“Playing for England is something I want to do again”

Adam Radwan scored three tries against Canada in his England debut
© TRU
Adam Radwan’s first taste of international rugby could not have gone better.
By scoring three tries against Canada at Twickenham, Radwan showed all of the attributes that had helped him grab Eddie Jones’ attention in the first place. Never having donned an English jersey at age level, Radwan scored seven tries in a 2020/21 rugby campaign that was interrupted by injury.
Whether or not Newcastle Falcons players would be picked up this summer was questioned even in May, with head coach Dave Walder suggesting the club were being ignored, with no England representative coming to Kingston Park to watch the team in action.
Tipping George McGuigan, Sean Robinson, Will Welch, Luther Burrell and Adam Radwan for selection at that time, four players have been selected in the past two weeks. Jamie Blamire has scored four tries out of his two caps, Callum Chick started against the United States and Trevor Davison came off the bench in the first test of the summer.
Radwan was the last Falcon to take his chance and truly seized the opportunity that was presented to him. Electric air with every touch of the ball, the 23-year-old passed his opponents with apparent ease, scoring three tries against Canada.
After a hugely promising start on Saturday, attention has already turned to this autumn, as the brief glimpse of life in camp England whets the appetite for more Test-level experiences.
âIt gave me a huge taste for it,â Radwan said. âI mean, I’ve never done anything for the age of England, so going in and getting a taste of it blew me away.
âIt was amazing, and it’s something I want to do again, and it’s something I’ll do whatever I can to make sure I have another opportunity to do it. a real taste for us, and I really want to be here again.
This season, along with compatriot Newcastle Ben Stevenson, Radwan has established himself as a regular in the Premiership. The pair were quite the tandem, performing both on offense and defense, helping the team to place in the top four before a drop in form meaning the team placed 10.e at the end of the season.
It’s been quite a journey for Radwan in recent years, with the third player released by his club’s academy at the age of 18. Returning to Billingham RFC for one season, he was back in the fray full time just a year later.
In the seasons that followed, he received the Anglo-Welsh Cup Revolutionary Player Award and was the Challenge Cup’s top try scorer. After the club’s relegation to the championship in 2019, Radwan established himself as a regular with Dean Richards, moving from the second division to the elite.
This is one of the many extremely unique stories in this current generation of English players, when asked what work has been done in his career so far, it is a journey that Radwan says he enjoyed every step.
The first man to score a hat-trick for England in his debut since @JeremyGuscott in 1989 ??
Congratulations @ AdamRadwan97 ?????? pic.twitter.com/xusLlfu4kj
– England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) July 10, 2021
âI work extremely hard,â Radwan said, âlike everyone else does here and I was actually sitting on the bus thinking on the way this morning, wow. It’s something you always dream of and you have the impression that time has passed.
“It really is, and I feel like just yesterday I was here watching England as a kid and that time has absolutely passed and I loved every minute of it.
“The ups, downs, I think all of them helped me come back here and play. It was an amazing day and I have worked for a long time.”
While the game will be remembered for Radwan and Blamire scoring a hat-trick each, it will be the mid-match recruiting of Marcus Smith from the British and Irish Lions that will be the highlight of England’s 70-14 victory over Canada.
After playing against the Harlequins opener for several years, this is the first time Radwan has had the opportunity to play with a man widely regarded as one of rugby’s top young talents, with the wing praising of his international teammate.
âHe’s classy,â Radwan said. âHe fully deserves this (recognition), he’s been class all season, he’s been class for us the last few weeks in training. Looks like he has the ability to take a break, you know what I mean?
âHe always seems to be making the right decisions by always putting people through the holes. He makes it look effortless and he’s amazing and he’s a real top boy. I get along very well with him and I am so happy for him.
Unlike the majority of his New England teammates, Radwan has not had to face consecutive seasons with Newcastle having to wait seven months before returning to the competition.
Regardless of that, it has always been a grueling season for the 23-year-old and his teammates at Tyneside. With a well-deserved time off ahead, Radwan is unsure whether his vacation will be in Whitley Bay or somewhere further afield and looks forward to the challenge of earning more caps in the near future.
âIt has been a difficult year,â Radwan said. âNot just rugby stuff, Covid stuff, everyone all over the world has had a hard time. It’ll be good to switch off and take some time with rugby and everything, so I’ll probably have a few weeks off and then get back to it.
âI can’t stop now it’s a cap and I would really like to have a lot more of it. So I’ll have a few weeks off and get right back to it. “