England fans are right to be wary of players who arrive from outside the domestic system and are fast-tracked into the team.

Whether it was Sam Burgess converting from rugby league, Ben Te’o crossing the Irish Sea or Brad Shields arriving from Super Rugby, few of these selections have truly worked out. But the early signs are that Max Hicks, who was called up to the England squad to face Japan this weekend, could be an exception to the rule.

Unlike some of the names mentioned above, New Zealand-born Hicks arrived with little to no fanfare in English rugby. His Newcastle team-mate and fellow back-rower Hoskins Sotutu, capped 14 times by the All Blacks, soaked up the attention with the need to fill a Tom Willis-shaped hole, a major topic of conversation prior to the season.

Hicks has not just outplayed Sotutu but almost every other back-rower in the Prem with a series of eye-catching performances that have shown off a remarkably wide range of skills and attributes.

These are the reasons that Hicks has emerged from left-field as England’s ultimate World Cup bolter.

Back-row balance

Hicks, 27, qualifies for England through his Cornwall-born mother and had his first taste of the national set-up last week for the A side. It was a surprise that Hicks started on the bench, but he came on in the 56th minute in his customary blindside position, replacing Ethan Roots.

Hicks looked a little tentative in his cameo in England A’s comprehensive win over a youthful Argentina XV but that cannot be said of his performances for the Red Bulls. The former Highlanders and Perpignan player has exuded physical authority in the Prem, utilising his 6ft 6in frame with aplomb.

Hicks’s profile is a tantalising prospect for England because he offers Steve Borthwick an alternative way to balance the back row.

England are currently using a combination of Ollie Chessum and Alex Coles to play blindside. While there is no issue with that, especially while Maro Itoje and George Martin are both fit, Borthwick’s decision to push a lock into the back row is in part because of the lack of size available from the traditional back-row forwards.

Chandler Cunningham-South has looked like he could be a solution at either No 6 or No 8 but has failed to kick on before his injury. Ballast at No 8 is also an issue with Tom Willis back in France.

England have therefore bolstered the overall size and weight of their pack by using Chessum or Coles there, which is especially beneficial come line-out time. However, there are also drawbacks in the loose to starting essentially three locks – even as good as the current crop are.

Hicks’ combination of height, weight and explosiveness mixes the best of a lock and a back-rower in one package and opens up the possibility of a different formation of the back row.

Courtney Lawes is another player who could offer this option to England with his broad set of assets. But as of yet Lawes still looks like a player getting back up to speed after a couple of seasons away in the second division of French rugby while Hicks has hit the ground running.

Genuine fetcher

Given Hicks’ height and his ability to also cover lock, one would not necessarily expect one of his best skills to be jackalling. The best players over the ball tend to be slightly shorter and more compact because there is a smaller target to attack for the clear-out.

There are exceptions in the case of a player like Lawes or Ireland’s Tadhg Beirne, but in defence Hicks plays more like a traditional openside fetcher than either of those two. He is constantly hovering around the breakdown looking for an opportunity to pounce like any good openside.

Last season, despite playing in a Perpignan team that finished second from bottom last season, only Jack Willis secured more turnovers in the Top 14. His impact in a Newcastle team still finding its feet is not dissimilar. This year in the Prem, Hicks has the joint-second-most turnovers.

England have struggled at the breakdown despite having so many good opensides. With Jack Willis unavailable for selection, it is not a ‘superstrength’ of any of Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Henry Pollock, Guy Pepper or Sam Underhill.

Ben Curry is strong in that area and it is why he was promoted straight into the starting line-up against Australia, a decision that he more than justified.

There are out-and-out fetcher contenders in the Prem in Jack Kenningham, who was also added to the England squad to face Japan, and Fitz Harding, who captained the A side last week. But both those players would have points to prove when it comes to the intense physicality of international rugby given their playing style and stature.

Hicks would allow England to add a dangerous jackal threat without compromising on size.

Defensive breakdown work, particularly at international level, is as much about decision-making and timing as it is about the execution of the skill itself.

Last Friday, despite failing to win a turnover, Hicks managed to slow the Argentine ball down three times in 20 minutes without giving away a penalty, which was a promising sign on that front, especially since one of the world’s leading referees Nika Amashukeli, was in charge.

Line-out pest

Height is an obvious advantage when it comes to the line-out, but that does not make all tall players good line-out forwards. Dexterity, explosiveness and anticipation are all critical too.

Hicks has been wreaking havoc on opposition ball this campaign, frequently getting up fastest at the front of the line-out to either pinch or disrupt the ball. He is joint second in the Prem this season.

He secured one steal in his England A cameo, too.

A 10-minute period either side of half-time in Newcastle’s most recent match against Saracens best highlighted his influence on this part of the game. In the 36th minute, Hicks pinched Saracens’ ball in a critical intervention on his own five-metre line.

The next line-out was taken by Saracens but a botched maul drill followed. Two minutes later, the next Saracens line-out was called not straight with Hicks applying pressure in the air.

Just after half-time, Saracens botched another line-out as they were forced to throw over the top as they continued to feel the heat from Newcastle. Four failed line-outs in 10 minutes and all of this occurred with none other than Jamie George throwing in for Saracens, the player with comfortably the best arrows in England.

Chessum is a master disruptor in his own right and there is no doubt he is one of the first names on the team-sheet, whether it be in the second or back row.

The possibility of England having both Chessum and Hicks on the field must be enticing for line-out guru Borthwick, especially with more importance than ever being played on disrupting opposition before they can set the driving maul.

Athletic prowess

Hicks has a diverse sporting background and spent time with Aussie Rules side St Kilda before committing to rugby union. His comfort with ball-in-hand, offloading and competing for the ball in the air is plain to see for anyone who has watched much of Newcastle this season.

With ball-in-hand, only Northampton’s Josh Kemeny has a higher percentage of gain line success among back-rowers in the Prem this season, while only Ben Earl offloads successfully more frequently. Line breaks have been frequent, too.

The Red Bulls have made the most of this by frequently stationing Hicks out in the wide channels, exploiting his rangy speed. He is also used by Newcastle to go after contestable kicks much like some wingers are.

Utilising Hicks out wide goes back to his time playing for Tasman in New Zealand years ago, where he produced an outrageous assist for Sevu Reece from the wing. Chessum fulfils this role for England.

Hicks is comfortable carrying and offloading the ball in one hand and has shown deft touches with regularity this campaign. His inside ball that cuts out two defenders to set away Werner Kok is a great example.

In an epoch of attack-dominated rugby, this could prove invaluable even though the attacking parts of Hicks’ game are not what will define his charge to force his way into Borthwick’s plans.

But when allied with his size, jackalling and line-out work, there is no doubt Hicks is a compelling package. When combining line-out and breakdown turnovers, Hicks comes out joint top in the Prem, illustrating his overall value in defence.

It is early days and remains to be seen whether Hicks is better than England’s other back row options. He is certainly different.

In the New Zealand system, Hicks represented the Maori side but no further up the chain. If he does not get his chance against Japan this weekend, he would relish the chance to play against the country of his birth a week later.