wasps jersey on. It's absolutely fine for me if other players get the headlines.
“I love this club, I love the people, and I have not only met some of world's best players but I have made some of my best mates here.”
