In-form Northampton Saints hooker Curtis Langdon is daring to dream of an England call-up, but knows he must continue his good club form to do so.
The former Sale, Worcester and Montpellier forward won two caps against the USA and Canada in 2021, however his impressive form in the Black, Green and Gold of Northampton has thrust him back into the international conversation.
Speaking to members of the media today, Langdon said: “Yeah [the summer tour] is [in my mind], I probably would be lying if I said it wasn’t. I don’t want to just have two appearances for England against USA and Canada. I want to play as much as I can for England
He added: “If I get the opportunity to do that, it would be brilliant. My main focus at the moment is just playing well for Saints every week and doing the best we can this season and playing my part in this team. Hopefully, if I’m doing that as well as I want to be I’ll get another shot of England.”
Curtis Langdon on improving his game
Langdon’s two caps came during the experimental summer of 2021, however he has not earned any more caps since. He was unable to win the starting hooker shirt during his final few seasons at Sale Sharks, which prompted a move to Worcester Warriors. This didn’t last long though.
Following the financial collapse of Worcester Warriors last season, Langdon had a spell in Montpellier. He spent 6 months in the South of France, and made 13 appearances for the club; but he said the things he learned there have helped him improve as a player.
“I took a lot from being out in France. The set-piece is massive over there, so I’ve had to let my scrums come on quite a lot. My line-out as well. I think I definitely improved.”
The personal improvements might have began in France, but he has taken things up a gear in the East Midlands.
Langdon has gone from strength to strength for the Saints in his 18 appearances, but he feels the work he has done with the coaches has helped him achieve his personal success: “I think a big part of why I’ve improved is coming here and the quality of the coaching team here.”
He added: “Sitting down with Phil Dowson and the other coaches, we looked at parts of my game that I wanted to improve and what they thought I needed to improve on as well.
“We really got going after that in pre-season with Sam Vestey on some of my attack stuff, Lee Radford on my defence and Matt Ferguson, James Craig and Jim Henry on my set piece stuff. I like to think that’s probably the main reason why I think I’ve been playing some good rugby this year.”
