Young Gun: Justin Clegg – Worcester lock
The giant lock, who stands at 6ft 8in, is in his second year of a Geography degree at Durham University meaning he spends most of his time away from the Warriors academy.
But by getting game time in the new BUCS Super League, Clegg has been able to prove he deserves a chance and it was noted by head coach Carl Hogg, who handed him his debut against Bristol in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.
“It was fantastic to make my debut the other week,” he told The Rugby Paper. “I maybe didn’t get as much game time as I’d have liked but to run out for the last five minutes at Sixways in front of so many people was an amazing experience.
“I got nearly half-hour against Wasps the following week which was great despite not getting the result we were after. It was nice for me to get more game time to show what I can do.
“I usually spend most of my time at university so it’s not easy for the coaches to see what I’m doing so it was nice to show them what I’m about.
“The physicality was a big step up but I felt like I held my own and if anything it made me hungry for more.
“The club’s been very helpful with my keenness to study and they’re very accommodating. I work closely with our education officer, Lynette Cutting, who’s helping me out a lot in terms of getting the right balance between my rugby and my degree.
“Playing in the BUCS league has been great for me too, as the level of competition is pretty high and most importantly there are a lot of players who like me aspire to kick on and that raises the bar in training and during games.”
The 19-year-old is one of six Warriors academy member to have been named in the England U20s EPS for the upcoming Six Nations and he is hoping to nail down a starting jersey before pushing on with Worcester in the Premiership.
He added: “I’m not sure what’s going to happen with my studying over the next couple of months because I’ll be in camp with the U20s next month and then there’s the Six Nations.
“My big goal is to start for England and then hopefully carry that form to make my Premiership debut for the Warriors.
“The club’s academy had been doing great in recent years and seing guys like Andrew Kitchener and Jack Singleton doing so well only spurs you on. They played U20s last year and they made their league debut for the club this season.
“And then you have Jamie Shillcock who’s starting a lot this season. It’s good to see the coaches trust the youngsters to deliver on the biggest stage.”
