Ollie Lawrence player analysis: Is the Worcester centre ready for international rugby?

Ollie Lawrence radiates quality. From the moment he steps onto the pitch, it is not difficult to identify that the Worcester centre possesses talent that few do. When it comes to international selection, the question seems to be when not if for Lawrence. So is the 21-year-old ready for the international game?

There are a number of elements to consider when addressing this question. First and foremost, the relatively limited experience of Lawrence. The dynamic 13 only made his first Premiership start this season, having been limited to cameos from the bench the previous campaign.

It would be easy to dismiss Lawrence’s case on the basis of experience alone. However, the Birmingham-born centre revealed that Eddie Jones has been in regular contact with him. Lawrence is also one of the talented youngsters that has spent time in England training camp to gain an understanding of the environment - back in May 2018 in his case.

Jones is not adverse to picking inexperienced players. Ted Hill for example, Lawrence’s Worcester colleague, was plucked from club rugby by Jones, picking him against Japan in November 2018. Lawrence is certainly further along in his rugby development than the 2018 version of Hill was, meaning a call up should not be ruled out on the basis of experience.

It is Lawrence's style of play that makes him such an exciting prospect. He stands a shade under six foot, but weighs in at a hefty 100kg while still being extremely quick. Lawrence has the ability to either run around or through defenders. His combination of pace and power proved far too much for London Irish earlier this month, with Lawrence carving through their defence to score two tries with ease following intelligently picked running lines.

Ollie Lawrence scores against Wasps in January following a sublime pick-up

The main obstacle for Lawrence to overcome is the abundance of talent possessed by England in the centres. Manu Tuilagi and Henry Slade have been top performers for Jones, who also has frequently deployed Owen Farrell at inside centre. Jonathan Joseph has been a regular, while Joe Marchant’s stock is at an all time high following a successful stint in Super Rugby.

So how does the prodigious talent compare to the players in front of him in the Premiership this season?

What immediately jumps out from these statistics is the number of clean breaks and defenders beaten by Lawrence. Although he has played more games, Lawrence’s numbers are not even in the same ballpark as some of England’s finest. In fact, he has beaten over three times as many defenders as anyone else on this list. His average gain per carry, which discounts the higher amount of game time, remains above all the other contenders - no mean feat when a certain Tuilagi is on the list.

Another impressive element of Lawrence’s game is his ability to offload. He gets his hands through the tackle and keeps Worcester’s attack moving my offloading with relative regularity.

Defensively, Lawrence is not as strong, although his tackle percentage is respectable. At outside centre, defence is just as much about decision making as it is about tackle completion. Lawrence certainly still has some way to go in terms of being able to read the game like Joseph and Marchant, who may well be England's best defensive 13. That being said, Lawrence’s defence is not a glaring weakness by any stretch, it is just his attacking ability has reached a higher level.

In time, Lawrence could combine the best traits of a centre with an outside break and elusive footwork with a more robust crash ball option into one, providing increased versatility and variety to an attack. Slade provides an extra ball player and an excellent kicking game, Tuilagi brings gainline dominance, Joseph brings pace and defensive guile while Marchant plays in a similar style - although with more of a kicking game than Joseph.

Lawrence could, without wanting to overstate his ability, combine some of the best traits of Tuilagi, Joseph and Marchant into one well-rounded package. He therefore could be the perfect outside centre to play with a 10-12 axis of two play makers  - which could be any from George Ford, Farrell and Slade, among others.

His vast potential means it could be worth investing in Lawrence now, with an eye on the 2023 World Cup.

However, when it comes to international selection, Lawrence’s lack of versatility could potentially count against him. Lawrence, at this stage, is a specialised centre while Marchant and Joseph can cover the wing, and Slade can play fullback. Given that Lawrence would not come in as a starter, this lack of positional versatility could limit his opportunities for now.

Eddie Jones’ mantra is that you should pick players now who are going to be better than what you currently have. Lawrence certainly seems to fall into that category.

England are likely to hold off on including him for now, but Lawrence’s career to date suggests he could already make an impact at the highest level. International defences are increasingly difficult to break down, players that can do it single-handedly should be valued at a premium.