Those who dismiss England’s final World Cup warm-up game against Italy as irrelevant clearly do not hail from a northern postcode. For many the overdue chance to see the national team play a capped Test in Newcastle makes it an auspicious occasion, one which will hopefully encourage the Rugby Football Union to stage further games outside Twickenham.
If they need an example of exactly why showing the sport to a less familiar audience is so vitally important they need only talk to the England flanker Mark Wilson. In rugby terms the 29-year-old grew up off the beaten track in Kendal. For years he was a lonely teenage road warrior, commuting to training sessions at Newcastle Falcons. He never made it to an England game at Twickenham, partly because of the exorbitant costs and partly because “it was just too far”.
His only option was to watch televised Six Nations games from afar. “It was on BBC wasn’t it?” Wilson says. “Regardless of whether you had Sky or not, you could watch it.”
Hence the note of excitement in his voice when asked how it will feel to run out at St James’ Park on Friday in an (albeit red) England jersey.
“It’ll be massive. Throughout my youth if you wanted to watch England you had to go down to Twickenham to see them. For families up north it’s quite a big effort. I’m sure it’ll be pretty special for young north-east kids who love rugby to be able to go to St James’ Park and watch England play.”
Given Wilson’s family home in Blaydon is now only a short taxi ride away, he is also looking forward to a rest from his normal long-distance travelling routine after Tests in the south. “The lads have been having a joke with me because I’m usually having to fly back after a game or catch the train. This time I can sit smugly in my house on Saturday night while other people do it,” he says.
To cap it all, even Wilson’s mother, Janice, will be putting in a rare appearance. Her son has been playing top-level rugby for years but she has been seen in the stands only on a handful of occasions.
“She hasn’t been to any of my games at Twickenham. She’s a bit of a wimp … she doesn’t like big crowds. With this one being in Newcastle I don’t think she had an excuse. I think the last time she came was for my 200th game for the Falcons two seasons ago.”
His wife Amy’s father, Andy, will also be there, hoping for a happier sequel to one of the family’s favourite stories.
“My family back in Cumbria aren’t massive football supporters but Amy’s family had season tickets at Newcastle. When Amy was a kid, she won a competition on the radio and the prize was to take a penalty at Alan Shearer’s testimonial. She put her dad forward: he’s a mad Geordie who loves football.
“He went to the academy during the week to practise with Peter Beardsley and was banging them all in. But on the night of the game, at half-time, there’s a different goalkeeper from the under-21s, who comes up to him and says: ‘You’re not going to score past me.’ Then Andy took his penalty and missed. I think he hit the post. As long as I am more successful than him, that’ll be all right.”
Should he happen to score a try against Italy he will probably resist a football-style celebration. “I can’t do the Shearer one. I suppose I could kick the hoardings down but I might never play for England again.”
Instead he will be focused on staking a claim for a place in England’s increasingly competitive starting back row, having finally worked his way back to full fitness before the squad’s departure for Japan on Sunday.
Given Wilson is now officially listed as a Sale player, his loan move a consequence of Newcastle’s relegation from the Premiership last season, it would be a fitting end to a rollercoaster year if he ends up starting in England’s key World Cup games. To do so he will have to hold off the energetic challenge of the younger Tom Curry and strike a blow for the squad’s elder statesmen. “I’ve gone as far as Love Island but I’ve not gone as far as Instagram. I am probably just the boring old fart.”
As far as Eddie Jones and an expected 50,000 crowd are concerned, what matters rather more is the manner in which England attack their fourth and last buildup challenge. Italy have not named their strongest combinations and, if their hosts are the side they aspire to be, the scoreline could be an inflated one.
Should the debutant Bath winger Ruaridh McConnochie and his fellow flyers Jonny May, Anthony Watson and Joe Marchant be given only fleeting opportunities to display their pace, the management will be as disappointed as the Geordie audience.
All concerned will also be praying that untimely and depressing injuries to key individuals, not least Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell, are also safely sidestepped. If a fit, happy England can fly east on Sunday evening having left farewell vapour trails across a raucous St James’ Park, everyone save Italy will be happy.
