James Linegar Interview: England's next exciting fly-half who has the ambition to match
Linegar and the England Under-18s are currently in South Africa as part of the International Series
©RFU Collection via JMP UK
When it comes to an exciting emerging talent, you are always conscious not to overhype a potential future star.
But when that particular individual is assured and confident in his or her ability, it becomes hard to ignore.
Almost exactly four years ago, then Harlequins Director of Rugby Paul Gustard mentioned that his fly-half, a certain Marcus Smith, had an “unashamed desire and ambition” to be the best player in the world.
A week later, The Times’ Owen Slot interviewed Smith who backed up his own quotes: “I’m not hiding that I want to be the world’s best. I genuinely mean that.”
At the time, Smith was just 21 and had yet to make his senior debut for England but shades of that unwavering belief resurfaced during a recent chat with current Under-18s fly-half James Linegar.
“The hard work doesn’t stop,” the impressive Linegar tells TRU. “I have got to keep going, effectively, until [I am] the best in the world. That is where I want to be.”
Where Linegar is now is with the England Under-18s out in South Africa as they prepare for their final two International Series matches against Georgia and the aforementioned host nation.
But where he truly wants to get to is where Smith currently finds himself as England’s senior first-choice No.10.
And you could argue that Linegar has perhaps already had his very own ‘Marcus Smith moments’ during this calendar year.
Just like in 2021 when Smith was involved in a thrilling and victorious Gallagher Premiership final against Exeter Chiefs, Linegar played his part in a dramatic finale for Bath Under-18s back in February.
Against Northampton Saints, the Blue, Black and White came from behind to seal the Premiership Rugby U18 Academy League title, with Linegar near-perfect from the tee.
In March, it was coolness personified again from the Bath youngster but this time on the international stage as his superb last-gasp conversion snatched a 36-35 triumph over Wales at the U18 Six Nations Festival in Parma.
Three weeks earlier in the senior version of the Six Nations, it was Smith who clinched a stunning victory for England over Ireland thanks to a nerveless drop-goal.
And as Smith did at Harlequins back in 2018, Bath's Linegar recently signed his first professional contract at his boyhood club.
These creative parallels might be over-egging the point slightly but whilst 18-year-old Linegar is putting together a hypothetical scrapbook of memorable moments, there is also a self-awareness of what he has achieved as well as concentrating on what is to come.
“In terms of reflecting on things, obviously I have got to remember those experiences and how good they were but I kind of take it like a next job if that makes sense?” he says.
“Obviously those experiences are awesome and I have dreamt of those things but I am not where I want to be at the moment. I am on a step in my journey. I want to get right to the top if I can.”
Incidentally, Smith made his Harlequins debut at the age of 18 but making the step up to Bath’s first team - particularly as last year’s Premiership runners-up look to build on 2023/24 - will, in Linegar's own words, be a big challenge.
He still has a year of study remaining at Kingswood School where he is completing a BTEC in Sport and an A-Level in Psychology but with Orlando Bailey the only real obvious understudy to Finn Russell, opportunities might not necessarily be intangible.
Youngsters Sam Harris and Raff Weston (the latter playing for Bath University in BUCS Super Rugby last season) seem like the next No.10’s off the rank but Linegar is a very bright prospect who will be waiting in the wings should a chance fall his way.
After the 18-year-old put pen to paper on his professional contract in May, Bath Head of Rugby Johann van Graan said: “We have a clear strategy at Bath to develop talented homegrown players that can have an impact at senior level, and James is someone we look forward to working with over the coming years.”
Ensuring Linegar progresses at his own pace will, of course, be a focus of Bath’s and the environment which van Graan has created seems like the perfect fit for the fly-half.
“It [Bath] is obviously the place where I have wanted to be for my whole life,” says Linegar. “But when looking at other clubs and looking at Bath, Bath is definitely in a great place at the moment in terms of what they are building. Johann is clearly building something good here. It has got a really good feel about it.
“Obviously you are not going to go straight into the senior team but I think that there is that clear pathway at Bath.”
Linegar’s step up from academy level means it is likely he will have more interactions with the mercurial Russell, who was instrumental in helping Bath reach their first Premiership final in almost a decade last term.
So is Linegar looking forward to soaking up knowledge from one of the world’s best?
“At the club, the academy coaches, they have all got clips of him [Russell] playing for Bath and the idea has been that they will show bits to me and I will take that sort of advice,” Linegar explains.
“Watching him, seeing what he does and how he is very calm and collected, I kind of like how he is in that sense. Now I will be training more with the seniors and stuff like that, I will definitely learn a lot more from him.”
But learning from Russell, as invaluable as it sounds, isn’t the only way in which Linegar is hoping to sharpen his skills.
He sees himself as ‘calm under pressure and knowledgable of the game’ which comes from taking bits and pieces from other world-class fly-halves such as George Ford, Damian McKenzie and well…Marcus Smith.
“You have got to be your own player but I do like to take things from different 10s,” Linegar adds. "I won’t look at one 10 and be like; ‘I want to be like that.’
“For example, you mentioned George Ford. There are lots of bits I have taken from him that I see in his game that I kind of want to implement in mine.
“Other players like Damian McKenzie or Marcus Smith, their step and how electric they are. It means I like to take different bits from 10s and try to implement them into my game if it is appropriate.”
Representing England Under-18s and working closely with head coach Jonathan Pendlebury and assistant coach Will Parkin is another notable layer to Linegar’s development.
Sharing ideas with Parkin in particular, Linegar admits his immediate work-on is to try to further implement the ‘electric’ running game of McKenzie and Smith into his own arsenal, with the end goal being to "manipulate defenders more".
The Bath youngster - who has five Under-18 caps to his name - is on the bench for England’s meeting with Georgia on Friday lunchtime but is determined to use their final two matches as learning opportunities.
“Here at the 18s, Parky and JP, they are great. I have already had chats with them - especially Parky - about my development and effectively hearing how he can support that.
“We talk about getting better and better so that is what it is about. There are different works-on like improving my running game which I will be focusing on and it is all about looking at the opposition in front of us, how can I develop myself and work out how I can help us beat this opposition. That will ultimately develop me.”
In the year in which Smith said he wanted to be the world’s best, the Harlequins playmaker went on to win the Premiership and make his England debut before being called up to the British and Irish Lions squad during their tour of South Africa.
Of course, that list of phenomenal milestones won’t instantly happen to Linegar but if he continues to produce some standout moments and excellent performances, it will be difficult to stay quiet about another exciting English fly-half.
