As one of English rugby’s sharpest brains, not to mention finest playmakers, it is a great shame that Charlie Hodgson does not intend to take the plunge into full-time coaching. Perhaps it is fitting he is in no rush considering he fell into that category of player for whom time on the ball was always in abundance, but certainly for now he is content dipping his toe in the water.
London Irish are the beneficiaries, after he left the scouting position Saracens had in effect created for him last season for family reasons, and Hodgson is at peace with his peripheral role as part-time kicking coach. That is, apart from the 5.30am car journeys from St Albans to Sunbury he shares with the larger-than-life Petrus du Plessis.
“Sometimes you want things a bit more silent and he seems to want to fill it, fill the air,” laments Hodgson, tongue firmly in cheek. “But it’s only once a week. I’ve always known I didn’t want to do it full-time. Mainly because I’ve spent 16 years losing weekends, time with my family [he has five children] and I want that back.”
Hodgson stays in the shadows to the extent that he will not be back at Allianz Park on Saturday, preferring to watch from afar as Saracens host Irish. Hodgson bowed out in his characteristic style with a European and domestic double with Saracens in May 2016, pulling the curtain down on a 16-year career that included three Premiership winners’ medals. As a result, he is better placed than most to pass judgment on the concerning rate of attrition.
“[The game] is unrecognisable from when I first started as opposed to when I finished,” says Hodgson. “The worry is, when youngsters come out of school, they may be old enough and talented enough to play, but are they physically ready to cope with all the demands? I don’t know what the answer is other than shortening the season and the idea of lengthening it is absolutely crazy. I suffered with a lot of soreness in the last few years in my career. That is through training load and through games. Saracens looked after me very well but physically, my body was ready to call it a day.”
It is apt that his arm’s length involvement in the game is matched by Hodgson’s great England rival, Jonny Wilkinson, who fulfils a similar role with England. The Hodgson or Wilkinson debate – in essence, roundhead versus cavalier – is age old and like Rob Andrew and Stuart Barnes before him, Owen Farrell and George Ford have since been compared along the same lines. Indeed, Hodgson has acknowledged the similarities between himself and Ford, Farrell and Wilkinson, but while Eddie Jones seems to have found a solution by playing both together, Hodgson does not consider it the permanent one.
“I would love to see Owen at 10 for England because I really feel he is our best 10,” says Hodgson. “Having him central to the England team will develop it even quicker than it already is. There’s no limit to what he can achieve. He’s very talented, his game just keeps moving on and on, it ultimately shows how dedicated he is and what he wants.”
When Hodgson hung up his boots he took his gargantuan record haul of 2,623 Premiership points and left a gaping hole in the ranks of domestic fly-halves. The emergence of 18-year-old Marcus Smith into the England training squad may appear to demonstrate a lack of depth in that position but Hodgson again extols the virtues of taking one’s time. “You are in the firing line in all aspects of the game and you have to be ready. If people come later to it, I don’t think it’s an issue,” he says.
“To throw people in at 18-19 is a big ask – Marcus Smith is showing he can cope with it but not everybody can. Letting people gain experience is not a bad thing at all before you expose them to the Premiership – it can be unforgiving. [Marcus] is really brave for his age, to be in the game and to challenge the line like he does, it’s testament to his character. I’m sure people will go after him in games but he’s coping well at the moment.”
The form book would suggest Irish are on a hiding to nothing on Saturday. They have lost all five Premiership matches since an opening day victory but did spring a surprise with a 44-7 win at Stade Français in the Challenge Cup last weekend. “The whole outlook around the place is very positive and it’s a good place to be” says Hodgson. “It’s a nice environment to be part of. I’m sure people are feeling [the strain] internally but it’s not showing on the outside and that’s a good sign.”
