Hassell-Collins celebrates milestone month with England debut and 100th cap for Irish
Ollie Hassell-Collins is looking back on a memorable month of milestones.
The 24-year-old winger made his England debut in the Six Nations opener against Scotland at Twickenham before scoring as he earned his 100th cap for London Irish in their win over Sale.
Hassell-Collins, who began his career at Newbury, lined up on the left wing as England took on arch rivals Scotland on the hallowed Twickenham turf.
He played for more than an hour as England suffered a narrow 29-23 defeat in new head coach Steve Borthwick's first game in charge and was picked to start again the following week as England impressed in a 31-14 win over Italy.
The Exiles star, who has been one of the Gallagher Premiership's leading try scorers for the last two seasons, was rewarded for a stellar season with in-form London Irish and admits he's got a taste for the top level after having to be patient for his international bow.
"The whole day was amazing, it's something I'll never forget," he said.
"I still can't really explain the emotions that I was feeling.
"I was trying to soak it all up and take it in while not getting too emotional and preparing for a big game.
"Lining up for the anthem was unbelievable and I could see my family in the crowd.
“We were disappointed to lose but that feeling is something I’d love to have a few more times in my career.”
Hassell-Collins and his fast hands are used to being the toast of West London but it was his fingernails that were the talk of Twickenham following his England debut.
The former St Bart's student was sporting red and white nail polish to mark the occasion and went with green when he returned to London Irish and even added the number 100 in white when bringing up his century for the Exiles.
"A lot of people were talking about it, not everyone loves it but it's important to be myself," he said.
"I actually started painting them clear to stop me biting them but at the start of this season I decided to add some colour and it's a lot of fun."
Hassell-Collins picked up a knock and so missed out on England's win over Wales but was back in the squad for the final game of the campaign, a bruising 29-16 defeat to Grand Slam champions Ireland.
It was an up and down Six Nations for Steve Borthwick's new side who suffered a humbling 53-10 defeat to France but Hassell-Collins feels there were plenty of reasons to be positive ahead of the World Cup in September.
He said: "Being part of the group you get a real sense of the talent and togetherness we've got.
"We lost to the two best teams in the world but I think we showed some massive improvements from the Scotland game so I think we can be in the equation for the World Cup."
The winger returned to London Irish after the win over Italy and scored as he won his 100th Exiles cap in a 36-18 win over Sale.
Irish have been in scintillating form and have won their last nine in the league, propelling themselves into contention in the battle for the Premiership play-offs.
"It was really special to play my 100th game for Irish and the club were amazing," he said.
"We've played well all season and we're getting the results now.
"We beat Saracens just before Christmas and that gave us some real belief in terms of what we can achieve.
"We've got a pretty tough run in and every game is massive but confidence is high within the group and we think we can go and make the top four."
On Tuesday, it was announced that Hassell-Collins will leave Irish in the summer ahead of a move to reigning Premiership champions Leicester Tigers following months of speculation about a potential switch.
"A decision to leave a place like London Irish is never an easy one," he told the club's official website.
"The club has provided me with more than I can put into words during my time here, but I feel the time is right for a new challenge.
"There is still a lot to play for this season and rest assured I will do my utmost to repay the work put in and play my part in the really important games coming up."
