Don’t rush Hendy, his defence needs work

THE siren call for England to pick George Hendy for the Nations Championship, which sounded soon after Northampton‘s 28-12 European Cup win over Cardiff, is premature.

Hendy is an impressive attacking strike force, who adds further cutting edge to the Saints backline with his raking stride, bamboozling footwork, and try-scoring instinct.

However, too much has been taken from his rapid overhauling of Josh Adams to prevent a Cardiff try in the 68th minute at Franklin’s Gardens.

Hendy’s warp-speed chase was box office, as was his tackle from behind to shunt the Wales and Lions wing into touch five metres before the line. However, I’m not convinced Hendy would have caught Adams, 31, when his sprinting action was much smoother six years ago, but credit where it is due.

Another more important consideration is that overall Hendy’s defence is not red hot, with his cover-tackling frequently mistimed and short of the precision he showed in snaring Adams.

Hendy is an exciting international prospect, but his defence is a work in progress, and he has gains to make before making the step from England A to a full cap.

Impressive: Northampton’s George Hendy

PICTURE: Getty Images

By the same token, Noah Caluori, the 20-year-old Saracens wing who was capped twice by England in the summer, had a difficult afternoon against Connacht last weekend after being caught out of position in a disjointed backline defence.

Caluori is four years younger than Hendy, but both have the task of ensuring they defend strongly enough to allow their attacking flair to flourish at test level.