At the start of every season for the past few years Fitz Harding has written down his goals for the next 12 months on the first page of a crisp new notebook. “You can probably guess what they are,” says Bristol’s impressive captain before his team’s trip to Saracens on Saturday afternoon. “I want to win the Prem, I want to play for England, I want to go to the World Cup.” He makes it sound almost matter-of-fact, like a list of basic groceries to be picked up on the way home.
The longer you spend with him, though, the more you wonder if those lofty ambitions may be realised. Not only is the 27-year-old intelligent and personable but he is not the type to give up easily. Nor does he lack for motivation. “I don’t just want to be in England’s squad. I want to play for England. It sounds silly but just getting a phone call [before the November Tests] wouldn’t mean very much to me. They’re not going to write in my obituary: ‘He made the England squad once.’”
True but a call-up would still rank as a hell of a story. Only eight years ago the back-rower was playing in Durham University’s fourth XV, having failed to attract even a flicker of county age-group or academy recognition. He can still picture a particularly bleak playing field at the University of Liverpool – “Honestly, the pitch was more mud than anything else” – which could not have been further removed from the glamorous pro scene. He still keeps up with several of his fourth XV mates, none of whom imagined Harding would be where he is now. “I don’t think anyone really saw it coming. I didn’t see it coming.
“It’s so funny now because I’ll bump into someone and they’ll introduce me as ‘my teammate from Durham years ago’. And their friend will say: ‘Are you sure?’ I have such fond memories of those periods. Which is quite odd because, at the time, I was so frustrated I wasn’t playing in a better team. I’ve always been very competitive. Even when I wasn’t in those teams, I felt a drive to improve.”
In addition to giving hope to late physical developers and scrawny freshers everywhere, Harding – now 105kg and 6ft 2in – is also a prime example of the importance of retaining an open selectorial mind. Steve Borthwick already has plenty of established back-rowers, ranging from Tom Curry and Henry Pollock to Ben Earl and Guy Pepper. How interesting, then, that Harding’s Bristol have already seen off Curry’s Sale and Pollock’s Northampton with Earl’s Sarries next up, followed by Stormers, Exeter, Leicester and Bath.
It is a heavy-duty sequence of games but if a coach wants someone with an insatiable work rate who is utterly determined to reach the next level, the scrum-cap-wearing Harding is that man. Bristol’s Pat Lam describes him as “a coach’s dream” and his fellow Bears forward Joe Batley is another admirer. “Fitz has been captain for the last few years and it doesn’t take much to see why when you watch what he puts his body through on the pitch. You want to follow him and back him up.”
Quick GuideEdwards joins Argentina for World Cup
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Shaun Edwards has agreed to join Argentina’s coaching staff through to the 2027 World Cup, ending any chance of the defence guru joining Steve Borthwick’s England set-up for next year’s tournament.
The 59-year-old, who is the most decorated coach in rugby history, joined the England women’s coaching staff on a short-term consultancy basis last month, raising the prospect he may potentially transfer to Borthwick’s staff for next year’s tournament. The Rugby Football Union has, however, allowed Edwards to slip through its fingers and Argentina will benefit in Australia.
Wigan-born Edwards has repeatedly expressed his desire to coach the England men’s team but while the RFU chief executive, Bill Sweeney, has admitted to a meeting in the past, a move has never materialised. Earlier this week, the RFU announced that Joe El-Abd will be leaving the men’s coaching set-up after the World Cup. In theory, Edwards will also be available again then should England come calling. For now he is headed to Argentina with whom he will coach at his fifth World Cup and with his third different nation after three with Wales and his most recent, in 2023, with France.
The former rugby league great left his role with France earlier this year after seven years with Les Bleus and having helped them to the Six Nations title in March with a thrilling victory over England. It was his third with France, having won four with Wales during his 11-year stint.
Edwards joined John Mitchell’s England women’s set-up before they began their WXV campaign with a victory over New Zealand. He is to join Argentina in time for their November Nations Championship matches against Ireland, Italy and France while Mario Ledesma has also joined Felipe Contepomi’s Pumas’ staff as forwards coach.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Felipe Contepomi, his coaching staff, and the Argentinian team at the end of this month and through to next year’s World Cup in Australia,” said Edwards. “I’ve always admired the skill and quality of Argentinian players, and I look forward to contributing my international experience to the team over the next year.” Gerard Meagher
Keep playing the way he is doing and, with Sam Underhill injured, the consistently effective Harding will become even harder to ignore, having already represented England A and the Barbarians. “I’m not necessarily X Factor, I’m not like a Henry Pollock … someone who’s going to burst on the scene and go from being an unknown to the best player in the league. But I feel my biggest strength is that I’m tenacious. I’m also desperate to win. I might never achieve some of the goals I set out but it’s not going to stop me from trying and giving them a go.”
