Back-to-back BUCS Super Rugby winner Josh Barton is hoping Premiership clubs can find space for him this summer in their reduced salary cap.
The Exeter University fly-half enjoyed a barnstorming BUCS campaign guiding his side to a league and cup double. Exeter Uni retained the BUCS Championship beating Loughborough Uni 48-44 after extra-time in a dramatic final last month with Barton scoring 13 points.
That brought his tally to an incredible 213 for the season and the 21-year-old describes it as his best ever campaign.
He said: “It means everything. After winning it last year, to do it back-to-back was a great way to end my time at university. It’s been my most enjoyable season this year, this is the best rugby I’ve played and a lot of hard work has gone into it as a team and from me personally.”
With a lack of financial security in rugby, younger players are wanting a degree to fall back on if their career doesn’t go to plan and Barton says the ability to achieve qualifications and still play a high standard is why university rugby is thriving.
He added: “We’ve got a couple of players at Exeter who are on university contracts with Exeter Chiefs and I think that is the way to go for rugby. It gives the opportunity to get a degree, stay in education but because of how good the league is, players are playing for three years at a really high standard.
“We’ve had players like Dan John that have gone in between playing for us and starting in the Premiership and that sums up how interchangeable they are and how beneficial it is to have people like that in our league because it raises the standard for everyone.”
Barton would love to achieve his lifelong dream and secure a Premiership contract but understands that he may have to play in the Championship for a season before the salary cap in the top flight is raised up to £6.4 million in 2024.
He said: “Rugby at the moment is difficult to get into because of the financial situation but I think I’ve played well enough this year to deserve a shot and hopefully that comes soon. Everyone’s goal is to play in the Premiership, I’d be lying if I said that I was aiming for the Championship but you have to take game time when it comes. Hopefully when the salary cap does go back up, there’ll be space for me.”
Barton likes to pick holes in opposition’s defences by playing flat to the line and says he’s taken inspiration from multiple fly-halves but England and Sale Sharks 10 George Ford is the one he’s studied most.
He said: “There’s so many different brands of rugby and different styles of being a fly-half. George Ford is probably one of the best players in the world with playing momentum and playing on the front foot, then you’ve got players like Marcus Smith as well who find space when there really shouldn’t be space. As a fly-half it’s about taking aspects of all different players and finding a best suit for that. I love rugby when it’s fast flowing, when we have momentum and players like George Ford are the best at that, so I take a lot from him.”
