Find out more about the vocal No 9
Who is Jack van Poortvliet: Ten things you should know about the England scrum-half
Highly-rated by England coach Eddie Jones, Jack van Poortvliet looks destined for a long career at scrum-half.
Ten things you should know about Jack van Poortvliet
1. Jack van Poortvliet was born on 15 May 2001 in Norwich.
He comes from a farming family, with his great-grandfather moving to England from the Netherlands and buying a farm.
2. His father, Jeff, played for Saracens in the 1990s and Jack first got involved in rugby at North Walsham RFC.
3. He attended Oakham School and started on the Leicester Tigers pathway programme in his early teens.
4. He started out as a fly-half but subsequently switched to scrum-half, winning back-to-back U18 League titles with the Tigers in 2018 and 2019.
5. He made his Premiership debut for the club aged 18 against Sale in the 2019-20 season.
6. In July 2021, he captained England U20 to a Six Nations Grand Slam.
He also became the inaugural winner of the U20 Player of the Championship award, which was voted for by the head coaches and captains of all the teams involved.
7. He was first called into the senior England set-up for a training camp in May 2022 and was later named in the squad for a three-Test tour of Australia.
8. He made his England debut when he came off the bench to replace Danny Care in the first Test against the Wallabies in July 2022, scoring a try late on in a 30-28 defeat.
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Jack van Poortlviet gets in on the act and gets his first try on his debut! ?
FT – Australia 30 – 28 England #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/mCRvCoQPeC
— Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 2, 2022
9. In discussing his skill-set, Eddie Jones said: “He’s got good command of the forward pack, good communication skills, a good kicking game and a fast pass.”
10. Van Poortvliet’s leadership skills have impressed Courtney Lawes, England captain on the Australia tour. He said: “He’s not quiet, he’s becoming a leader as he gets more and more involved in this England team. That’s amazing to see in someone who’s that age.”
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