Young Gun: Alex Gallagher: Blackheath fly-half

Blackheath were the first English club to have a World Cup winner in their ranks with John Gallagher and, 20 years on, his son Alex is carrying the family name in Club’s first XV.
Gallagher senior lifted the Webb Ellis trophy in 1987 with New Zealand before returning to England and end his career in South East London in the mid-90s.
Two decades later, Gallagher junior, a fly-half, is making a name for himself with impressive displays since the start of the National League One season.
A naturally gifted footballer with the turn of speed that made his father one of the best wingers to have played the game, 22-year-old Alex spent last season playing in New Zealand with Auckland Marists in a country where his name is synonymous with great success.
“It was funny to be there where my dad is far more known than in England. To me he’s just dad but in New Zealand he’s a bit of a celebrity,” he told The Rugby Paper.
“I remember being on a school tour to New Zealand a few years back and I didn’t see him for the two weeks we were there as everyone wanted a piece of him. It was quite surreal. As I got older I realised how big an achievement it was for a kid from Lewisham to win the World Cup with the All Blacks.
“He has never pushed me or my brother Matt to play rugby but we naturally picked it up. He doesn’t talk much but he gives us advice from time to time.
“He got in touch with one of his friends in New Zealand last year and they were keen to take me on board. I accepted the offer and flew over in February to play a season with the Marists.
“Because of my speed they put me on the wing and sometimes at outside centre but it was a great opportunity to experience rugby on the other side of the world. The standards were pretty high with the best players from the division being picked for the ITM Cup side and a couple of my teammates even got a Super Rugby contract.”
Gallagher started playing rugby in the minis section at Blackheath while attending Colfe’s School.
He then played two seasons for Old Colfeians before his first gap year, in Australia this time, where he worked on a farm in Queensland.
He then enrolled at Canterbury‘s Christ Church University and went on to represent Kent 1st XV in the 2013 Bill Beaumont Cup.
Blackheath director of rugby Simon Legg contacted Gallagher in New Zealand earlier this year, and the youngster is now back in South East London looking to kick start his rugby career.
“Simon got in touch asking if I fancied coming back and I thought it’d be a great opportunity to test myself in England,” he said.
“I’m really enjoying the start of the season in a league I don’t really know. It seems to be very close apart from a couple of teams at the top.
“We’ve had a mixed start to the season but I reckon, once we gel together and become more clinical, we have the potential to finish in the top six.”