No frills as Dave Attwood batters his way back

Stuart Lancaster is regarded as a coach of considerable subtlety, but his advice to the recalled Dave Attwood has no frills: “Bash holes in people.”

Lock forward Attwood doubled his tally of Red Rose caps in a fortnight over the summer – and his muscular performances during the two-Test series in Argentina were enough for Lancaster to restore him to the Elite Player Squad (EPS) last week.

And the Bath battering ram is confident he adds something to the rest of England’s lock forward division, which comprises Geoff Parling, Joe Launchbury and Courtney Lawes.

Attwood told The Rugby Paper: “The feedback I got during and after the Argentina tour was that England are looking for someone with my kind of characteristics to step up to international level and perform consistently.

“Geoff, Joe and Courtney are all tremendous players and have different attributes, but what I’m specifically charged to do is bash holes in people.

“The coaches want me to add some depth in terms of a player who is a big ball carrier, a maul defender and somebody who delivers big hits in defence. I hope I can offer that and it’s about stringing performances together so I can have a prolonged spell in the squad.

“My extra power is the dimension I can bring. Traditionally, England have been very good at having those kinds of players in the pack. Sometimes you need someone to truck the ball up with 70 minutes on the clock. That’s the focus I’ve been given.”

Attwood’s elevation to the EPS follows 30 months in the international wilderness. Within a month of his maiden cap against the All Blacks at Twickenham in 2010, Attwood was banned for nine weeks after being found guilty of stamping against La Rochelle.

The suspension resulted in the former Gloucester man being sidelined for the start of the 2011 Six Nations and he dropped off the England radar. Attwood, 26, admits there were moments over the past year when he thought he might never feature on the international stage again.

“Last year, it very much reached the point where I wasn’t trying to think about it at all,” he said.

“I’d been through the process of holding on to the England shirt with two hands and then it slipped away.

“I don’t think I felt hard done by – it was my own doing. But if you worry, then it’s not going to help you at club level. I had a good run at Bath last season and didn’t have a prolonged period out with injury.

“That gave me the opportunity to get back to my best and ultimately gave me the opportunity in Argentina.

“I’m a better player now than I was last time I was with England. I’m better conditioned than I was back then so I can bring more to the England squad.”

The role that Lancaster wants Attwood to fulfil may sound distinctly like the traditional enforcer, but Attwood refuses to link himself to those who once had that tag. He said: “If you worry too much about trying to compare yourself with players who have worn the shirt before, you are trying to live up to unrealistic expectations.

“Rugby is different now with all the constantly changing rules.

“It’s pointless trying to pigeon-hole yourself and say you are a Martin Johnson, a Ben Kay, a Wade Dooley or whoever. You just have to concentrate on what you are able to be, maximise your individual potential and build a mould for yourself.”

TOM BRADSHAW

Tagged Bath, Dave Attwood, England

No frills as Dave Attwood batters his way back