Young England star Fin Baxter backs old-school approach to land him bigger role

The prop burst onto the scene with Harlequins last season, a standout performance in place of the absent Joe Marler in a win away to Bordeaux-Bègles serving as a warning shot of just how good he could be
Fin Baxter is still only 23 but his approach to rugby remains very much in the old school. The prop burst onto the scene with Harlequins last season, a standout performance in place of the absent Joe Marler in a win away to Bordeaux-Bègles serving as a warning shot of just how good he could be.
That led to a first England call-up for last summer's tour of New Zealand, and he has been a firm fixture in Steve Borthwick's plans ever since. With first choice loosehead Ellis Genge away with the Lions in Australia this summer, Baxter now has the chance to take on an even bigger role for England.
‌
And while the modern game might be asking more of props with ball in hand, Baxter believes that is the nuts and bolts that will determine how far he goes in the game.
‌
He said: 'I want to keep showing that I'm a key part (of the England team). I've got a real point of difference, my set-piece is hopefully that difference, and the stuff I bring around the park in my carrying and tackling, is going to hopefully overshadow that aggressive stereotype that Argentina brings.
'Props nowadays, I think, are too quick to want to be the modern prop. That label has been thrown around so much whereas for me, you have to scrum, you have to maul, you have to be very good at that first, to then be able to do the rest of it. At the end of the day, you are picked on your scrummaging and the rest of it makes you a brilliant player. That is something I wanted not to miss.
'Coming through at Harlequins, I would think 'what's stopping me? What's not getting me picked?' and it was scrummaging. It's an easy answer. If you've got that ticked, you can bring the rest of your skills.'
Baxter's emergence with England coincided with a string of narrow defeats, finding himself on the losing side in his first five caps. None of that was Baxter's responsibility, but he made a match-winning cameo against eventual Six Nations champions France in February at the Allianz Stadium, scoring a try in a dramatic 26-25 victory.
He describes that game as 'mega' and has relished the upturn in results since as England finished their campaign with four straight victories on their way to second – their best result in the tournament for five years.
‌
He added: 'With England, it was a tough start results-wise. Come the Six Nations, to get the results like that and perform was brilliant. We beat Japan but before that, I'd not won a game for England, so to go from that to finishing off with four games not losing, it was nice to be on both sides of that.
'Being new into a team, you are not quite sure what is off, what's changed, what is different, because it's your first experience. I did say to myself 'don't let this taint the start of my career', I had good times in those games, it's not just the result, I was enjoying myself, camp was fun, and the boys were playing well. It was nice to get the balance.'
The challenge now is to kick on against the Pumas, renowned for their powerful pack, particularly on home soil.
But for a player who has seized every opportunity that has come this way, Baxter is desperate to do it again and show that old-school skills still have their place in the modern game.
Make sure to cheer on the England Men's XV against a France XV on Saturday 21st June at Allianz Stadium so together, we raise the roof. Tickets from £25, please visit www.englandrugby.com/xvtickets

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Guardian

an hour ago

• The Guardian

British & Irish Lions v Argentina: rugby union

Update: Date: 2025-06-20T17:59:55.000Z Title: Looking for a rundown of the rest of our live coverage this weekend? Content: Here's everything you need to know. Update: Date: 2025-06-20T17:59:51.000Z Title: The lineups Content: Here's a reminder of the starting XVs, in case needed. Lions: Marcus Smith; Tommy Freeman, Sione Tuipulotu, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell; Ellis Genge, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Finlay Bealham, Maro Itoje (captain), Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl. Argentina: Santiago Carreras; Rodrigo Isgró, Lucio Cinti, Justo Piccardo, Ignacio Mendy; Tomás Albornoz, Gonzalo García; Mayco Vivas, Julián Montoya (captain), Joel Sclavi, Franco Molina, Pedro Rubiolo, Pablo Matera, Juan Martín González, Joaquín Oviedo. Update: Date: 2025-06-20T17:59:39.000Z Title: Preamble Content: And so it begins. After all the hype, buzz and anticipation, the 2025 Lions tour is about to get under way. Before the squad fly out to Australia, there's the small matter of a tough warm-up match against Argentina, ranked fifth in the world, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. It will be the first time the Lions have played in Ireland, a historic occasion which the squad's 16-strong Irish contingent will be especially keen to mark with a win. Tadhg Beirne, who will start at lock, has said as much, telling the press: 'For us Irish players it's extra special and means a lot.' Beirne was part of the Ireland side that narrowly beat Argentina 22-19 at the Aviva last November, a result which hints at just how tough this game could be. While the Pumas' last outing was a 37-23 defeat to France soon afterwards, their three wins at the Rugby Championship last year – against New Zealand in Wellington, Australia in Santa Fe and South Africa in Santiago del Estero – are a better measure of their mettle. Expect brutal forward play and threats across the back line. As for the Lions, it's early days. This is a chance to experiment, feel out different combinations and build relationships on the pitch, albeit against steely opposition. There's a subplot for England fans, with Steve Borthwick's side set to face Argentina in two Tests on 5 July and 12 July. No doubt Borthwick will be keeping a close eye on proceedings. As for the rest of us, it's time to sit back and enjoy the ride. Here's some pre-match reading to be going on with.

Scottish Sun

2 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Who is Lions' captain Maro Itoje's wife Mimi?

