There are good guys in rugby, and then there’s Jamie George.
I’ll cut to the chase: I love this man so much. I’ve known him since our late teens, when he was my first roomie on England age-grade trips.
We made a great pair, in my eyes: he was Mr Positive, happy, loving the world; I was Mr Negative and hated the world. We balanced each other out until we were both in a realistic place.
If you walk into a pub with Jamie today, he’s the first at the bar. He’s the first one who buys anyone a drink. He sees it as his role to make sure everyone’s OK and everyone’s enjoying themselves.
It’s why Jamie and Danny Care were the Ant and Dec of the England team: the ones you went to for fun, the ones who organised all the good social times and made sure everyone gelled. They were the absolute kings of it.
In this pub scenario, Jamie is one of the loudest. But it’s not like me or James Haskell, who are both loud because we’re insecure narcissists. Jamie is loudest because he’s making people laugh. He’s loudest because he’s the life and soul of the place.
There are good guys in rugby, and then there’s Jamie George. I really love that man so much
I’ve known him since our late teens, when he was my first roomie on England age-grade trips
Jamie is the loudest because he’s making people laugh and he’s the life and soul of the place
He’s not a dullard. He’s not an angel. He’ll have fun. During one of the England camps in lockdown, there was very little fun to be had.
Henry Slade then realised that Jamie wasn’t going to be able to have a proper official stag-do before his imminent wedding, so one night after a win over Wales in front of zero fans, Sladey called an unofficial stag.
And if it had become the done thing to take your top off and two-foot a giant Christmas tree – which it definitely wasn’t, in no way, so the following is purely theoretical – Jamie would have done it, just to make everyone happy.
Which he didn’t. Just to underline that point.
Right. Let’s imagine you walk into a pub and there’s Jamie alone at a table.
(In this scenario you’re a rugby-loving ordinary punter, rather than a surprise call-up for the senior men’s England squad. Give it time, put the work in, who knows.)
Jamie’s making you feel at ease straight away. He’s getting you a drink and telling you to put your wallet away.
He’s asking questions about you, and he’s not doing it so he can top your story or your experience. He’s making you feel special.
He’s so popular across the Six Nations that he seems to be at a wedding every spare weekend
James really makes you feel at ease straight away and would tell you to put your wallet away
He’s not always been happy with me as I revealed one of his nicknames is Jolly Little Fat Man
You know that warm glow you’re getting in the pit of your stomach? That’s Jamie George love right there. And it’s only going to grow.
He’s not always been happy with me. On the latest series of Full Contact on Netflix, I revealed that one of his nicknames is Jolly Little Fat Man, as in what David Bowie calls David Brent in Extras.
When that particular episode came out, I got a furious text from Jamie. It went a bit like this:
‘How have you told the world that Funny Little Fat Man is my nickname?’
‘But it is.’
‘No it’s not. You’re the only one who uses it.’
‘But I just mean you are jolly and happy. And the alternative is Chubby Little Loser, so be grateful.’
On the pitch, it’s a joy to play alongside Jamie. His knowledge of the game is second to none, especially for a front rower, and his skillset is amazing.
Jamie and Danny Care were the Ant and Dec of the England team: the ones you went to for fun, the ones who organised all the good social times and made sure everyone in the team gelled
On the pitch, it’s a joy to play alongside Jamie. His knowledge of the game is second to none
He was an absolutely brilliant captain for England. The strength he showed in keeping going when his lovely mum was desperately ill with cancer was an incredible thing to witness
You may remember the Test against Australia in 2016 when he put a little grubber kick through, and was nailed on to gather it and score himself before Owen Farrell arrived to grab the loose ball and dive over the line.
A hooker putting a grubber through? It’s all possible with Jamie.
As a hooker, he’s a joy for a prop to play alongside. Just as he likes to help everyone fit in off the pitch, when you pack down beside him he adjusts to what the loosehead or tighthead might need to do their best job.
He’ll ask if you’d prefer a higher bind or his shoulder tucked in more.
It’s one of the reasons why we all rated him so highly; he’ll ask the right questions, and he has the ability to adapt to the specifics of the answers.
Jamie has achieved pretty much everything there is to achieve in rugby, bar winning a World Cup. He’s done all this without winding a single opponent up.
He’s so popular across all the Six Nations, made so many friendships on Lions tours, that every spare weekend he seems to be at a wedding in Ireland or Wales. This has not necessarily been the experience for me. Strange.
He was a brilliant captain for England. The strength he showed in keeping going when his lovely mum was desperately ill with cancer was incredible to witness.
I hope he looks back at his behaviour in that time with massive pride. He brought us all together
He’ll go down as one of England’s greatest ever players. And definitely one of the most loved
His parents had come to every England match he’d played from the age of 18. She wanted him to keep playing. He would never let her down.
I hope he looks back at his behaviour in that period with massive pride, for he was the man who brought us all together – the old gnarled ones, the young bouncers. Jamie’s the glue guy.
There aren’t many players who deserve to reach 100 Test caps more than Jamie does. He has not fluked a single one of them.
That’s why he’ll go down as one of England’s greatest ever. And definitely one of the most loved.