Jack van Poortvliet talks 2023 World Cup hopes and dreams, learning off Ben Youngs and Danny Care, finding his own way and style as a scrum-half, and why he was the centre of attention when Burnley manager Vincent Kompany visited the England camp
Tuesday 25 July 2023 16:48, UK
England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has told Sky Sports that making the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad would be "incredibly special" and a "dream come true."
The 22-year-old started every game for England under Steve Borthwick during the 2023 Six Nations, and is currently competing with highly-experienced duo Ben Youngs (33) and Danny Care (36) in camp.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports at England's training base in Pennyhill Park, Van Poortvliet could not hide his excitement when asked for his thoughts if he were to make Borthwick's final squad, which will be announced on Monday, August 7.
"It's something that obviously will probably be in the back of everyone's minds, I think. If I'm lucky enough to be picked, it will be an absolute dream come true.
"I've grown up watching Rugby World Cups, my family are rugby mad, so I've been watching World Cups my whole life and just dreaming about being in a World Cup.
"You know, you joke about every time you're out on the field in Sunday rugby when you're doing kicking around at the end, you go right before we go in: "This is for the World Cup!
"You always talk about the World Cup in that sort of way. It's the pinnacle of World Rugby and so to be able to be a part of it would be incredibly special."
Youngs and Care possess 209 Test caps for England between them, and Van Poortvliet gave an insight into training alongside and learning from the pair, calling it "surreal."
He also labelled Youngs "a massive inspiration", while letting slip he was just seven years of age when Harlequins scrum-half Care made his England debut.
"It's been awesome. Obviously I was really lucky to have Wiggy [Richard Wigglesworth] and Lenny [Ben Youngs] to learn off at Leicester, and now to have Danny [Care] and Lenny to work off and learn off here, to push and compete with, it's unbelievable.
"Lenny being from Norfolk was a massive inspiration for me growing up, and not many rugby players have come out of Norfolk.
"So for him to be from a farming family and come through Norfolk, he was a massive inspiration for me growing up and then, I joked last week, but Danny made his debut in 2008 when I was seven, so I sort of fell in love with rugby from that age.
"To be honest, I've watched him and Lenny on screen playing for England my whole time growing up and the whole time dreaming about being a rugby player.
"So to be there now competing with them and pushing as much as I can to play with them, it's a bit surreal, but it's good."
In terms of what's he's learning, Van Poortvliet singled out Care's liveliness around the ruck, and Youngs' control.
"The big thing I've been picking up from with Danny is that scanning and being lively around the ruck and things like that. He's obviously a brilliant livewire around the ruck, and we know how threatening he is in attack. So there's some bits I've been trying to always be a sponge off him and learn from him.
"In the same way with Lenny as well, with his control to implement game-plans and things, which we haven't done a huge amount of yet, as we've not really had games to sort of implement them, but we're starting to really build that up.
"There's so much I can pick up from both with with how good and complete they are.
"I don't think I could ever do exactly what Danny does, nor exactly what Lenny does, because they're brilliant at their own parts. I think whatever bits you take from them, you're sort of moulding your way and that's something I've been trying to do.
"Not forced to be exactly like them, but pick up what they look for and try and improve, but with my own spin on it. What feels comfortable and right for me and what works for me, because certain things I will do won't work in how my brain works now. It's been really good to learn off them and put my own spin on it."
England will play four World Cup warm-up matches next month, the first two against Wales, home and away, on August 5 and 12 respectively, then take on Six Nations champions Ireland in Dublin (August 19) and Fiji at Twickenham the following week (August 26).
Borthwick's side launch their World Cup campaign against Pool D rivals Argentina in Marseille on September 9.
Van Poortvliet also revealed the England squad had recently received a visit from Burnley manager Vincent Kompany, and that the former Manchester City skipper had had a laugh about the England man's beloved Canaries...
"He was incredibly impressive. What was brilliant is it wasn't just like a straight Q&A. He was he was brilliant at talking.
"He presented how he would present to his Burnley players, and how he implements his values and his game-plans into the Burnley team and how he how he drives standards.
"It was really cool to be a part of and see.
"He was phenomenal and even actually took the mick out of me a bit because he was showing how good of a high press they put on against Norwich, which is my team.
"So he put on this clip and I went: 'Oh, Really?' And he went: 'Yeah, easy six points against you. We wish you came up with us, it'd be guaranteed six points,' and that obviously shot me down a bit!"
