Northampton Saints: Foden out to prove a point to Johnson
England manager Martin Johnson has reassured Ben Foden he is still in the mix after missing out on selection for the first November Test against Australia.
With first-choice full-back Delon Armitage out with a dislocated shoulder, it seemed the Saints star was next in line, but Johnson has decided to go with Ugo Monye at 15.
It is a bitter blow for Foden as his versatility didn't get him a place on the bench either, so he will be turning out for Saints in the LV=Cup against Ospreys tonight instead.
But Johnson said: "Ben has done himself a lot of good, he was here all last week and did well. We had to keep him back last week, because of a couple of knocks in the back three.
"He has done a tremendous amount of good in the way he has trained and the way he has handled himself, so he is in the mix as a full-back or a back three player for us.
"We just went for the guys we thought were right for this game and in form and Ugo has a lot of Test match experience and has been playing well at full-back."
After making his England debut at scrum-half and making a non-Test appearance against Barbarians on the wing, Foden is yet to play on the international stage in his best position.
Saturday's clash with the Wallabies at Twickenham looked to be the ideal occasion to test out his electric Premiership form in the Test arena, but Johnson has other ideas.
Monye played the early part of the season at full-back for Harlequins and after impressing with England last season, Johnson wants him in his side. It also means he can keep the huge Matt Banahan on the wing, which gives England the option of cross-field kicks and another bash-it-up merchant.
It means there is no place for the more subtle guile of Foden and instead of preparing with the England squad for a game in front of 80,000 at Twickenham, he will be turning out for at the more muted Liberty Stadium tonight.
With Armitage sidelined it is a real blow to Foden's international aspirations, but more motivation to work on his game and prove Johnson wrong.
It seems the power and extra experience of being on a Lions tour, plus his leadership qualities have given Monye the nod.
Johnson added: "At the start of the season I was thinking we had good cover at full-back with Delon Armitage and Olly Morgan in the squad, but they have both gone down injured.
"There were other options there with Foden and Nick Abendanon, but we have gone with Monye.
"He came in this time last year and made a good impression. He improved all the way through the Six Nations and got himself on the Lions tour, where he did pretty well.
“This season he has played for Quins at full-back where he has been very good for them and shown good leadership in the back three.”
With so many newcomers already in the England 22 and changes because of injury, Foden’s inexperience probably also went against him.
After scoring eight tries in his first season with Saints last term, Foden took until the home win over his old club Sale two weeks ago to get his first this campaign.
Against a weakened Ospreys tonight, Foden has the chance to add one or two more, which would serve as a good reminder to Johnson for the following two Tests against New Zealand and Argentina. Foden is in the mix, but he just needs a run of top-class performances for Saints to make it impossible for Johnson not to pick him.
Email to a friend
Print this page- BREAKING NEWS: Tributes paid to Niamh Curry as brave five-year-old loses battle against cancer
- BREAKING NEWS: Pensioner dies after collision at Northampton shopping centre
- Man tied to tree and beaten on Northampton Racecourse
- BREAKING NEWS: Woman’s body found after ‘suicide’ in Northampton hotel room
- BREAKING NEWS: Seven-year-old boy dies following house fire in Northamptonshire
- Staff strike at Northampton school over academy plans forces closure
- Northampton binmen at ‘breaking point’
- Saints’ stadium plans get support as long as traffic issues solved
- Eastern European pupils helping school standards across Northampton
- Exclusive: PM David Cameron says Northamptonshire Police Commissioner role is “a big job for a big local figure”
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Northampton
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