If the call ever comes Harding will certainly be ready. Perhaps the seminal moment in his career so far was when he came down to train with Bristol on trial and found himself rubbing shoulders with established Bears back-rowers such as Earl, Dan Thomas and Nathan Hughes. “When I first came to Bristol, I never thought I was going to play professional rugby. When I left university [in 2020] I very nearly just got a normal job because, in my head, the gap was so big. But within the first few months of arriving I was like: ‘Actually, the gap isn’t as big as I thought.’ I started to think that if I put everything into it I could achieve some of the things I dreamed of when I was a child.”
The club’s senior players subsequently urged Lam to give him a contract and he has not looked back. The next step is for him and Bristol to go to places like Saracens – the Bears have never won at the StoneX Stadium – and front up as effectively as Sale did last week. If that happens – “We can’t rest on our laurels” – the ball will be in Borthwick’s court. Aside from anything else, England could do with multiple leaders in their World Cup squad, particularly bright ones with a sense of perspective.
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At university Harding chose to write his dissertation on the introduction of public street lighting in London and how it changed society. He is reading Fall of Civilizations – “It’s not a comedy” – by Paul Cooper and his three younger brothers, Dan, Alfie and Joe, are also a talented trio. One is in banking, another is in music production and two are scratch golfers. His father, Peter, meanwhile, has shown impressive career flexibility by swapping a top executive job with the Japanese drinks company Suntory for a new life as a yoga instructor while his mother, Mog, works for a number of charities.
Quick GuideWainwright opens Leicester account
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Wales back-rower Aaron Wainwright scored his first try for Leicester as they beat Gloucester 38-31 in a forward-dominated contest.
The hosts found themselves 14-0 down after just 10 minutes at Welford Road, but a sustained period of dominance led to them scoring 31 unanswered points that put them well on the way to their second straight win.
For the vicitors, this was a first league loss of the season as they fell short during a match in which eight of the nine tries were scored by forwards.
It was Leicester who quickly found themselves under pressure when they had fly-half Billy Searle shown a yellow card just three minutes in for deliberately knocking Ben Loader’s pass forward inside his own 22.
Gloucester quickly made the most of their one-man advantage when Wales flanker Jac Morgan squeezed his way through after a succession of pick-and-goes from his fellow forwards.
A second for the away side soon followed when a driving maul powered its way over, with loosehead Dian Bleuler grounding the ball. Caolan Englefield converted both early scores stylishly from out wide.
Shortly after Searle returned to the field, Leicester were on the board when Finn Carnduff managed to force himself over the line from close quarters.
Leicester found themselves level after half an hour when England tighthead Joe Heyes blasted through from a couple of metres and Searle added the extras.
The turnaround was then completed in the 36th minute when Jamie Blamire scored off the back of a driving maul to give Leicester a 21-14 half-time lead.
The hosts then pulled away as Searle kicked a penalty before the bonus point was sealed in the 50th as Wainwright crossed from a matter of inches.
To make matters worse for Gloucester, they had Thomas shown a yellow card immediately after the try had been awarded as their evening threatened to unravel.
They had a lifeline after an hour when a superb carry from Morgan took them close to the line before Englefield’s pass allowed Will Trenholm to power in down the left.
But their hopes of a comeback were ended with 10 minutes remaining when Ollie Hassell-Collins became the first back from either team to score when Adam Radwan’s pass sent him scurrying in at the corner.
There was still time, though, for the visitors to claim two bonus points late on as Jack Innard scored their fourth try before George Barton knocked over a penalty with the final kick. Press Association
For the moment, though, the top priority in Harding’s notebook – Fitz is a diminutive of his middle name Fitzgerald – remains rugby. “I want to show that I can compete at the highest level and to do that you have to be playing in big games. I’ve got to make myself impossible not to pick.
“That’s been my aim for this season. I’m not ignorant to the fact Steve’s probably got his back-rowers in his head … he’s got to give the lads he’s picked a chance. But it’s not going to stop the way I approach the game or my determination. I think there’s still more in me.”
From Durham Uni fourths to the World Cup? Don’t bet against him.
