Young Gun: Cameron Cowell – London Irish full-back

Cameron Cowell says scoring his debut try for England U18s was the highlight of his career so far, but with the full-back set to continue life at the London Irish academy there could be many more on the horizon.
Cowell was a late call-up to the squad that won the European U18 Championships in April, and made his mark on the tournament with a try in the 62-5 win over Portugal.
The St Paul’s Catholic College student made waves in the AASE league last season as well, starring in the victory which consigned Hartpury to a first home loss in four years.
And his hard work paid off, getting the nod for his England U18 debut against France in March, although Cowell says the difference between college and international rugby surprised him.
“France are a very physical side – every tackle is a big hit – and the difference between the AASE league and academy league to that is phenomenal,” he said.
“Everyone is quick and strong, it doesn’t matter if they’re a prop or a back-three player. I nearly scored a try against France but got knocked out of bounds at the last second, but to score in the European Championships against Portugal was the highlight of my career.
“Unfortunately none of my family saw it, they were in Portugal supporting my sister Heather, who was competing for Great Britain in the European Gymnastics.”
Cameron followed up his European Championship win with selection for the England Injured Players Fund side in the GB7s tournament.
And the pacy back says Sevens allows him to improve his 15s game, with the opportunity to improve his decision-making skills in the shorter version.
The opportunity to remain close to his family was the driving factor in his decision to sign with the Irish academy, having learned his trade at St Paul’s, the Exiles’ academic partner.
“I was about eight when I got into rugby, playing tag and I’ve carried on ever since,” he said. “My first club was Twickenham, so I’ve been in south west London my whole life, which is great for me.
“It means that I’ve not had to move away and I’ve got my family right next to me, so my mum can keep washing my kit for me!
“I’m looking forward to next season now, having signed a new contract and with the new training ground coming.
“Knowing that rugby will be my job for the year is like a dream come true. I’ve still got so much more to do in order to be the best player I can be.”
And Cowell knows all about London Irish’s ability to produce world-class full-backs, citing Delon Armitage and recent departee James O’Connor as players he hopes to emulate.
“If I can become half as good as someone like Delon or O’Connor I’d be happy,” he said. “We train next to the first team, so it was good to look over and see the likes of O’Connor and Marland Yarde.
“We get access to all of the first team’s video clips, so I can see what O’Connor did compared to what I do, as we’re the same sort of size, and I can see what I need to do to improve.
“Hopefully next year I can get on the bench for a cup game, but I think I need to get a bit bigger before I start playing against 130kg men who are just as quick as me.”