Life has been full of surprises for England’s new back-row Ethan Roots of late. First there was a call-up by Steve Borthwick just a few months after arriving at Exeter, then came a first start against Italy last Saturday and a man‑of‑the‑match award to go with it. Nothing tops the surprise he got afterwards, however, upon learning that his mother, Cara, had flown out from New Zealand to watch the Auckland-born flanker make his debut.
“My dad is back in Auckland but my mum flew out and surprised me,” says Roots. “I saw her for the first time in quite a while. That was pretty special as well. She arrived [the night before the game]. I don’t know how she planned it all. Her and my partner landed at the same time. They kept it under wraps. It was a nice surprise.
“[Before the game] I got some messages from my parents, my partner and boys, my brother; all my family pretty much. I was pretty emotional going into it. They are a lot of the reasons why I play and probably why I have done so well.”
If it was a whirlwind for Mrs Roots, it is nothing compared to that of Ethan. He was a budding cage fighter as a teenager in New Zealand before returning to rugby and making one appearance for the Crusaders and another for the Māori All Blacks, only to doubt whether he had a future in the sport. It was a move to the Ospreys in 2021 that rekindled his love for the game before Exeter’s Rob Baxter – aware that Roots qualified for England through his father – took him to Devon while the England team manager and World Cup-winning flanker Richard Hill brought him to Borthwick’s attention.
“The last six or seven months have been pretty hard to process,” the 26-year-old says. “Everything has happened really quickly and everything has gone really well for me. I had a bit of a rough patch but came out of the end of it. I was lucky to still be in a professional setup and I fell back into it. I fell back in love [with the sport].”
Roots is a no-frills flanker who caught the eye in England’s 27-24 victory in Rome for his direct carrying – something Borthwick’s side do not have in abundance – including one notable gallop down the left wing. Equally, he has impressed Borthwick with his manner around the camp, wasting no time in bringing his voice to a squad that has lost a number of senior figures since the World Cup.
“He didn’t look like he was playing his first game, did he?” Borthwick said. “That’s what struck me, from the first day he came into camp. We did a fitness session in the afternoon on the first training day. What struck us there was how much he was talking to the other players around him.
“Players were working in pairs, mostly, so I was watching how the pairs interacted, but then they would all come together and he was loud, he was encouraging others and demanding of others. That’s his personality in camp. That really impressed me and we saw that out there today. I knew he was a good player, but as a character he’s grounded and experienced, with a real leader’s voice.”
Roots agrees that is where his strengths lie and after his impressive showing against Italy he is expected to make his home debut for England against Wales on Saturday where he would lock horns with a number of former Ospreys teammates.
“Energising other people and being vocal is something I am good at,” Roots says. “Lots of people told me coming in that I needed to find my voice coming into camp and I just tried to do that. Steve just said for everyone to bring their point of difference. The more times I can get my hands on the ball the better for myself and for the team as well.
“I know a lot of those boys in Wales and it would be great to have a hit-out against them. It is a big occasion and it would be my first Test at Twickenham so I would be really excited about it.”
