Young Gun: Richard Palframan – London Irish prop

On his arrival at London Irish, Brian Smith insisted the Exiles had a gem on their hands and after a year at the club Richard Palframan is finally ready to sparkle.
Signed from the Sharks in Super Rugby, the South African prop was only 18 years old when he made the switch from Durban to Sunbury.
It was a brave decision for the tight-head prop to take – Palframan had featured in only a handful of games for the Sharks U19s in his young career.
But Smith and his scouting network had seen something in the youngster, most notably his 6ft 1in and 120kg frame, and he took the plunge to switch hemispheres.
And this season Palframan has set about to making a name for himself, appearing off the bench in both the Amlin Challenge Cup and LV=Cup this season while still only 19.
A former pupil of Rondenbosch Boys High School – Joel Stransky is another notable alumni – Palframan has had to learn the hard way at the Exiles but despite the occasional pangs of homesickness, the young tyro insists he is here to stay.
“It’s been really a good first year for me, I have really enjoyed it,” he said.
“To come from age-group rugby in South Africa to playing against fully-grown men has been a huge test in terms of physicality.
“I was playing U19s with the Sharks but my agent rang me and told me there was an offer from London Irish.
“To be honest I could not believe that a club overseas wanted me to come over.
“The U19 coach was great, he sat down with me and we had a long chat about it and he was very honest. This was a great option for me, to come over and test myself and really advance my career.
“When I first arrived I didn’t really know what it was going to be like. The first day I was thrown straight in at the deep end against the first-team in training.
“That first session was a real shock to the system but I have had the A-League to crack on with and that has been a great help getting up to speed.
“My set-piece is getting better all the time, but you are just always working on little things, and if you do that then your all-round game improves.
“Of course in South Africa, even against U19s, you are scrummaging against big boys. But in terms of the set-piece I have learnt more this year than in the rest of my career combined.”
Currently living with Guy Armitage, Palframan is the first to admit that life back home in Durban and that in London are chalk and cheese, most notably the weather.
But with his long-term goal to make a name for himself in the Premiership, Palframan says he is quickly adapting to the English way of things.
“It was the most difficult decision I have ever had to make,” he added. “From a rugby point of view I had no doubt that it was going to be great for me but you are always going to miss home, your family and your friends.
“I would be lying if I said it hadn’t been very tough. But you have to take the rough with the smooth, it’s my career at the end of the day.
“The weather was a big thing that took some getting used to but you just have to grind it out.”
Palframan added he is not ruling out following Brad Barritt et al and turning out for the Red Rose in the future. He said: “It’s a long way until then, but I have thought about it a little bit.
“I’m a proud South African but if the opportunity to play international rugby comes up then of course it would be difficult to turn that down.”