CHARLIE TECTOR’S impressive outing at No 12 in Leinster’s opening game of the URC campaign caught the attention of the panel on the latest edition of Rugby Weekly Extra, the podcast for subscribers to The 42.
“The player for me who shone the brightest was Charlie Tector,” Bernard Jackman said.
“He’s a guy who has been forgotten about. When we talk about Leinster number 10s, we talk about Harry Byrne, Ross Byrne, Ciarán Frawley and Sam Prendergast.
“He was two years ahead of Sam in the academy and he’s had difficulty with injury and difficulty with just getting a chance because up until last year or so, Sexton was still in there as well.
“He’s a very talented footballer but he brought physicality and go-forward ball to the 12 jersey the other night, which, to be honest, I hadn’t seen in his game.
“And look, as a 10 you don’t carry in the way that you need to as a 12, so there’s a reason for that. But he’s someone who probably isn’t going to, or at least wasn’t going to get a huge amount of rotation. Now maybe he’s someone who can get some game time at 12 because he had a big impact on the game.”
Rugby Weekly Extra host Gavan Casey added: “We had kind of forgotten about Charlie Tector, but in our defence, he was nowhere to be seen. I don’t know where this beast has come from, playing at 12 and really excelling in contact. If disaster was to strike and Jordie Barrett wasn’t available until a little after he signed, they have a new option here.”
“It was a great reminder of his talent which we saw at U20s,” the 42’s Murray Kinsella said.
“He had that period out injured last season, and he looks more athletic for it. That often happens to guys. It happened to Joe McCarthy when he had that long-term injury and came back, peaked and kind of maximised his athletic potential.
“It looks to be that way for Tector too. He looks quicker and more fluid in how he moves. He’s a big guy and is suited to playing at 12 in that regard because he has to carry.
“But you also saw his flashes of skill; his handling for the Larmour try, where he plays that ball out the back to Prendergast. It was just a wonderful moment of skill.
“Leinster have done this before when Harry [Byrne] played at 12. Ross [Byrne] played at inside centre; I think he wore 13 one time as well. But it wasn’t a kind of natural fit whereas this does look more like that.
“It’s a really nice option for them moving forward,” Kinsella said.
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