Young Gun: Callum Watson – London Irish scrum-half

Having seen his two big brothers make big waves in rugby, it was no surprise Callum Watson decided to follow in their footsteps and give up football to join London Irish four years ago.
Unlike Bath‘s Anthony, 21, and former England Sevens star Marcus, 24, who both play in the back three, 18-year- old Callum plays scrum-half.
But that does not mean he is not gifted with the family trademark step and Marcus even told TRP a few weeks back that it is Callum who is the best stepper in the family.
For the past two years, Premiership defences have struggled to cope with Anthony’s flying feet but, with Marcus leaving the World Sevens Series to move to Newcastle and Callum being signed by London Irish straight from school, all three brothers could be taking England’s top league by storm next season.
“I’ve never played against my brothers and to be honest I’ve never thought about it,” Callum told The Rugby Paper.
“Playing Premiership rugby would be the pinnacle but I’m not setting any specific target. I’m just focusing on training hard and maybe in the future we will face each other and find out who is the best stepper.
“I’m really close with both of them and I speak to them a lot especially when I have doubts. I give them a call and they’re quick to sort me out and give me good advice. They’ve done very well for themselves so when they speak I listen.
“We’ve started pre-season at Irish last week and it’s going well so far. I trained with the first team last year a bit which made the transition to full-time training easier.
“Having someone like Paul Hodgson as my coach is great for me. He knows the position inside out and he’s always there to give me specific feedback.
“That also means I can’t get away with anything because he spots it straight away. I’m going to improve quickly working with him on a daily basis.”
Impressing for St George’s School in Weybridge, as well as the Exiles’ academy, Callum went on to make his Premiership debut last season at Gloucester.
With a handful of A-League appearances too, he has some experience of senior rugby but he’ll be looking for regular games with Esher where he will be dual-registered next season.
He added: “Making my Premiership debut last season was something I’m very proud about. The physicality was up a notch so I’m expecting the same this season in National League One.
“My main aim is to improve my skillset and get some game time. I can’t wait to see what it’s like to play senior rugby on a regular basis.
“As a scrum-half it’s important I understand how it works quickly and adapt my skillset. Passing and communication will be the main two aspects to work on, along with my kicking game. You tend to run the ball more at school level so I’ll have to find the right balance.
“Then I’ll be looking to be involved with London Irish in the A-League or Challenge Cup. I’ve signed a one-year deal so it adds a bit of pressure to get a new deal but I see it as great source of motivation.”