George Furbank admits he wasn’t ready for his nightmare England debut against France in 2020… but insists he’s prepared for relaunch of international career against Scotland after thriving as Northampton captain

In the hall of George Furbank’s home in Northampton, an England cap sits proudly on display, mounted on the wall, along with others representing Saints and Bedford School.

Walk through to the kitchen and there’s a framed photo of Joe Root – then the national cricket captain – holding up a sign that says ‘good luck Furbs’. These memories of his first phase as a Test player show that the fullback looks back on that time fondly. But it was tough. Very difficult.

As he prepares for an international relaunch, Furbank has spoken exclusively to Mail Sport about the events of four years ago, when he was brought into the England starting line-up while still a novice at professional level – and an awkward introduction to the pinnacle was going through. of sports.

He will start at Murrayfield with the comfort of being part of a winning team there in 2020, but a brutal debut in Paris the week before had taken its toll.

Now 27 and thriving as the undefeated captain of his resurgent Premier League-leading club, Furbank feels ready for what lies ahead. But the first time he was picked to play for his country, he didn’t feel ready. In retrospect, it was too early.

Furbank was thrown into the deep end against France at the Stade de France by Eddie Jones in 2020

The 27-year-old will return to the England squad for the Six Nations match against Scotland

Asked to relive the episode, Furbank speaks calmly and philosophically about it. “I had only played 25 to 30 games for the club,” he said. ‘I was still busy with Saints at the time. I thought I was going in to gain experience in camp and be at internationals, but ultimately not to play in that campaign. I went in thinking I should just learn and enjoy camp.

“So it was a bit of a shock to take part in a competition straight away after being selected for my first camp. I still look back on it with such fondness. Making my debut was incredibly special, something I never thought I would do. I may not have been ready for it and I may not have expected it, but I’m so glad it happened to me.”

Eddie Jones was in charge of England at the time and he decided to throw Furbank in at the deep end at the Stade de France. ‘There were a few injuries when we were in Portugal for our training camp, so I started thinking, ‘There’s a chance I could be on the bench here,'” he said. “I was already complaining about that, but then Eddie pulled me aside at the end of that training camp and said, ‘There’s a good chance you’re going to start.’ That surprised me.

‘I really enjoyed that entire training week, even though I was scared to start that first match. I had never played in front of more than 15,000 people. I knew I was going to be playing in front of 80,000 mental French people, so there was all this nervous energy around it.”

The big day itself is ‘a bit of a blur’, four years later. Furbank remembers how he enjoyed singing the national anthem while standing next to his clubmate Lewis Ludlam. He remembers sharing a “special moment” with his family in the locker room after the game. He also remembers that England ‘were not playing very well’ and was frustrated by a nagging feeling that he had not done himself justice.

Jones was supportive both privately and publicly and chose Furbank again for the trip to Murrayfield the following week, which was reassuring for the rookie. But there was already an undercurrent of scathing public criticism on social media, which came as a surprise and was a struggle to deal with.

“That was something I was quite naive about as I had only played 25, 30 games for Saints and things had been going quite well,” Furbank said. ‘Then you play for England, you look and think: “Wow, a lot of people are reacting”. That was really hard to deal with. There weren’t very many, but there were definitely a few messages that made me think, “That actually affects me a little.”

Furbank recalls how he enjoyed signing the anthem ahead of his first cap in 2020

Jones chose Furbank the following week, but he could not escape criticism on social media

Furbank has led Northampton with authority and style in the number 15 shirt. He has emphatically earned his new chance in England

‘There was a psychologist in the camp who helped me through that stuff. It was like a punch in the stomach. Eventually you’re disappointed with how you performed, and then some guy named Bob tells you that you’re rubbish too and you say, “I don’t need that, cheers mate”.

‘I had to keep my sister off social media. She kept replying to comments and I was like, ‘Can you please stop that? It doesn’t look great!”. They (family) are clearly protective and supportive. But in the end they remember the highlights much better than some bad comments.’

All the feedback this season has been positive, from everyone who has seen Furbank lead Northampton with authority and style in the number 15 shirt. He has emphatically earned his chance for England, having won just four caps since that last visit to Murrayfield in 2020. One factor that has helped him is the added responsibility of captaining the club.

“It’s something I love and I never thought I would do it,” he said. ‘I’m a bit preoccupied with it, to be honest! I’m probably not the most motivational speaker of all time, but when I talk in groups I get excited. It gives me a different focus, to know that I have to have my game at the top level so that the boys can follow.”

Gone is the naive novice – today Furbank is confident he has more maturity, experience and resilience. This last quality is both physical and mental. He has more power after becoming a bigger player in preseason.

“Since Steve (Borthwick) came in I haven’t been involved in previous teams,” he said. “We’ve had a few conversations about what I can add to my game. A big part of that was the physical side of things. At Saints, the S&C (strength and conditioning) staff focused a lot on putting on a bit of weight in pre-season, so that helped me.

“I feel better now in terms of contact, which is something England talked about and Saints talked about as well. That has benefited me. I have only gained two to three kilos, but my strength has increased quite a bit.’

So England’s last line of defense against Scotland is more robust and ready for a ferocious Calcutta Cup match, while remaining an instinctive, natural sportsman. After calling him by name, Borthwick said he had seen Furbank in the team room playing darts with Freddie Steward – in which case he may have taken the Leicester man’s money as well as his shirt.

Furbank studied environmental sciences at the Open University for six years and obtained a first class degree

He has won just four caps since the match against Scotland at Murrayfield four years ago

There’s a new garden room at his house with a pool table and darts board in it – and Furbank has honed his skills to good effect. “I was a good dart player and I did a 180 on camera, which is probably one of the highlights of my life,” he joked. ‘Those were recordings for TNT a few years ago. Then I also hit one at the club (180).’

This is a gifted all-rounder. Furbank studied environmental sciences at the Open University for six years and obtained a first class degree. Now that he has finished it and has more free time, he is teaching himself to play the keyboard.

But rugby is the primary focus and in the coming weeks the clear aim is to revive his Test career. “I want to prove my worth to England,” Furbank said. ‘I hope I can just be myself and continue with the form I showed at Saints.’

If he performs like he has for Northampton this season, he will be unstoppable this time around – now that he is really ready.