Shanklin told to leave England

Chris Jones13 April 2012

Tom Shanklin is under pressure to quit Saracens and play in Wales after making his Six Nations Championship debut for them this season.

The English-born centre drove to Cardiff on Sunday to link up with the Welsh squad for Saturday's clash with England at Twickenham. However, it has been made clear to Shanklin that Welsh rugby chiefs want him there full-time, a move that the player will resist until he thinks the time is right.

Shanklin is the only player in the 23-man squad for Saturday's international who is still with an English club.

Born in Harrow, he qualifies for Wales through his parents - his father Jim, who played for London Welsh, won four caps for Wales in the early Seventies.

The move to base international players in the countries they represent has gathered pace in recent years. The Zurich Premiership boasts players from all over the globe, but the cream of Scotland, Ireland and now Wales have been lured away by their home unions.

As recently as the mid-Nineties Richmond based their success around a strong Welsh contingent led by present Wales captain Scott Quinnell.

He was joined at the Athletic Ground by brother Craig, Barry Williams, John Davies, Adrian Davies, Andy Booth and Allan Bateman, while other Welsh players were sprinkled around the leading Premiership clubs.

The Welsh Rugby Football Union followed the lead taken by the Irish RFU, and tried to bring its leading players home to bolster domestic teams in the Heineken Cup.

Last season the Irish RFU managed to convince Ireland and London Wasps centre Rob Henderson to join Munster rather than continue in England.

Dover-born Henderson, like Shanklin, understood the Union's standpoint and with the contract on offer matching the money being paid by Wasps, the switch was made easier.

There was also the fear of upsetting the Irish selectors by staying in England, despite the strength of the Zurich Premiership and the quality of rugby played in it.

The resulting success of Munster, Leinster and Ulster has given all of Irish rugby a lift.

Scotland, with just two 'Super' clubs - Edinburgh and Glasgow - competing in Europe, are establishing a third squad based in the Borders to try to attract more players home.

They have already convinced George Graham, Doddie Weir and Gary Armstrong to quit Newcastle at the end of this season.

Saracens lock Scott Murray is another player on the Scottish management's wanted list.

The lack of a strong domestic league is hampering Scotland's bid to bring their best players back home and as our list on the right shows, there are 10 Scots plying their trade south of the border while Gregor Townsend is with Castres in France.

It is the chance to play in the Zurich Premiership and learn from rugby greats such as Saracens centre Tim Horan, the double World Cup-winning Wallaby, that is helping Shanklin to delay a move to Wales.

He explained: "I want to learn my rugby with players like Tim Horan and out there on the pitch with Saracens is the best place to do that at the moment.

"I will go to Wales in the future, but at the moment I am very happy at Saracens. I have been told that it is better to be playing in Wales.

"If I string a few games together with Wales then they may get on my back to move."

If Shanklin retains his place in the side that defeated Italy 44-20, it will mean facing club-mates Richard Hill and Kyran Bracken at Twickenham, a new experience for the young centre who made his Test debut as a wing - his father's old position.

"It's a bit difficult, but I know how Hilly and Kyran like to play and that's a help," said Shanklin.

"Having been with them for so long, training and playing at Saracens, it will be hard to think of them as the enemy, but all I will be seeing is a white shirt not who is wearing it on Saturday."

Like his father, Shanklin's first club was London Welsh and he represented Wales at Under-19, Under-21 and A team level before making his senior debut in Japan last season.

His Six Nations debut came against France at the Millennium Stadium a month ago when the hosts fought well, but lost 37-33.

That match came 32 years after his father made his Championship debut against the same country.

Shanklin has played just 25 times for the Saracens first team. That is due to a serious injury the 22-yearold suffered in a freak accident a year ago which led to a condition known as Acute Compartment Syndrome.

He explained: "I just fell and landed on someone's boot during training," he said. "I could hardly walk and later had no feeling below my left knee. I could have lost my leg."

Having overcome that kind of scare, running out at Twickenham will be a celebration of his full recovery and a chance to prove to the Welsh selectors that his rugby career is benefiting from an English education.

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