Noah Caluori scores on debut and targets England starting spot after Fiji rout

Noah Caluori announced himself on the international stage with a try and an assist as England demolished Fiji 73-8 at Hill Dickinson Stadium, and the 19-year-old is wasting no time in declaring his ambitions — he wants a starting shirt.

Caluori’s Test career was barely seven minutes old when he dived flamboyantly into the right corner as the Islanders were overwhelmed. He also created a try for Henry Slade shortly after coming off the bench, the pair exchanging the favour in what Caluori cheerfully described as a one-for-one trade.

“An assist and a try is good,” the Saracens winger said. “I gave one to Sladey and he gave one to me, so we’re one for one. I felt like I could have scored for Sladey’s try but for the first touch you’ve got to be selfless, you have to be safe. You just want to make the right decision on your first cap.”

Caluori, who finished the Gallagher Premiership season as its leading try scorer, said the occasion felt surprisingly natural once he crossed the whiteline. “Once I got on to the pitch it felt like any other game of rugby. I just backed myself and enjoyed it a lot. I felt ready. I felt comfortable out there and just enjoyed every moment of the game.”

His ambitions are clear. “The next goal is for me to start. I’m hungry to push, hungry to get better each day and that’s all part of the plan.”

England captain Jamie George, who has watched Caluori’s breakthrough season up close at Saracens, was effusive in his praise. “The impressive thing with Noah is his ceiling is incredibly high,” George said. “He is still quite raw in terms of where he’s at, but his appetite to learn, his appetite to get better — he wants to make a big impact on any game that he plays in. He looked very much at home in Test match rugby and I’m sure today is the first of many.”

Caluori is unlikely to displace Tommy Freeman or Immanuel Feyi-Waboso from the starting wings for England’s tour finale against Argentina in Buenos Aires, with head coach Steve Borthwick set to name his team on Thursday. But on the evidence of his debut, the teenager has given Borthwick a selection headache that will only grow.