CRAIG WRIGHT
Having concluded his time in the England U20s setup with a World Championship medal, Craig Wright is now focused on becoming Northampton Saints' first choice hooker.
Wright, 20, starred in all five of England's victories in the showpiece tournament and also started the first three in their Six Nations title winning campaign earlier in the year.
The Chelmsford-born hooker was thrilled to play a key role in England's first World Championship title since 2016 and enjoyed visiting South Africa where the tournament was played.
He told The Rugby Paper: “It was good to experience tough games against heavy hitting packs. All the lads get on really well and I was so pleased to get the job done out there. We enjoyed the food in South Africa, particularly the bilton, which was surprisingly nice and accessible everywhere we went. Getting the opportunity to explore the country was amazing when the weather held out, when it was windy and rainy not so much.”
Wright made a name for himself in South Africa with his bulldozer carries and ferocious line speed, which is an area of his game he says he's worked hard on in recent years.
He said: “Scrummaging and lineout work are some of the biggest strengths in my game. I'd also say my defence is up there as well.
I see myself as a well rounded player but my tackling ability in terms of chopping has been a habit I've built throughout my career.
A work on for me is getting between the 15 metre channels and making myself an option to ball carry.
I'm trying to get the ball off 10 or 9 more often.”
Wright came to rugby quite late after transitioning from football but took to the sport like a duck to water with his inexperience working in his favour during the early stages of his time at Northampton.
He added: “I started off at 14/15 after coming away from football. I wanted to try something new and started at Braintree rugby club in Essex where I grew up. I was picked up by Tim Grimsey, who is still one of the coaches at Northampton Saints, through their DPP programme. They said I was quite a raw player, I didn't have any habits because I'd never played the sport before so they were trying to make me into a hooker straight off the bat. But I've always dabbled with outside centre, flanker, all across the park.”
Wright started one Premiership Cup match last season against Ealing Trailfinders but is now hoping for more first team minutes with England's domestic champions.
“It's been brilliant and an amazing vibe to be at Northampton Saints,” said Wright.
“It's nice to be involved with the first team often, with peers like Curtis Langdon and Sam Matavesi. I was fortunate to have Mikey Haywood as a mentor and he's helped me come on leaps and bounds, as has Sam Matavesi, who took me under his wing. I've been learning loads by getting involved in training and now I'm waiting for my chance to get in the first team. I want to put my hand up to be in a position to play in the Premiership by showcasing my ability. “I focus on other players in my position like Jamie George and Codie Taylor. Watching their games and how they play rugby, I look at what attributes they have and try to implement them into my game. For example, Jamie George's throwing and Codie Taylor always turns up with flair, carrying constantly, similar to Curtis Langdon.”
