Bath star almost missed England call-up because "email was in junk folder"

Technology plays a larger role in sport than ever before, and an email-related oversight almost saw Bath academy prospect Max Ojomoh miss his first call-up to the senior England squad.

The 20-year-old was one of seven uncapped players summoned by Eddie Jones for July Tests against the United States and Canada, although he failed to make his debut in the process.

Nevertheless, Ojomoh looks back on his time within the senior national team setup as a “great learning experience,” albeit one he almost missed thanks to his email preferences.

Presumably the RFU wasn’t on Ojomoh’s list of approved contacts, explaining to Bath’s official website why he came close to being left behind this summer: “The email was in my junk folder!”

“I didn’t actually find out until the day of the announcement when Hoops (director Stuart Hooper) came and told me. I was really surprised, but to get called up for England it was a dream come true.

“To play with some of the best players in England, you can’t really get much better than that and I think it was really good for my game.”

Jones played with his selection for games against the United States and Canada, with 13 of his regular inclusions away for the British and Irish Lions ’ tour of South Africa at the time.

Ojomoh—son of former 11-cap England international Steve—wasn’t named in Jones’ squads for either fixture, with the Red Rose running out as relatively routine victors in both matches.

Having only played for Bath’s senior side on six occasions, it’s understandable that more time will be required to impress England’s staff, but the groundwork is already being laid for a Test future.

Happy to have experienced the higher demands of an England camp, Ojomoh considered his eyes opened after training with established internationals like Henry Slade, Ellis Genge and Sam Underhill.

“With it almost being game intensity every training session, it feels like I’ve had five or 10 more games at Bath,” the youngster added.

“With England, every training session you can expect to be pushed; it’s closer to game intensity. Training helped a lot with my decision making and there were a lot more unit sessions, so it helped refine my skills and mature my game a bit more.

“I’ll take it as a great learning experience and I’m hoping for the season ahead I’ll be a lot more confident going into games knowing I’m ready for that kind of level.”

The Blue, Black and White are targeting Premiership improvements this season after finishing seventh last season, a downturn in form following their run to fourth the previous year.

That task will be a lot tougher for Hooper’s side after Saracens returned as instant title favourites, while Bath are a quarter-of-a-century removed from their last Premiership crown.

Ojomoh comes back to the squad wiser for his England expedition, hopeful more call-ups and international caps await in the not-too-distant future.

Bath begin their Premiership season with a trip to Sale Sharks on September 18, targeting a repeat result at the AJ Bell Stadium after winning in their last visit to the ground in February.

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