Fin Baxter Primed for England Debut Under Mentorship of Veteran Coaches
Fin Baxter, the 22-year-old prop, is being guided towards his first England cap on the upcoming summer tour to Japan and New Zealand, under the mentorship of an esteemed Anglo-Welsh front row brains trust.
Baxter, viewed as England’s future starting loosehead prop, has enjoyed an impactful season, highlighted by a thunderous all-round performance in Harlequins’ upset victory over Bordeaux in April. This display showcased his rise as a scrummager to be reckoned with, as his superior technique mastered the power of 23-stone Tongan Ben Tameifuna in their set-piece duel.
Harlequins teammate Joe Marler, a veteran of 93 England caps and one of the biggest characters in the English game, and former Wales and Lions prop Adam Jones, who serves as Quins’ scrum coach, are instrumental in Baxter’s development. “I’m really proud of the year I’ve had, with great help from Joe and Adam Jones,” Baxter said. “It’s always been a nice port of call to have that wealth of experience and knowledge right there.”
Marler, who enters Saturday’s tour opener against Japan in Tokyo as England’s senior loosehead, has provided honest and valuable guidance to the young prop. “Joe is who he is. You get honesty from him, which is ultimately what you want,” Baxter explained. “He’s done so much in rugby at prop, and I should have called on him more last season because he’s so experienced and willing to help.”
Baxter, who transitioned from the back row to the front row at the age of 12, has embraced the balance between the structured aspects of prop play, such as the scrum and maul, and the need to maintain footwork, aggression, and soft hands in close-quarter play. “As a prop, I like the balance between the structured side – maul, scrum – and that I can still work on footwork into contact, being aggressive, being confrontational and playing with soft hands,” he said.
Head coach Steve Borthwick is set to name his team to face Japan on Thursday morning, with two Tests against New Zealand completing England’s summer tour.
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