Asher Opoku-Fordjour: Spearheading England’s Emerging Prop Talent

Asher Opoku-Fordjour received his initial call-up to the England senior squad this week. He is slated to participate in the Autumn Nations Series match between England and Australia, scheduled for Saturday, 9 November, at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, with a kick-off time of 15:10 GMT. Coverage will be available via live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Sounds, as well as live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Joe Marler’s dramatic departure from the England team, marked by his haka-baiting incident, created a vacancy that the prop had previously indicated to coach Steve Borthwick should be filled. In December 2023, during an interview with TNT Sport following Harlequins’ victory over Sale, Marler commented on a promising player. He stated, “There is a young tight-head that has come off the bench for Sale,” adding, “And he’s – mmm… [tasty]”. Marler further expressed his admiration for emerging front-rowers, noting, “I have got a big thing about young, up-and-coming front-rowers – [like] Fin Baxter for us. But this guy, number 18, I like the look of.” The player Marler referred to, Asher Opoku-Fordjour, then 19 years old and wearing number 18, was making only his second Premiership appearance. Despite his stature of 18 stone and 6 feet 1 inch, he is not considered large by contemporary standards, and his statistics alone did not initially draw significant notice. However, Marler’s assessment proved accurate. Opoku-Fordjour, now 20, quickly became a player to monitor. In less than a year, he has taken Marler’s place in England’s senior squad and is now seen as a leading figure among a new wave of England front-row players. Andy Titterrell, similar to Marler, was immediately struck by Opoku-Fordjour’s abilities. Titterrell, a former England and Lions hooker, recounted to BBC Sport Opoku-Fordjour’s introduction to the England Under-20s set-up, stating, “In his first or second scrumming session, I can’t remember who he was scrumming against but he gave him a few air miles in a training session.” Titterrell, responsible for the forwards in the age-grade team, recalled telling coach Alan Dickens, “I said ‘we have to have this kid involved at the weekend’.” This season, Opoku-Fordjour has been in the starting lineup for four of Sale’s six Premiership matches, building on a few substitute appearances in the top-flight during the previous season. Opoku-Fordjour’s strength is evident both in open play and during close-quarter set-pieces. Having played rugby as a wing in his youth, he retains remarkable speed. His powerful line breaks have become a common feature for both the England Under-20s and Sale’s senior team. Earlier this year, Sale’s head coach Alex Sanderson characterized Opoku-Fordjour, stating, “He’s a tight-head prop with fast twitch. You just don’t get them,” and humorously likened their rarity to “teddy bear”, or rather, “manure”. Titterrell concurred, stating, “Ash has raw athleticism, power and explosiveness.” He added, “You have seen glimpses of that in his ball-carrying ability – particularly against Ireland Under-20s in the 2023 World Cup. He has that pace and power.” Titterrell is not the sole former 2000s front-row player influencing Opoku-Fordjour’s development. Dorian West, who was a member of the England 2003 Rugby World Cup squad (a squad Titterrell did not make), serves as Sale’s forward coach. West commented to BBC Sport on the evolution of tight-head props, stating, “You think of tight-head props through the years, you think of Julian White, Darren Garforth and Phil Vickery, those sort of lads. They are big men – they were massive.” He contrasted this with Opoku-Fordjour, noting, “Asher is not quite the same as them at the minute. He is more of a toned athlete, but immensely strong and powerful.” West added, “It is looking really good for him with the shape and size he is now. He is a good professional and if he carries on developing and growing in the right way over the next few years, he is going to be some athlete. He is nowhere near finished.” A photograph from 2003 shows Dorian West (centre) preparing to scrum alongside Julian White (left) and Jason Leonard. Perhaps due to his departure from the traditional tight-head prop archetype, Opoku-Fordjour has also played on the other side of the scrum. Although he operates as a tight-head for Sale, he transitioned to loose-head for the England Under-20s, where Gloucester’s Afolabi Fasogbon and Bath’s Vilikesa Sela provide substantial depth for England in the number three position. This trio demonstrated significant prowess during the team’s age-grade World Cup victory in the summer, notably dominating set-pieces to overcome France in the final. These players are not the sole source of optimism. Harlequins’ 22-year-old Baxter achieved his Test debut during the summer. His team-mate, Nathan Jibulu, 21, is positioned to challenge Theo Dan, 23, a central contract-holder, for the hooker position. Additionally, Northampton’s Tarek Haffar and Emmanuel Iyogun, both 23, represent two further promising prop talents. Overall, England anticipates having a “golden generation” of players emerging to succeed Marler and Dan Cole, whose careers are approaching their conclusion, as well as Ellis Genge and Will Stuart, aged 29 and 28 respectively. West is of the opinion that, following the completion of this transitional phase, Opoku-Fordjour would likely prefer to return to playing tight-head. Nevertheless, in contemporary Test rugby, adaptability often serves as the crucial factor for reaching higher levels and securing a spot in a squad. The era in which West and Titterrell played was distinct. Player substitutions were less frequent, specialists typically remained in their designated positions, and set-pieces were characterized by greater disorder. According to West, video recordings from their playing careers elicit laughter rather than instructional value from their current young players. West stated, “The lads laugh now when they see the footage of the games we played in.” He elaborated on the differences, explaining, “Back then the referee did not have much involvement in the engagement at scrums – you got together and got on with it. There was more impact, a lot more scrums ending up on the floor and there was a certain amount of brutality involved in