England prospect Tommy Freeman vows to bounce back to form after being hauled off after 40 minutes

Tommy Freeman was one of the latest victims of Eddie Jones’ ruthless tenure in England, but the Northampton rookie has vowed the pain of being taken off at half time will do the trick.

Freeman, still 21 and one of the brightest prospects in English rugby union, was one of four players substituted for Jones just 40 minutes after the November loss to South Africa.

The loss to the Springboks turned out to be Jones’ last game in charge before he was sacked last month and replaced by new head coach Steve Borthwick.

Tommy Freeman was removed at half time for Eddie Jones against South Africa in November

Freeman made his Test debut in a 2–1 summer tour win over Australia and impressed in the southern hemisphere, but his autumn campaign did not go as planned.

“It wasn’t ideal and it definitely wasn’t how I wanted it to be, but it’s a big learning curve for me,” Freeman said, after leading the destruction of Harlequins on New Year’s Day in Northampton.

‘Obviously, it hurt. Nobody wants to go out at halftime. It’s going to make or break me and I think it’s making me to be honest.

Former England boss Jones’ no-nonsense regime meant he was never afraid of making big decisions, although his player management has come into question.

The Australian came on for two former Northampton players in Luther Burrell and Teimana Harrison in the first half of the Tests.

The 21-year-old admitted it wasn’t an ideal situation but insists he will bounce back.

He also did the same for scrum-half Danny Care in Australia in July.

“With a test match, you may not be in the game for a period of time, much longer than in the Premiership,” Freeman said, when asked what he had learned from his last international appearance.

‘In a test match, you may not see the ball for a good 10 minutes. It’s about staying alert, staying in the game, and not disengaging.

‘Eddie obviously helped me a lot. He believed in me, which was really nice. I took a look at the South Africa game and spoke to the relevant coaches. Hopefully I can get involved again.

Freeman says former England head coach Eddie Jones “helped him” and “believed” in him

Freeman and the rest of England’s Six Nations hopefuls will spend the first part of this week at two training camps to be monitored ahead of Borthwick’s first campaign in charge.

Freeman is a strong contender to start that game and he admitted that the freedom he is given at the Saints is in stark contrast to his experiences in England to date.

“I would say that I’ve probably been thinking too much, that it’s not my strong point,” Freeman said.

‘When I start to think too much is probably when my game is not going according to plan. I’m just trying to free myself. If I stick to what I’m good at, the rest takes care of itself.

Freeman has admitted that the freedom he has been given at Saints is in stark contrast to his experiences in England.

“When I’m left alone, I think that’s when I feel most comfortable. Obviously I need to know information about the plays but having that freedom is very easy for me.

‘That’s when I play best. The way we play here (at Northampton), we play what we see. If we see space wherever we are on the field, Sam Vesty (attacking coach) gives us license to back us up.

‘With England, it’s risk-reward. You still want to be able to play when you see space, but sometimes you have to rush and force errors instead of being licensed to go anywhere.