Gazette Sport
Old Sedberghian lifts Calcutta Cup on England Six Nations debut
12:00pm Thursday 9th February 2012
FORMER Sedberghian rugby star Phil Dowson made his debut for England as they started the 2012 Six Nations campaign with a 13-6 win against Scotland at Murrayfield.
Number 8 Dowson, 30, was one of three England debutants for interim coach Stuart Lancaster and played 68 minutes before he was replaced by Ben Morgan.
The Northampton Saints player went to Sedbergh School and was the rugby captain in 1999, when he played alongside fellow England international James Simpson-Daniel.
On Saturday, Dowson made a nervous start but senior master at Sedbergh Dan Harrison was impressed with his hard-grafting performance as England lifted the Calcutta Cup.
Harrison said: “I thought Phil was nervous early on and made a couple of errors but once he got into the game he worked very hard.
“By his standards he will maybe be disappointed but I hope he has done enough to earn a start against Italy in Rome on Saturday.”
The school has a tradition of rugby students going on to play for England with Will Carling and Will Greenwood also representing the country at the highest level, while Ireland’s Mike McCarthy also learnt his trade at the school.
Harrison added: “We all hope he gets a good run of games. He keeps in touch and I know him well. He has been close to an England call on a couple of occasions but he could now get two or three years at that level and possibly even the next world cup.
“His passing is extra sharp, he has a good rugby brain and he reads the game well.”
“He was marked down as a potential star and captained sides from under 14 to the first team. The side he captained in 1999 was very successful and he always had the ability. It was always about getting his chance.”
Dowson achieved three As at A level but turned down a place at Oxbridge to focus on his rugby and played at Newcastle Falcons before moving to Northampton.
In the 2009/10 season he was selected for the Sky Sports Dream Team and was nominated for both the Guinness Premiership Player of the Season and the RPA Players’ Player of the Season.
Dowson remains in contention to feature against Italy on Saturday in Rome.