Soldier Ant works for a second chance

By PETER JACKSON

Last updated at 12:45 29 March 2008

England rushed Anthony

Allen into their team

early last season with a

haste bordering on the

indecent and they have

not deigned to pick him

since.

The fact that they have

since gone through a

grand total of 70 players

makes his absence all the

more puzzling, given that

there was a time when

those in charge could not

get him in fast enough.

The Gloucester centre,

who had only just turned

20 when England picked

him against the All Blacks

in November 2006, is now

all of 21.

Far from

vanishing like a flight

from the departures

screen at Terminal 5, 'Ant'

is alive, well and more

than holding his own in a

team who have scored

more tries than any

other — 48 in 17 matches

— in the quest to reach a

second successive Premiership Grand Final

at Twickenham in May.

Allen has been, and

continues to be, the most

consistent inside centre

in the Premiership this

season and while he

would never dream of

describing himself as

such, it is a point he will

be anxious to prove on

Gloucester's behalf again

this afternoon in their

Severn derby against

Worcester at Sixways.

A little more solid with an

extra half-stone of

muscle at 14st 7lb, Allen is

a class act, as the Ospreys

discovered to their cost

when he unhinged them

with a dazzling solo try in

a European Cup tie

earlier in the season.

Given the fiercely

competitive nature of a

Kingsholm squad bulging

with ever more Test

players, Allen's 26th

appearance out of 27

matches on all fronts

speaks volumes about his

consistency.

England under Brian

Ashton have left Allen

well alone and Gloucester

wished they had done the

same at the start of the

autumn series two years

ago, a fiasco which

ultimately cost Andy

Robinson his job as

national coach.

Dean

Ryan, Gloucester's head

coach, may not profess to

be an expert in Greek

mythology but, by the

sound of it, he

appreciates the dangers

of some latter-day Icarus

flying too close to the sun.

"If you burn a young

player early in his career,

you run the risk of losing

a bit further down the

line," he said. "I'm not

suggesting that's going to

happen with Anthony

because, since being

bounced around a bit by

England, he has grown to

be a very good

Premiership player who

has the ability to play his

way back into

international rugby.

"Being plucked out to

play for England some 18

months ago was a big ask.

I felt at the time that he

was being used as a

short-term fix and I don't

think young players

should be used in that

way. They could have

filled the gap with a more

experienced player."

Allen went the full

distance on his debut — a

41-20 defeat — and spent

the entire half-time

break having 11 stitches in

his lower lip.

"I caught

someone's shoulder and

my bottom teeth cut into

the lip, which left a big

gash and a loose piece

flapping about in my

mouth," he said. "Those

were tough times for

England. People have said

I was too young but I

wouldn't say that. While I

was shocked to be picked,

I was never going to say:

'No, I'm not ready'.

"It happened so quickly. I

was in for two games,

then I was out. It could

have gone well but I

enjoyed the experience.

A lot of players don't go

through what I've been

through until they are 25

or 26 and I will be a lot

better for it."

Allen stayed for the next

game against Argentina,

since when England have

chosen five others at

No 12 — Olly Barkley, Mike

Catt, Jamie Noon, Andy

Farrell and the

incumbent, Toby Flood.

"Since then I've only been

concerned with playing

well for Gloucester and

trying to get back where

I was so I'll earn another

opportunity with

England," said Allen. "I'll

be a lot better equipped

to handle it."