New Wallaby Potter eyes reunion with Borthwick
Potter is one of three new faces in Australia's 34-strong squad for the tour
- Published
Dual-qualified former Leicester wing Harry Potter says he feels "very Australian" after being called up to the Wallabies squad, setting up a potential match against England on 9 November.
The 26-year-old was born in England and lived there for a decade before emigrating to Australia. He returned to England after being signed by the Tigers in 2020 and started their 2022 Premiership final win over Saracens at Twickenham.
He scored 20 tries in 67 appearances for Leicester across four seasons, before switching to Western Force.
"I was in Australia for school. I watched the Wallabies play from year seven right up until now and I heartily feel like I was here for a more influential part of my life," said Potter, who confirmed he had not been previously approached about a call-up to the England set-up.
"I'm speaking with a more Aussie than English accent, which doesn't make you feel too English to be honest.
"It's a pleasure to be with the Wallabies and certainly I feel very Australian."
Potter was part of a Leicester side that went from Premiership strugglers to champions in the space of a season under Steve Borthwick
Potter admits he is a "long shot" to be named in the squad to face former boss Steve Borthwick and England at Allianz Stadium, having only just been called into the Australia squad for the first time, but says he would relish the chance to return for a Test debut.
"It'd be awesome. I'd love to play that game," he said.
"First game of the tour, it's going to be massive. And coming up against England at Twickenham has got to be up there with the number one Test matches to play on the calendar."
Potter, who was born six months after the release of the first Harry Potter book, has been nicknamed 'Wizard' by his new international squad-mates.
"It's been 26 years of it, so it's pretty funny, I reckon," he said.
"And yeah, tip my hat if you think of something original."
After playing England, Australia's northern-hemisphere tour continues with matches against Wales (17 November), Scotland (24 November) and Ireland (30 November).