Young Gun: Kieran Treadwell – Harlequins and England U18s second row

It is quite common to see young players with a cross-border heritage gain international caps with different countries, at different levels – but doing so in one age group is quite rare.
Which makes Kieran Treadwell’s story all the more fascinating.
The English-born Harlequins lock did not make the cut with England U16s so he tried his luck with his mother’s country, Ireland, and went on to earn four U18s cap for the Irish in 2013.
However, the England U18 selectors soon realised they had missed a trick and recalled him for the match against the Australian Schoolboys last December, with a tour to South Africa on the cards in August.
His past sorrows were hard to forget but his Premiership ambitions with Harlequins pushed him to switch his allegiances back to the Red Rose.
“I was let go by London and South East at U16 level so I thought I’d try my luck with Ireland as my mother is Irish,” he told The Rugby Paper.
“I went to an Irish Exiles trial and it went from there really. I ended up playing four games for Ireland U18s in the 2012-13 season.
“But then I got a got from England U18s coach Peter Walton saying they were impressed with what they saw and they wanted me to go come down for training.
“I did think about turning them down after what happened with the U16s – plus Leinster and Ulster were keen on signing me – but with my ambitions to break into the Harlequins first team it was better for me to play for England.
“Conor O’Shea also reassured me I’d be given a Premiership opportunity I’m dreaming about as long as I deserved it so, since he’s got a proven record when it comes to trusting youngsters, I decided to stay and play for England again.”
As a former hurdler for Surrey, Treadwell matches his size (6ft 6in and 17st 9lb) with an undeniable speed, and despite still attending John Fisher School he made his first team debut for Harlequins in the LV=Cup in Cardiff last January.
Now a full-time member of the Quins set-up after signing a two-year professional contract, the 18-year-old will be looking to adapt to the senior game on dual-registration with Rosslyn Park this season, the club he grew up playing for, while dreaming about a Premiership call by O’Shea.
“It was quite tough to play at senior level in that Cardiff game but training with the first team full-time at Quins helps a lot,” he added.
“Being able to pick the brains of players like George Robson or Nick Easter every day is brilliant as a youngster. It’s the same with younger guys like Charlie Matthews or George Merrick because they know what I’m going through having been in the same position as me.
“Linking up with Alex Codling at Park will be a great experience, too. I like the physicality of the game but I’m also quite mobile having run hurdles for Surrey.
“I think it’s crucial to have some pace in the modern game. I’ll be looking to put on a few pounds this year but keeping my athleticism is top of my list.
“Next season is all about making the step up to senior rugby but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to make my Premiership debut with Quins.”
*This article was published in The Rugby Paper on July 20