Young Gun: Ethan Waller – Northampton prop
And Ethan Waller, 20, intends following in Alex’s footsteps once he has his in the Franklin’s Gardens door. The lifelong Saints fan was one of the 72,500 at the Millennium Stadium in 2011 cheering on his sibling as Jim Mallinder’s side fell to a 33-22 defeat against Leinster.
But for the younger of the Waller props, watching the Euro showpiece only made him more determined to play alongside Alex in the biggest of occasions.
Remarkably, the first time they wore the same colours came in March last year 2011 when Northampton Wanderers played the British Army in the Mobbs Memorial match.
But Ethan, who on Wednesday signed his first senior first-team contract, wants to make it a regular occurrence.
“Watching him come through the ranks has been great, it’s really made me think I can do it as well,” he said.
“He’s played in the Heineken Cup final and I’d like to think I can emulate him. We obviously went to the same school and watched plenty of games together, and one of the best things is the support we both receive from the family and the club.
“We’re massive Northampton fans as well, so it’s great we both have this opportunity to play for the club.”
First on Waller’s agenda is the unenviable task of dislodging the likes of Paul Doran-Jones, Tom Mercey, Brian Mujati and Soane Tonga’uiha from the Saints starting line-up.
But he said: “I’m aware we have a lot of good props at Saints; Tom, Paul, Brian and Soane are all top class. They’re ahead of me at the moment, and I’m under no illusions it’s going to be tough to break into the side but this first-team deal has given me a lot of confidence.”
He’s also been trying to prove his worth at Championship level with Moseley this term, while playing for the Wanderers in the Northern Conference.
He said: “I’ve been involved with every Wanderers game, I’ve been in good form and we’ve won all but one of our games and lie top of the group.
“I’m really proud, I’ve worked so hard over the past few years. It’s been a gradual progression.
“At Moseley things have been going good, the games that I’ve played in we’ve had a few good results, beating Bristol away and Jersey away stand out. It’s really is different to playing school- boys rugby.”
Waller’s inclusion in this year’s JP Morgan 7s is also an indication of how highly Mallinder and Co think of his talents.
“I have a lot of time for the JP Morgan 7s, it’s not really a prop’s game but the past couple of years have been a great experience. We’ve had a really good side in the last few years,” he continued.
“I’m proud to have been a prop in the competition, there aren’t many of us. First and foremost my work is done in the scrum, but I’d like to think I’m able to get around and notch a try or two.”
