With his form back and his club building momentum, Jack van Poortvliet is making up for lost time with club and country and showing a far more rounded approach than we saw earlier in his career.
Radwan (16', 45', 57'), Hassell-Collins (30', 54'), Liebenberg (73')
Tries
Northmore (43')
Pollard (31', 46', 55', 59'), Shillcock (74')
Conversions
Smith (43')
With his form back and his club building momentum, Jack van Poortvliet is making up for lost time with club and country and showing a far more rounded approach than we saw earlier in his career.
Leicester Tigers’ 40-7 win at home to Harlequins on Saturday was their third in four since the end of the Guinness Six Nations and puts them second in the Gallagher Premiership table behind old rivals Bath, and three points ahead of Sale Sharks.
Van Poortvliet is at the heart of their efforts, notably with tries in the 33-0 defeat of Northampton Saints, and 36-19 victory at Bristol Bears.
STRONG PARTNERSHIP
The 23-year-old has formed a strong partnership with double World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard, who is nearing his best after injury problems.
Coach Michael Cheika has allowed van Poortvliet greater licence to display his running game. There are plenty of tapped penalties and sniping breaks. The box-kicking controller of his early years under Steve Borthwick is a thing of the past.
Van Poortvliet’s form earned him an England recall during the Six Nations, with appearances off the bench against Italy and Wales. With first choice scrumhalf Alex Mitchell likely to be away in Australia with the Lions, van Poortvliet should add to his 18 caps on England’s trip to Argentina and the USA.
OFF ON TOUR
He will not take anything for granted. An ankle injury ended his Rugby World Cup 2023 hopes but expect van Poortvliet and Bristol’s Harry Randall to compete for the nine jersey.
With England moving towards a freer style, it will be indicative to see if Borthwick gives van Poortvliet free reign as Cheika has.
Van Poortvliet has already shown what he brings when not wedded to a rigid style, and if England want to get the best out of someone who scored on his international debut, then not doing so would be gross mismanagement.
| # | Team | PL | W | L | D | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bath Rugby | 15 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 238 | 14 | 66 |
| 2 |  Leicester Tigers | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 90 | 13 | 51 |
| 3 |  Sale Sharks | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 66 | 8 | 48 |
| 4 |  Bristol Bears | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 15 | 47 |
| 5 |  Gloucester Rugby | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 79 | 14 | 46 |
| 6 |  Saracens | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | -13 | 12 | 44 |
| 7 |  Northampton Saints | 15 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 10 | 38 |
| 8 |  Harlequins | 15 | 6 | 8 | 1 | -35 | 12 | 38 |
| 9 |  Exeter Chiefs | 15 | 3 | 12 | 0 | -147 | 9 | 21 |
| 10 |  Newcastle Falcons | 15 | 2 | 13 | 0 | -311 | 4 | 12 |
