Young Gun: Lovejoy Chawatama – London Scottish prop

Lovejoy Chawatama only moved to the front row two years ago but last Saturday he celebrated his fourth international cap in England Students’ 32-16 win over Portugal.
Zimbabwe-born, Chawatama, 22, played at blindside for Kent at U20s level in 2012 but he was told his height 5ft11in (179cm) would prevent him from reaching the highest level of the game and that a move to the front row was the only way to fulfil his aspirations.
He has since enjoyed a meteoric rise from Beckenham RFC to the international stage in just over a year.
Chawatama came off the bench for England Students against Wales, France and Portugal in 2014 before starting at loosehead last week in Lisbon and even he can’t believe how far he has come in two years.
“I still can’t believe I was selected so quickly after moving from the back row,” he told The Rugby Paper. “I played the last three games of the 2012 season at prop for Beckenham, loved it and haven’t looked back.”
Chawatama, who moved to England aged 15, qualifies for England Students because he is studying Construction and Management at the University of West England in Bristol.
Joining UWE was the other turning point because that’s where he met Darren Crompton.
The ex- England tighthead was his university coach but also pushed him to join Bridgwater & Albion where Crompton coached, too.
With two games a week, his development flourished and England selection followed. That’s when, playing against Wales, London Scottish spotted him and offered him a deal. He made his Championship debut against Jersey before featuring in three B&I Cup games.
His Athletic Ground contract runs out this season so he is focusing on putting in some good performance for UWE and loan-club Clifton in National League Two South to make sure he can work with his mentor at Scottish, Ben Prescott, for a bit longer.
He said: “Bridgwater & Albion looked after me very well. Joining Scottish was an easy decision to make after I spoke to James Buckland and heard about his plans with me.
“I remember my debut against Jersey. I actually came on at tighthead and I won a penalty for my first scrum. I was over the moon.
“I’ve been working hard with Ben Prescott on my scrummaging while improving my fitness with Tim Harper. Ben has taken me under his wing and he’s doing a lot of extra sessions with me.
“I’m back at Clifton now and with the BUCS game mid-week it’s great for me because my fitness level has to stay high and I develop as a prop at every scrum.
“All my games are seen by the Scottish staff and I review them every week with Ben.
“Getting another contract with Scottish is my biggest target over the next few months.
“Phil Greening and Tim Payne have just joined the coaching staff and they both have international experience in the front row so I’m really excited to start working with them and hopefully reach a new level.”