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Joe Hayes will welcome the chance to test himself Leicester Tigers Teammate Nicky Smith if the pair had a row as England face Wales six kingdoms Opening game.
Hayes and Smith proved a formidable combination as they broke up Harlequins’ disarray 34-7 at Gallagher Prem on Saturday, but when their national teams February 7, Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
The England conservative was close to his club team-mate and Wales team-mate Olly Cracknell, but that friendship was put on hold when he entered training camp with the rest of the squad. Steve BorthwickThe lineup before the first round.
Hayes, like many in English football, considers Smith to be Prem’s best tackler and the 31-year-old endured one of his darkest days with the Ospreys.
Hayes was sent to the bin for persistent foul play in a Champions League tie in December 2022, so he is well aware of the threat posed by Smith.
“We just said goodbye in the locker room,” Hayes said after the win over Harlequins. “It was a little awkward. I didn’t know whether to hug him or strangle him. We knew where we were going but we were going to keep it professional and try not to have any family conflicts.
“I had a bad experience three or four years ago against Nikki, I got booked. I thought, ‘I’ve got him’, but he would get out of it very quickly.
“He has an unbelievable ability to get forward. It’s the same on the pitch, people don’t see that. He cuts everything, he takes care of the ball. He’s a good player. I think every player has a bad day and I’ve had a few, but this was probably my worst day.”
Smith will swap Leicester City for Sale at the end of the season and will be hoping to help Wales win their first Six Nations win since 2023 before doing so.
Hayes, meanwhile, feels vital to Borthwick’s side after injuries to England’s other two next-stringers, Will Stewart and Asher Opoku-Fodoyo, occurred in November.
While veteran Trevor Davidson and Young Velixa Serra offers strong optionHayes looks set to retain Take the starting point for the 2025 breakthrough.
“I’m really excited to be back here,” he said. “It probably wasn’t that exciting before because I never thought I’d be a part of it and it felt like a rinse and repeat cycle.
“It’s not just the fact that I’m playing now, it’s the fact of the team we have.
“If you look around at all the positions England have at the moment, the strength and depth they have is actually incredible, isn’t it? Maybe like 10 years ago you would never have had something like this.”