‘I’ll do my best to stay on the level of other England locks’, says bulking Isiekwe

By Neale Harvey
Imposing Saracens lock Nick Isiekwe has revealed how a diet of chicken and milk is powering up his bid for a place in England‘s Six Nations squad after being named in Eddie Jones‘ 34-man squad to take part in this week’s Brighton training camp.
After a stellar 2017 during which Isiekwe established himself as a Saracens first team regular and won two Red Rose caps against Argentina and Samoa, the Hemel Hempstead-born 19-year-old has reset his goals in a bid to become even stronger.
Isiekwe told The Rugby Paper: “I’m 6ft 7ins and 120kgs (18st 13lbs) but my frame is such that I can carry a bit more weight and that’s a big aim of mine so I can be stronger around the pitch.
“That means being in the gym and being diligent with my nutrition, so I’ll keep eating the chicken and drinking the milk to achieve those goals.”
Isiekwe, who draws obvious comparisons with club-mate Maro Itoje but likes to be his own man, has been sponge-like in gathering knowledge in a year that saw him start as a Six Nations winner with England 20s and end it as a full international.
“It’s been nice to play at a mixture of levels, whether it’s for Saracens or England, and the great thing has been getting exposure in different games.
“Eddie Jones has been really good with England. You have to work hard but I like to get stuck in and to play against Samoa in front of a full house at Twickenham was a proud moment for me and my family – another great learning experience.
“Now I just want to keep building and take every step forward I can in future, but it’s massively feet on the ground because there’s so much competition out there at lock. There are great guys around me, though, and I’ll try to stay on the level.”