3 hours Ago By James Gray
Even at school Elliot Daly found himself playing second fiddle.When Whitgift won the 2010 National Schools’ Rugby Cup final, one name took all the headlines: Marland Yarde.The outside-centre, who went on to score eight tries in 13 appearances for England on the wing, had bagged a hat-trick, the third from inside his own 22.
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addToArray({"pos": "inread-hb-ros-inews"}); }But it was his centre partner, six months his junior and a year below, who would go on to win it again the year after and, more significantly to play 72 times (and counting) for England. Now Daly is being tipped for a place in a third British and Irish Lions tour this summer.#color-context-related-article-3527381 {--inews-color-primary: #8BC419;--inews-color-secondary: #F6FBED;--inews-color-tertiary: #8BC419;} Read Next square RUGBY UNION .
inews__post__label__sports-analysis{background-color: #8bc419;color: #ffffff;}Sport AnalysisTwo Lions contenders did battle - and gave Farrell a headacheRead MoreJust a few months ago, that looked unlikely. He didn’t even make the 23-man squad for the Six Nations opener against Ireland, and still no one quite knows what his best position is: 11, 13 or 15. By Saturday night, he will have played all three for England in the space of a week.
And when the best coaches in the country started hearing Daly’s name, he actually had the No 12 on his back.“I was coaching at Saracens and I kept hearing about this kid,” Paul Gustard tells The i Paper.if(window.
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adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l1"}); }“Marland was obviously also tearing up trees – and you always see these guys and go, ‘They’d be interesting for us.
’“But this kid [Daly] was whacking over 50-metre penalties for Whitgift at Twickenham. You’re saying ‘This kid’s not right!’ He was fast, his outside break was incredible, beautiful skills.”To the modern England fan, that description could only apply to one player, so unique is his skillset.
A young Daly in action for England Under-18s in 2010 (Photo: Getty)Daly was already part of the Wasps academy, making it hard for Gustard’s Sarries to poach him even if they wanted to, but their paths would cross again. Five years later, the uncapped Daly was called up to the England squad by Eddie Jones, who had hired Gustard as his defence coach. He had impressed during the previous summer’s Rugby World Cup training camp but was yet to make his debut.
Initially, it wasn’t clear how he could. Jones favoured the Ford-Farrell dual playmakers in midfield, with Manu Tuilagi outside him. Wasps’ regular 13, Daly actually made his international debut off the bench at inside centre, his schoolboy position.
Eventually he got a start, but a new position again.“[That Ford-Farrell-Tuilagi line-up] pushed Elliot out either to wing or full-back, and full-back was [Alex] Goode and [Mike] Brown for a long time. That’s probably why he ended up a little bit on the wing, particularly the first 15, 20 caps, and not really anywhere else for England,” Gustard explains.
“His versatility has always helped and probably also hindered him a little bit, in his own mind. He’s been moved around a little bit and probably wants to be in one position. But he’s been so good in all three, it’s f**king hard not to pick him in any one of them.
He could start in any one and do you a great job.”if(window.adverts) { window.
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adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l2"}); }#color-context-related-article-3574573 {--inews-color-primary: #8BC419;--inews-color-secondary: #F6FBED;--inews-color-tertiary: #8BC419;} Read Next square RUGBY UNION England keep Six Nations title hopes alive with seven-try rout of ItalyRead MoreEven now, a senior figure, Daly has not nailed down one shirt. He started with 15 on his back against Italy, but had to go and play outside centre after just eight minutes because of Ollie Lawrence’s Achilles injury.
“You don’t want to see people go off but I just tried to nail my role there, whatever that is, really,” Daly says.“There was some starter play stuff that I was learning on the run to make sure I was in the right position, but apart from that, it isn’t too different coming from full-back attacking wise.”In England’s Six Nations finale on Saturday, he is back on the wing in Cardiff, where he has special memories of scoring a late try in the corner eight years ago that virtually silenced the Welsh crowd – “It went very quiet after that, which was nice,” remembers Daly, with a twinkle – although Gustard and other England coaches were roaring themselves hoarse in the stands.
“I think if you asked him, he always wants to play 13,” Gustard says. “But he’s got this uncanny knack of getting vital points at vital times: Wales away in 2017, gets over for a try in the corner after two beautiful passes from Farrell and Ford. Right time, right place.
“Go back three weeks ago, [when he scored the winning try against France]. Just a beautiful line, bad defence from France, of course, but still, right time, right place. His versatility helps with that.
” Elliot Daly scoring the winning try in the final minute to clinch the victory for England over France at the Allianz #Breitling #DefiningMoment @Breitling pic.twitter.com/o8JmKSzXh9— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) February 8, 2025 if(window.
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adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l3"}); }He has a “metronomic” left boot too – “in this world of low percentage rugby, it’s important from time to time,” says Gustard – and is often called upon for long-range shots because of the power behind it.
Eight years ago, he kicked one from near the left touchline inside his own half against New Zealand for the Lions.#color-context-related-article-3550543 {--inews-color-primary: #8BC419;--inews-color-secondary: #F6FBED;--inews-color-tertiary: #8BC419;} Read Next square RUGBY UNION There's a seven-way race for Lions fly-half - and one clear leaderRead MoreAnd he has a very good chance of wearing that same jersey again, maybe even with the same No 11 on it, this summer in Australia. Now 32, he is a senior figure in the England camp, and took on a key role last week in putting together a tribute video to celebrate Jamie George’s 100th cap.
The pair were best man at each other’s weddings.A natural prankster, Daly missed last year’s summer tour to be present at the birth of his first child and, some team-mates say, has grown up – but still retains the same boyish grin.“What you see, when you see him smiling during the game is what you get, 24/7 in the week,” says Gustard.
“He’s really, really good man, and really good around the group, because his emotions are constant. He’s not up and down all the time with selection or with poor performance or great performance.“He’s unbelievably positive, unbelievably energetic.
”On a long, hard tour away from home, it’s not hard to see why someone of Daly’s experience and versatility would be appealing to Lions head coach Andy Farrell.if(window.adverts) { window.
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adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l4"}); }Gustard adds: “Of course, there’s a lot of players competing for that shirt. A plus point is he plays three positions.
A plus point he’s been there and done it. A plus point is he’s a great tourist. And a plus point is he’s a likeable guy that’s gonna be able to work with different people.
“Because the groups that are more successful [are] the people that get a real unity and bond and are the groups that tend to tend to function better, I think.“And Elliot has proven before, never mind his playing abilities, that he can work and function and get along with these other guys. He’ll be great asset for any selection.
”Main man or not, Daly would be a Lions veteran on tour this summer. And he probably won’t care what number is on his back..
