After playing an integral part in Dings Crusaders earning promotion in 2023/24, the England Under-20s prop is full of praise for his time in National Two West ahead of the World U20 Championship final. (Photo Credit: Thinus Martiz/World Rugby)

“Seeing a young prop being able to do that is definitely an inspiration. We are all striving to be there,” Jimmy Halliwell, the England Under-20 and Bristol Bears tighthead, tells National League Rugby.

“It gives me confidence that he has come through the same sort of system.”

Halliwell is referring to Fin Baxter’s rise into the England senior side, the young Harlequin earning his first caps during their recent series against New Zealand.

Following the injury to Joe Marler in the first Test, the 22-year-old played 63 minutes before starting the second clash at Eden Park.

Two years ago, Baxter featured for the Under-20s in the Six Nations but over the last two weeks, he was able to step into the shoes of his mentor Marler on the international stage. “I think he [Baxter] is a person I would look at to try and follow,” adds Halliwell.

Yes, Baxter operated at loosehead in both Tests but when he was transitioning from England Under-18s to the Under-20s, he was originally a tighthead.

With Steve Borthwick admitting that England “needs to find some more tightheads” following their 2-0 defeat against the All Blacks, perhaps what has occurred in South Africa in the last three weeks will provide him with some optimism.

After clinching the Under-20 Six Nations title earlier this year, England have surged into the final of the World U20 Championship where they will play France in Cape Town on Friday.

And their run to the showpiece event has been built on a solid set-piece and an enthusiasm for this area of the game.

“Us forwards hang our hat on physicality and our set-piece brutality,” says Halliwell, who will be looking to make an impact from the bench in the final. “That is where we bring out our best and we let the backs play off it but that is where we will attack every game – that set-piece, that scrum, that maul, that lineout – because we have got some serious operators in there.”

Halliwell, whether he cares to admit it or not, is one of those ‘serious operators’ and the influence of England’s pack on this tournament might be best encapsulated by their last two performances.

Against host nation South Africa, their immense scrummaging led to a last-gasp close-range try from replacement hooker James Isaacs which sealed a 17-12 win while more power up-front was a factor in England beating Ireland 31-20 in last Sunday’s semi-final.

“Our set-piece was big for us,” adds Halliwell. “I think that is what helped us a lot, the scrum, the maul, the lineout and the backs finishing it off for us. Key penalties throughout the game as well is what I think did it for us.”

The 20-year-old might have played just 84 minutes over in South Africa, but he is part of a unit of ‘propping prodigies’ which Borthwick, along with scrum coach Tom Harrison, may look to tap into.

The stock of Sale Sharks phenomenon Asher Opoku-Fordjour – who can operate on both sides of the scrum – has maintained its rise during the competition while the continued emergence of Billy Sela, Afolabi Fasogbon, Cameron Miell and indeed Halliwell emphasises England’s strength in depth.

“Everyone backs each other to do the job and that applies one to 23,” Halliwell says. “Whoever is playing, it doesn’t phase us. We know all of us can play and run our systems so we know we can get the win with whoever we have got on the pitch. It is good competition because everyone backs each other to contribute.”

 

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With the likes of Baxter and even Chandler Cunningham-South (who shared a dressing room at the 2023 Under-20 World Championship with Halliwell) being propelled into England’s senior team, the pathway for the next emerging talents is a visible and ‘inspiring’ one.

But Halliwell is mindful not to look too far ahead and perhaps this is a by-product of his development since he entered the Under-20 set-up in 2022/23.

When assessing the current crop of Under-20s, the pathway to becoming the next Baxter or Cunningham-South will differ. For example, Opoku-Fordjour represented Sale Sharks on 11 occasions in the Premiership and Europe in 2023/24 but for players like Sela and Halliwell, their opportunities to develop came elsewhere.

Nearly 50 per cent of Sela’s game time this season was in BUCS Super Rugby for the University of Bath while for Halliwell, 68 per cent of his minutes came in National Two West for eventual champions Dings Crusaders.

Fourteen of the 23 in England’s matchday squad for Friday’s final did gain experience in National One or National Two this term and while his breakthrough into the Bristol Bears first team hasn’t happened quite yet, the importance of getting stuck into gnarly forwards –  from Chester down to Camborne – was not lost on Halliwell.

“I think it has probably been my best season so far, to be honest!” says Halliwell, who played 13 times for Dings. “I’ve loved my time with Dings and I have probably learnt the most in Nat Two. Quite a few older and seriously experienced props who have been there a long time who have got the craft.

“I have been put in some awful situations a few times! That is probably where I have made my most growth though by being put in those awkward situations and having to work out how to get out of them. I have been facing the wrong way a couple of times, I’ll say that!”

“Scrummaging with those men, it does give you that bit of experience. Obviously, I haven’t got it all yet at 20 but it gives you that little bit more so when you come into an age-group environment, you can take that little bit of confidence that you have been in those situations before and you know how to get out of them. I guess it gives you that belief that you can really start attacking the scrums and you can use your crafts then.”

Halliwell also learnt his ‘craft’ with Dings’ neighbours Old Redcliffians in 2022/23, racking up 12 appearances for the National Two West outfit.

Of course, Bristol have leant on their connections with local teams to aid the development of some of their youngsters and the faith shown by the Bears in National League Rugby clubs in particular is something which fills Halliwell with belief.

“Pat’s [Lam – Bristol Director of Rugby] backing of Dings and what happens in the National Leagues helps a lot,” he emphasises. “It gives me that confidence that I can take that step now and go up the ranks. I think I know if it is not with Bears next season, hopefully it is building up the leagues so I am getting myself ready for when the chance at Bristol does come.”

According to Halliwell, the minutes he and his England Under-20s teammates have been able to accumulate this term have been good to “mentally keep them switched on” during the fast-paced nature of tournament rugby.

England played four games in 15 days to reach Friday’s final and will have had a four-day window to prepare for their latest showdown with current world champions France.

Halliwell was part of last year’s squad which lost 52-31 to Les Bleuets in the semi-finals but Mark Mapletoft’s side more than exacted their revenge back in March as a 45-31 victory away in Pau secured the Under-20 Six Nations title.

“It is always a big challenge coming up against France but we are taking some confidence into this,” says Halliwell, who scored the match-clinching try in that Six Nations encounter.

“We are bubbling and ready to go. We have played them a couple of times in the last 12 months and I think we know what they are about. We have a game plan which can really stretch them and hopefully cause them problems.

“I think we can definitely take something from that [Six Nations] game. We were away in France in a Six Nations title decider – similar to Friday I guess – in front of a huge crowd with a lot of home support. I think we can take something from that albeit in a different environment. There won’t be the same amount of crowd but we can definitely take confidence from where we were in that game.”

And it is unsurprising to hear Halliwell pinpoint one particular facet of the game which will be crucial if England are to defeat a sizeable French side and become World U20 champions for the first since 2016.

“Our pack hangs our hat on how dominant we are and our set-piece brutality. I think it will be a good match-up. They are not small [players] but we are always looking to go and attack a team in the set-piece and hopefully get some outcomes there.

“It [to win] would mean the world to me and to be able to win it with such a good group of boys, it would mean so much. A few of my family are here [in Cape Town] and I know the rest will be watching around the world so I want to do it for them. It would be a great way to cap off this season for me.”