I’ll make up for England blow says Dunn

Highly rated Bath hooker Tom Dunn admits being “gutted” about the injury that denied him the chance of facing his Argentinian hero Agustin Creevy on England‘s summer tour.
However, the combative 24-year-old remains determined to make good on the talent that persuaded Bath boss Todd Blackadder to liken him to all-action New Zealand star Dane Coles.
Academy product Dunn had been a live contender for Argentina before sustaining a broken ankle and ligament damage against Harlequins in February. However, the setback has only fuelled his desire to make an impact when the new season starts in September.
Dunn, right, told TRP: “The injury was gutting as I was just starting to establish myself. I’d had a good few starts and was on a bit of a roll, but then after six minutes against Harlequins I caught a restart and got my leg trapped under Dave Ward and Adam Jones.
“It was just one of those freak injuries but the timing could not have been any worse. It was pretty tough to take but the way I’m looking at it is I can still achieve what I set out to do by establishing myself in the Bath squad and then really look to kick my career on.
“Since the injury I’ve had a couple of chats with the England scrum coach Neal Hatley so it’s all been positive. The recovery is going to plan and I’m targeting our pre-season games.
“I’ve been working hard on my set-piece, my mobility and have been doing a lot of weights to put some size on, so, hopefully, I’ll come back in really good condition.”
After giving Dunn an extended run last season, Blackadder said: “He’s one of those exceptional guys who I reckon would be an All Black if he played in New Zealand.
“The way he gets around the field, his defence and his physicality means he’s definitely going to be a great player. Better still, he plays like that every week.”
Dunn, now contracted to Bath until 2021, said: “I thought Todd might be a bit tipsy on holiday when he said that but it was really encouraging to hear.”
On Creevy’s long distance influence, he adds: “Creevy’s awesome – a real physical specimen who has great leadership qualities and is very good at set-piece and around the field.
“He’s got the full game and although it didn’t go so well for Argentina against England, if you analyse his game individually he was still pretty outstanding.
“In the back of your mind you think ‘what if?’ and it would have been great to face him, but it wasn’t meant to be and all I can do is focus on my rehab.”
NEALE HARVEY