London Irish allrounder Alex Corbisiero leads new prop crop

Loose-head props of yesteryear conjure up an image of gnarled old campaigners with bleeding ears and a job description which could be summarised as ‘push’.
But the leader of the new breed, Alex Corbisiero, insists that those days are a thing of the past and with the likes of Joe Marler and Nathan Catt for company England‘s front row is in good hands for the next decade.
Still only 23 but with 16 international caps – it took England scrum coach Graham Rowntree another four years to reach that mark –  it is easy to forget that Corbisiero made his debut for England only 18 months ago.
During that short space of time the London Irish man has established himself as an international scrummager of some renown – witness this year’s demolition job on the Irish front row – while his ball-handling skills have also come to the fore in the loose.
Quins’ Marler, 22, has also demonstrated he can combine those skillsets starting the three Tests against South Africa and, as the only other loosehead in the England elite senior squad, is set to be Corbisiero’s main rival for years to come.
But despite the two budding stars’ relative youth, age is not an issue in the eyes of Corbisiero.
“There is a lot of talent in the loosehead position,” he said. “Not just myself and Joe Marler in the senior squad but if you look in the Saxons there are Matt Mullan and Nathan Catt.
“We are slowly burying the myth about the position. Obviously there is no substitute for experience and you learn from that, but guys are coming through so much earlier these days that we have already had a lot of experience at a younger age.
“There is a lot of depth and youth in the position and with guys of that age and calibre still developing the future is looking very bright.
“Joe and I are the two EPS props at the moment and it’s very exciting to be able to learn from Graham Rowntree and adding to that back at our clubs.
“With guys like Graham we have the old warhorses passing on their lessons. We can learn from their tutelage and that definitely accelerates the process for us so we can do more at a younger age.”
The young bucks were  thrown in at the deep end this summer when both Marler and Corbisiero were pitted against South Africa on England’s summer tour.
Going up against Tendai Mtawarira and the Du Plessis brothers, Bismarck and Jannie, is a crash-course rather than a gentle learning curve and Corbisiero left the tour with a damaged meniscus in his right knee.
A subsequent operation has ruled him out of action until October but when he returns he insists it will be for the better after the rough lessons handed out in the series defeat to the Springboks.
“There are some positives to take from the tour to South Africa,” he said.
“I enjoyed the experience as a whole, there was a lot of stuff that I liked and as a squad we gelled more and it was exciting being out there.
“But from a personal point of view I was very frustrated with the injuries that happened that kept me out of the first and third Tests that has resulted in this operation at the end of it all.
“It’s a big learning experience for England and for guys individually like myself and we will look to take that forward into the autumn and in the longer term to 2015. I want to be the starting prop forward for my country.
“Of course, that’s my goal but I have to be realistic and first and foremost I cannot look any further than London Irish.
“If I can get healthy and playing well then that is the best way for me to put my hand up for that starting international jersey, that’s any player’s goal.”
CHARLIE TALBOT-SMITH