World Cup winner Hill, in the top tier of English players in history, was giving tips to the backrower after Under-20s sessions but the youngster didn’t know who he was talking to.
Cunningham-South’s coaches at his then club London Irish tipped him the wink about the identity of the man but the flanker has still not lived down his mistake.
Sidcup-born Cunningham-South was brought up in New Zealand after leaving England when he was four and claims not to have watched much northern hemisphere rugby growing up.
But he is still getting stick from Hill who has watched him develop from an age-group player to someone who has come off the bench in England’s first three Six Nations games.
“It is a bit of a running joke,” said the 20-yearold who is now at Harlequins. “When I was in the Under-20s I didn’t have a clue who he was at first and didn’t watch rugby over here. It was a bit before my time although he wouldn’t like me to say that. It is a long time ago. I didn’t know who he was, and I went back to the club and said there is this guy who keeps talking to me and giving me this feedback and he really sounds like he knows what is going on and I couldn’t quite remember his name.
This story is from the March 03, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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This story is from the March 03, 2024 edition of The Rugby Paper.
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