There was around half an hour remaining of Harlequins’ insipid loss to Gloucester five days before Christmas when Chandler Cunningham-South was hooked from the field. He had just coughed up the ball in contact, conceding a turnover, and jeers from revellers in the Shed were still echoing around Kingsholm.

Cunningham-South might not have lasted for much longer than 53 minutes anyway, but such an indignity – which seemed like a robust statement from his coaches – encapsulated both a wretched Harlequins performance and the awkward juncture at which the talented 21-year-old finds himself.

For Cunningham-South to be dropped for the “Big Game”, the club’s annual Christmas fixture at Twickenham, looked like a follow-up statement. The match means a great deal to the club, and due to their patchy form to date, Harlequins must win the vast majority of their remaining regular season outings to stand a chance of scraping into the Premiership play-offs.

Benching Cunningham-South, who was rested for the loss to Bristol Bears on Nov 29, did not seem unduly harsh. Competition for back-row spots is tough. Alex Dombrandt is the captain and heartbeat of Harlequins. James Chisholm empties the tank at every opportunity, throwing his weight around abrasively. Jack Kenningham is a resourceful operator, dexterous in the line-out and crafty in defence.

Those three started against Leicester Tigers, with Harlequins picking a six-two bench split. Will Evans, among the country’s best breakdown scavengers, took over from Chisholm in the 64th minute. Cunningham-South arrived in the 68th as Kenningham made way. The contest was poised at 27-27 and a hearty cheer rose up.

Put simply, though, all four of Cunningham-South’s back-row colleagues have been more effective on Harlequins duty this season. Big moments for England – a clattering tackle on New Zealand lock Tupou Va’ai and two early tries against Australia – do not change that.

Context is everything, of course. And, to a certain degree, Cunningham-South has become a victim of circumstance – and his own promise. A year ago, with a meagre total of 30 senior appearances in the Premiership and Champions Cup combined for London Irish and Harlequins, he was fast-tracked into the England squad for a Test debut.

Courtney Lawes had recently retired from international duty, leaving a chasm to fill in the blindside flanker position. England had simultaneously lost a defensive enforcer, an elite line-out jumper, their most potent jackal threat and an attacking link man.

Ted Hill was still recovering from hamstring surgery and George Martin was sidelined, meaning Ollie Chessum was used as a lock. The uncapped Ethan Roots was a dependable option and Steve Borthwick saw a chance to blood Cunningham-South, a rare athlete with a high ceiling who had represented England Under-20s in eye-catching fashion.

Many were surprised at the speed of the latter’s rise, because he was very raw and needed to develop key responsibilities on the job, including line-out work. The learning curve steepened in Japan and New Zealand over the summer, when Chessum’s absence encouraged Borthwick to hand Cunningham-South his first Test starts.

This foundation should benefit Borthwick in the future and Cunningham-South has been a success story of England’s 2024. However, there remains a feeling that he could be best suited to the role of impact replacement, coming off the bench to wreak havoc wearing either 20 or 21. He did this in the win over Ireland in March and in the final Test of November against Japan after Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Ben Earl had started.

Harlequins have attempted to post Cunningham-South in the outside-centre channel from line-outs in a bid to get him carrying in space. Barely 90 seconds after his introduction against Leicester, he carved a devastating angle to crack the Tigers defence in the build-up to the controversial try scored by Cadan Murley:

It is a clever, two-phase play that hinges upon Cunningham-South staying wide on the back of the initial line-out before bolting in against the grain. Cunningham-South begins the second phase close to the five-metre line. You can see how Jed Holloway, who has to be mindful of Oscar Beard sweeping behind Marcus Smith, does not clock him until it is too late:

There appears to be enough endeavour on the player’s part – he was particularly busy and disruptive in defence during the Champions Cup thrashing of the Stormers – yet something is not quite clicking on a consistent basis. In many ways, finding a solution to this dilemma is the crux for all elite athletes.

It is natural for the influence of an emerging youngster to plateau somewhat with time for opposition defence coaches to study them. Cunningham-South’s body will still be adapting to the rigours of senior level, too. Long, prosperous Test careers require immense dedication and, often, evolution. Lawes stands as evidence of both qualities.

Friday night at Kingston Park is another gauge of Harlequins’ mettle. Lose to Newcastle Falcons and their Premiership push will be as good as over. Steve Diamond will have been licking his lips, because Harlequins were soft and sloppy in Gloucester. Cunningham-South is absent from Danny Wilson’s match-day 23 and has not been listed as unavailable. Kenningham, Evans and Chisholm are starting, with Dombrandt rotated to a five-three bench.

Slipping out of his club side will not preclude Cunningham-South from retaining an England spot. His size and power are valuable assets in the Test arena that are not easy to come by. One should not underestimate his muscle around the tackle area and in mauls, for instance. He can flit between blindside flanker and No 8. Good judges have proposed Cunningham-South as a British and Irish Lions bolter.

That said, contenders such as Tom Willis, Hill, Tom Pearson and Alex Coles are pressing hard for England involvement, and Chessum should be fit again in the coming weeks.

Cunningham-South was not on the list of 17 players to receive an enhanced elite player squad contract from Borthwick, which presumably diminishes any scope that the England head coach might have for asking Harlequins to guarantee game time prior to the Six Nations.

What club and country will share, however, is the desire to nurture Cunningham-South through a tricky patch and into 2025.