Tighthead prop John was cruelly denied a Test bow when after being selected to start against Scotland in 2020, Covid-19 hit and forced the game to be cancelled. He hasn’t played since.
John swapped Sale Sharks for Welsh region Scarlets this summer and revealed working with Franks was one of the big reasons he chose to move to Llanelli.
“Yes, it was definitely a factor,” the 28-year-old said.
“It’s not just for his scrum coaching. I remember playing against him quite a few times and he was a really physical player. He was always horrible to run into and tough in the contact area too.
“I’m really looking forward to learning from him. It’s pretty difficult to explain if you don’t understand everything about scrummaging.
“He brings a lot of aggressiveness, a lot of detail, and a lot of technical stuff.
“It’s going really well for me so far.”
The Scarlets are under new management this season with Dwayne Peel taking over as head coach and former Leinster supremo Hugh Hogan coming in as the man in charge of defence.
But it’s new head of performance Nigel Ashley-Jones who has arguably made the biggest impression on the Scarlets players.
“I’d say they are probably the toughest fitness sessions I’ve ever had. Coming from the NRL where there is a hell of a lot more running, he (Ashley-Jones) is trying to push that into the Scarlets,” John said.
“The amount of running we are doing is a bit of a shock to a lot of the boys. The volume of the training is really tough, but all the boys are enjoying pre-season.”
John will face stiff competition for the Scarlets number three shirt from 45 times capped Wales international Samson Lee and new Scotland squad member Javan Sebastian.
But he is used to competition from his time at Sale and believes the competition can drive him forward.
John said: “I’m sure Samson wants to get back in the Wales squad too and make his case.
“It can only be a good thing having me and him battling it out every week here and it’s only going to make us both better.
“There is a lot of experience in this squad and it’s only going to improve me.”
