Young Gun: Jack Nay – Saracens flanker
Then it took a little longer to realise it would be more beneficial to draw from his experience than be afraid to talk to him.
The young flanker joined the Saracens academy from school last summer and is now training full-time with the star-studded first team.
Nay had not hit his teens by the time Burger was winning the World Cup in 2007, but after a meal out together, the South African ace has taken the 19-year-old under his wing.
“This is my first year in the academy which is tough but great at the same time,” Nay told The Rugby Paper. “You learn so much from all these very good players.
“The first couple of weeks were really weird. You just think about how great all these players are and that they’re untouchable, but then you get to know them and they’re just normal people.
“Schalk has been brilliant with me. We went out for a meal earlier in the season to talk about rugby. It was great to know him as a person and build a relationship.
“I now know I can go up to him or call him to ask for advice.
“All the academy players are providing the opposition to the first team, trying to replicate whichever team they’re facing. It can be confusing at times because you don’t know who you are on a certain day!
“But it’s actually very good for us in terms of our development because you get to watch a lot of videos and get to play in a lot of different ways.”
Nay made three appearances for the Saracens Storm in the opening rounds of the A-League, but it is with Old Albanians in National League One that he is getting most of his game time this season.
Impressive displays have put him in the frame for England U20s selection and he is looking to make the best of his only year at the level.
“Between the Storm and OAs, there are plenty of opportunities to play which is all you want as a youngster.
“Getting used to the physicality is the main thing for me, and the coaches are managing us really well here to make sure we can train as much as we can but remain fresh enough to play.
“It’s a bit of a juggling act but I think we’ve got the balance right so far.
“We’ve got an England camp this coming week which I’m very much looking forward to. It’s my one and only chance to represent England U20s as I was born late in 1997 and I’ll be too old next year.
“I was U18s last season and I played against Wales and France in February but I was too old for the Five Nations and the European Championships after that because they could only pick players born after January 1998.
“I’ll do my best to get a shot in the Six Nations next month before the World Cup in Georgia in June.”
