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Saracens’ teenage star Noah Caluori believes he is now ready for the step up to international rugby after a stunning breakthrough season.
The 19-year-old has scored 18 tries in the Prem this campaign, just two short of Sam Simmonds’ regular-season record from 2021.
Caluori trained with Steve Borthwick’s senior squad before the autumn internationals and is now targeting a Test debut this summer.
“I feel like now is a good time [to play international rugby],” he told the BBC Rugby Union Weekly podcast.
“I feel like I would back myself if I got put into that environment, if I got put into the team. I would be happy to go on the [summer] tour.”
after scoring five tries against Sale on his full Saracens debut in October, earning an immediate call-up to Borthwick’s autumn squad and an England ‘A’ appearance in November.
However Caluori wasn’t involved in the Six Nations, instead featuring for the Under-20s, and he admits playing full international rugby at that point may have come too soon.
On 4 July, England face South Africa in Johannesburg before playing Fiji in an ‘away’ fixture at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool a week later. They will then travel to the small Argentine city of Santiago del Estero to take on the Pumas on 18 July.
“Maybe the autumn or the Six Nations would have been a bit of a rush,” Caluori admitted.
“But I feel like I got handled well during the autumn and the Six Nations, putting me into England ‘A’ to experience that level as well as enjoying my time with the Under-20s, and going on a bit of a physical development plan was good.
“If I were to play [for England] earlier this year it would have been a rush, but now is a good time, especially experiencing this run-in with everything on the line for Saracens. It shows how [critical] every result is, and that’s similar to a Test match game.
“I’ve had some comms [with Steve Borthwick], we’ve had a chat, and I’m just focused on playing my best rugby from now until the end of the season.”
After scoring five tries in the home fixture against Sale, Caluori repeated the feat against them last month, and says he is coming to terms with being one of the most talked-about players in the league.
“I feel like the most pressure that will come on me is maybe internalised pressure,” he added.
“And I’ve dealt with that pretty well and then spoken to people to help me with it, so I can just focus on being the best teammate and the best person on the pitch I can be.
“But I feel like I’m handling everything pretty well. I’m trying to enjoy it.”
