"Playing for England is my biggest dream" - Fitz Harding: Bristol star reflects on 'A-Team' captaincy and Barbarians stint

A bright spark for the future of the England team, Fitz Harding has continued to rise through the ranks towards a senior Test debut after a solid effort in the latest international window. The Bristol Bears man just enjoyed a November to remember, as he starred for the Barbarians and ran out in two fixtures for the uncapped England A squad.

Harding first donned the iconic black and white stripes of the Baa-Baas, which were headed up by none other than his Bears head coach Pat Lam. Whilst Harding and the Barbarians ended up on the losing end of the score-line against an All Blacks XV, the young back row will cherish the memory of playing for a team he grew up in awe of.

"It was brilliant. It was a really, really fun week. When I was younger, I looked at Barbarians as almost the pinnacle. I look at it now, it's probably not necessarily pinnacle, but to be involved in that fashion, to wear the barbarian shirt, was something that I'd always dreamt about. It was a great week, a lot of fun, and great to meet some new lads."

There was a definite South African feel to the latest edition of the Barbarians, as Stormers head coach John Dobson joined Lam to co-orchestrate the invitational side. A plethora of former Springboks populated the black and white jerseys, with the likes of Bongi Mbonambi, Hanro Leibenberg and Evan Roos joining Harding in the pack. The 26-year-old expressed how despite the predominant Afrikaans contingency, there was a real lack of braai [barbecue] in the unique environment.

"We had a very Afrikaans flavour. There were only three or four of us who weren't Afrikaans speaking, so it was mostly English. They did really well to keep the Afrikaans off the table a little bit, so we we're included. I don't think that I'd ever been involved in a forward pack that big! It was great to meet some new guys, go for a few drinks. Some of those guys certainly know how to drink.

"We didn't actually get a chance to do any braaiing, I think that was probably [due to] weather. I've got plans to potentially go and see a couple of guys when we [Bristol] go over to the Bulls in January."

As is the custom of the Barbarians, the selected players can wear and represent any team from their personal history by pulling on their old club socks. Harding revealed which of his previous clubs got the recognition as he ran out for the world famous invitational side. "I wore one sock from my university, Durham University, and then one sock from Beaconsfield rugby club, which is my minis team."

Harding then recalled how much of a milestone it was for him to finally get his hands on the famous red rose, and make a senior international appearance for the England A team. The back row had to bide his time for his first hit-out, as he exploded from the bench for a 17-minute cameo, as he once again faced down against an All Blacks XV.

It was the subsequent trip to Spain that was Harding's crowning accomplishment of the international window, as he was handed the captain's armband by Mark Mapletoft to lead England A to a narrow victory over Los Leones. Spain put up a valient fight upon their home soil of Valladolid, as Harding recalled the highlights of the 29-25 triumph which capped off his time in the England A environment.

"The England environment was certainly a goal of mine for a while now, so to be able to achieve that in the first instance was something I was really pleased to be able to do. The week taught me a lot about myself, who I am as a captain and what's important to me in a week.

"It was a good challenge for me to create some different relationships with some different coaches. And, try and find a way to get the most out of a group that was actually quite young, especially that Spain week was an inexperienced group. So, it was surreal to me that I was eldest there by a distance. But, it was an enjoyable week, I really learned a lot."

Harding sounded off by recognising the immense depth of back row options populating the England talent pool. Whilst the Bristol Bears man relished the opportunity to lead the England A team to close out the Autumn, Harding is by no means satisfied just yet in terms of his England experiences, as he will keep pushing on to break into Steve Borthwick's senior Test squad.

"Playing for England is my biggest dream, from a personal perspective. So, to be involved in some kind of pathway meant a lot to me. But, the back row position is so competitive, so many players are playing some brilliant rugby at the minute, so the challenge hasn't become any easier. But, it's great to be in the environment, to challenge myself in a different environment and get a taste of where I need to be if I want to make that step."