Marco Mama’s eyes fixed on England’s No.7 shirt

Marco Mama is on a mission this season to establish himself as Worcester‘s premier No.7 and push his case for England selection.
Mama, 25, views himself as a David Pocock-style fetcher and believes his time is now after spending too many years hidden in the Championship with Bristol.
The Nigerian-born flanker, who joined Worcester last summer before returning briefly to Bristol in April to help them win promotion, told The Rugby Paper: “I’ve done my time in the Championship, this season is all about progression now.
“I got a lot out of being in the Championship and it’s a fantastic place for young forwards to develop, but I had a taste of the Premiership with Worcester last season and I know I’m good enough to play in it and thrive as I move my career on.
“While the challenge is there and there’s a lot of competition in the back row at Worcester, this has to be my season. My body feels better than it’s ever been and it’s time to step up to the mark and really start putting my name out there.
“Even though I grew up in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, my parents are English and from the age of five or six it’s been my dream to play for England. There are a lot of fantastic young English back rowers out there but that’s my No.1 aspiration.”
Mama, standing 6ft 1in and tipping the scales at 16st 10lbs, feels he has the power and pace to specialise as an openside, adding: “Having the flexibility to play across the back row is a strength of mine but I played a lot at 7 last year, which I enjoyed more than any other position.
“Some coaches believe I should play there primarily, so I’ll challenge myself to do that and a lot of teams are now opening their arms to a David Pocock-like fetcher who makes a mess of opposition ball and forces some big turnovers.
“If you look at the World Cup you can see how much of an effect that can have on a game so I’m keen to develop my skills as a No.7.”
Despite his strong Bristol connections, having come through their academy since joining in 2009, Mama insists he feels no conflicting emotions now he has nailed his colours to the mast of Premiership rivals Worcester.
He explained: “I always knew I’d be heading back to Worcester after the play-off finals. It was fantastic to help Bristol win promotion and it was a successful arrangement for all parties, but Bristol is part of my past now and this year is about knuckling down in one place and, hopefully, getting Premiership rugby all season.
“I signed at Worcester because I believed they had something strong brewing and the club has the environment and set-up to go a long way.
“Last season we were just looking to stay in the Premiership but there’s a long-term plan to get this club to the top. The best, most ambitious sides want to move up that table and hopefully we can start challenging the top boys.
“We’ve made good signings to bolster our options and relatively inexperienced people like myself, Nick Schonert, Darren Barry and Carl Kirwan came through really strongly, so that bodes well for us progressing from last year.”
Mama concedes the departure of rugby director Dean Ryan was a blow. “Of course it was a disappointment he left because it was Dean that a lot of us dealt with before coming to join Worcester.
“But that’s the nature of sport and the club is stronger than just one person. I’ve got a lot of faith in Carl Hogg and all the other coaches who have a big influence, so we’ll continue the good work Dean started.”
While Mama has severed his Bristol ties, one particular date looms large on his calendar. He said: “We’ve got Bristol in the Anglo-Welsh Cup, but our first big league clash is at Ashton Gate on Christmas weekend and I’m licking my lips already.
“No doubt Bristol players will be out to get me, but it’ll be a great experience to go back and play at that fantastic stadium – if selected!”
NEALE HARVEY