YOUNG GUNS
CARDIFF MET BACK ROW
Cardiff Met back rower Jake Bond is playing the best rugby of his career in his final year at university with the hope of going onto achieve his lifelong dream of earning a professional contract.
Bond, 20, was in the Exeter Chiefs academy from 13 to 18 and enjoyed a great learning process training with the first team.
He said: “I was in the junior academy and that’s where I developed in terms of putting on size in the gym and learning about strength and conditioning with the coaches. They’d bring us 16-18 year olds to come in and train with the first team players that weren’t playing on that weekend. It was amazing to see the difference in skill level, they weren’t destroying us but seeing professional players like Santiago Cordero was amazing as his feet were incredible and he was untouchable.
“I wanted to go to university, so it wasn’t the right time to stay on at the Chiefs but they let me know that the door is always open for a return.”
The athletic 6ft 1, 16st 5lb forward recorded his best ever time in a Bronco with a 5:01 showing earlier this week whilst in training at Cardiff Met.
Cardiff Met are currently fourth in BUCS Super Rugby and Bond reveals how he’s had to bide his time to become a regular starter but is now reaping the rewards. He said: “It’s a great set of players and coaches there. I’ve started playing in the WRU Championship for Cardiff Met RFC as well and that’s been brutal at times, when you’re playing against the likes of Pontypool, Neath, these big name teams in the south of Wales that have got ex players and big old boys in the scrum. You get bashed around every week but it’s fun.
“I played BUCS Super Rugby every other week last year but there was a lot of competition in the back row, so the third years got priority over me. This year I’m starting every week and loving it. It’s my last year and we’re looking to go far in the playoffs which would be a good end to my uni career.”
Cardiff Met possess an impressive alumni with the likes of Alex Dombrandt, Aaron Wainwright and Tom Pearson having gone before Bond and he hopes to follow in their footsteps.
He added: “Seeing Alex Dombrandt, Aaron Wainwright and now Tom Pearson go on to play at such a high level is excellent. Having trained with Tom as a first year during Covid, he was monstrous and seeing him now play for London Irish and the line breaks he’s making is quite surreal. That could potentially be me come the end of this year. They are held in quite high regard these players and are therefore something to strive for.” Despite being a smaller forward, Bond says that the strongest part of his game is his aggression and he likes to set the tone in the team by leading by example.
He said: “Playing last Saturday against these big men in Pontypool, when you front up you get that excitement of playing which can bring everyone else up as well. I could see I was getting into their heads by being physical. I’m not the biggest person in the back row but if you can impose yourself it makes a massive difference.”
