Redshaw ready to lead from the front

BEN Redshaw trained with England during last year's World Cup before he had made his Newcastle debut, already marked out as a player to watch.

- PAUL REES

Redshaw, who tained England Under-18s in last year's Six Nations festival, was called up for a week ahead of England's opening World Cup match against Argentina, part of head coach Steve Borthwick's policy of giving emerging players a taste of what it took to become a Test player.

When Alex Codling took over as Newcastle's director of rugby last summer, he very quickly identified Redshaw as one of the players he would be looking to build the Falcons' future around: three others, Jacob Oliver, Ben Douglas and Oli Spencer, were also part of England's squad against Ireland in Friday night's Under-20 Six Nations match in Bath.

Redshaw made his Newcastle debut in the Premiership Cup victory over Bedford a week after he had trained with England and while Codling has left Kingston Park, his replacement Steve Diamond has also vowed to give youth its head.

"It is exciting for us as a group to have so many youngsters," said Redshaw, who turned 19 in January, in his first interview as a senior player, although such was his self-assurance and fluency it could have been mistaken for his 100th.