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE British and Irish Lions embark on a world tour every four years, which kicks off against Argentina in Dublin on June 20, 2025. Here we get to know captain Maro Itoje's wife Mimi — just one of the glam WAGs attached to the squad. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Maro Itoje is married to Mimi Itoje (née Fall) Credit: Instagram/mimiitoje 3 Like her husband, Mimi works as a model Credit: Instagram/mimiitoje Who is Maro Itoje's wife Mimi? Mimi Itoje is a model and artist who is married to England rugby captain Maro Itoje. In addition to rugby, Maro sometimes also works as a model. He's appeared on the cover of Tatler alongside Lady Amelia Windsor. It's understood the couple met during a shoot. read more on maro itoje WORTH A TRY Itoje captains Lions as squad revealed with shock call up for England star, 20 She has been represented by London-based agencies including W Management. On top of her modelling career, Mimi is an artist — she creates acrylic on canvas paintings incorporating cultural themes. Maro proposed to his now-wife during a holiday to Nigeria and Ghana in August 2024. Mimi shared the happy news on Instagram alongside snaps of her dazzling ring, which she captioned and the caption: "Mrs I to be." Maro subsequently described the moment to the Daily Mail, saying: "We went to this beautiful aqua-safari in Ada, which is on the coast, about two hours from Accra. "It was a beautiful resort, and I popped the question there." England captain Maro Itoje hopeful for 'classy operator' Fin Smith starting against France in the Six Nations The couple married less than a month before the Lions tour kicks off on May 25, 2025. Maro celebrated the occasion by writing on social media: "Scripture says It is not good for man to be alone… I am no longer alone. "I HAVE A WIFE. To God be the Glory!!!!" Talented rugby family Talent runs in Maro's family — his cousin Beno Obano, who plays for Bath rugby, was born just three days apart from him. The cousins often show public support for each other, with Beno appearing on Maro's podcast titled Pearl Conversations. On the show, Maro interviews leaders and groundbreakers from various fields including music, sports, politics and art. 3 The couple tied the knot less than a month before the Lions tour kicks off Credit: Instagram/mimiitoje Maro reflected on their upbringing on Pearl Conversations, saying: "For you and I, rugby has never really been [there] when we were growing up — as you said, from when we were born to when we went to secondary school. "Before then, rugby was never really a thing for us. Coming from a Nigerian household where, if it's any sport at all, it's football. If it's not football, then it's books.""If it's not football, then it's books." Maro's Rugby career Born in Camden, London, Maro didn't pick up rugby until he was 11, discovering the sport at secondary school. Before committing to rugby, he also competed at shot put and basketball. He joined Saracens at the tender age of 17 in 2012. In 2016, Maro went on to earn his first senior England cap against Italy when he was just 21. Maro had already been part of a Lions tour, being the youngest member of the 2017 New Zealand squad at just 22. The Saracens lock was named England captain in January 2025 ahead of the Six Nations.

Wales Online

2 hours ago

• Wales Online

How much do British Lions players get paid?

How much do British Lions players get paid? The Lions begin their summer tour preparations with a match against Argentina in Dublin on Friday night Maro Itoje and his Lions team-mates are set to make a lot of money this summer (Image: 2025 Getty Images ) The British & Irish Lions kick off their summer tour this evening with a warm-up game against Argentina in Dublin. It is the first time in their history that the touring side have played a match in Ireland and head coach Andy Farrell is certainly taking the curtain-raiser seriously. ‌ The Lions boss has named a strong XV to face the Pumas at the Aviva Stadium, with Wales skipper Jac Morgan starting and Welsh scrum-half Tomos Williams being selected on the bench. ‌ Both will have an opportunity to lay down a marker for the upcoming Test series against Australia, with excitement now building for the trip Down Under. Being selected for the Lions is widely regarded as the ultimate honour for players in the northern hemisphere. Former skipper Sam Warburton said during his playing days: 'To finally get that Test jersey playing the first match against Australia, which we managed to win, that is the only jersey that I have hanging up in my house – that's how proud I am of that one. 'For me that was the biggest and single most important game I have ever played in. Article continues below 'When you are playing club rugby, yes you want to play for Wales and I wanted to play for Cardiff but in the back of my mind I always set my sights really high on playing for the Lions. 'There was pressure on the players and as captain I felt a lot of responsibility. That was why it was such a relief to get the Test series win against Australia – an amazing feeling but we also knew that people would be optimistic about the Lions moving forward to the next series.' Along with the honour of representing the Lions, players also get rewarded financially - and quite handsomely too. ‌ According to the Telegraph, this summer's tour is set to be a record-breaker, with a £10million profit expected. A new profit-sharing agreement will see selected players pocket £100,000 each for their contributions in Australia. That is a 25 per cent increase on the tour to New Zealand in 2017, which saw players pocket £80,000 for their efforts. The trip to South Africa in 2021 was played behind closed doors due to Covid. "We know that players love playing for the Lions, and it is the pinnacle of their professional careers, and this landmark agreement highlights how they are at the centre of our thinking," said Lions chief executive Ben Calveley. Article continues below Simon Keogh, Rugby Players Ireland chief executive, added: "Players are central to the ongoing success of the British and Irish Lions Tours and we are delighted that their views – including those of Lions heroes of the past – have been heard throughout this process. "I'd like to thank the British and Irish Lions for their honesty, transparency, and genuine consideration of the players' voice. "As a result, I believe that we have reached an agreement that is both fair and reflective of the strong collaboration between all stakeholders in rugby."