YOUNG GUNS
BRISTOL BEARS LOCK
After enduring an injury-ridden first season at Bristol Bears, second row George Taylor has signed a four-year contract extenstion with the club and will be playing BUCS Super Rugby for Loughborough University next season.
Bristol have started giving university contracts, meaning players from their academy are able to study towards a degree whilst also being involved around the first team.
Taylor said: “For the next three years I’ll go to Loughborough, play Super BUCS with them and come back to play for Bristol when needed.
“After I finish with Loughborough in three years’ time, I have another year signed on in the senior squad at Bristol. I was quite keen to go to university to get a degree and I feel I need consistent playing time under my belt, so the two go hand in hand with each other.”
Taylor joined the club’s academy when he was 13 and made two appearances in the Premiership Cup against Worcester and Bath.
However, the 19-year old’s breakthrough season has been a difficult one due to injury but remains upbeat.
Taylor said: “It’s been a really steep learning curve because there’s not much that can prepare you for this level of scrutiny. I made my debut in October and in that game I dislocated my shoulder and they decided to do a repair which meant I was out for four months.
“I came back in March played against Bath at Ashton Gate which was the highlight of the year but then fractured my ankle in training. I was injured between the two Prem Cup windows, so I missed out on was playing a good amount of men’s rugby but that will come in the future.”
Taylor started playing rugby at Nailsea and Blackwell RFC which is where his love for rugby started but soon realised he was destined for a higher level.
He said: “It was real grassroots, village rugby team. It was fun but we weren’t great. We were really good at tag rugby but as soon as we started contact rugby, we weren’t good at all.
“When I got to U13s I wanted to play a higher standard which made everyone call me a snob, so I moved to Clifton.
We were the dream team at Clifton, and I was part of the all-conquering U15s side which won the Bristol Combination Cup and went unbeaten that season.”
The 6ft 5ins, 17 stone (108kg) athletic lock grew up idolising former England international Tom Croft but has grown an affinity since for current stars Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes.
He said: “My grandma is a massive Leicester fan, so I grew up supporting them which I keep under wraps at Bristol! Croft was the biggest name there when he was in his prime, so I naturally wanted to be like him.
“After that I looked up to Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes, particularly Lawes as he plays the way I want to play.
I’m not sure I’m there just yet but he’s a class act.”
