Young Gun: Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi – Northampton prop

Being picked to start for England U20s on home soil at Franklin’s Gardens against Italy – Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi admits he could not have asked for a better birthday present.
The Northampton prop turned 19 on Thursday before lining up in the No.1 jersey for Rob Hunter’s side on Friday at Saints’ home ground.
Still a year underage, Hobbs-Awoyemi has made a smooth transition into the U20s, despite making his first start in far from ideal circumstances.
Having made his debut off the bench in the opening victory over Scotland, he was part of a team that coped manfully with the dismissal of Ross Moriarty after 23 minutes, only to eventually succumb 16-15 to Ireland in Athlone.
The English seven-man pack still got the better of the Irish in a game which Hobbs-Awoyemi was among the most demanding he has played.
“We certainly did a lot of running. It was a very tough one, but I thought we coped well and really pushed them hard,” he said before admitting the input of the more experienced Luke Cowan-Dickie and Kyle Sinckler was a real help.
“I’ve always been quite athletic and like getting ball in hand so it was well-suited for me and it’s been a great Six Nations for me so far,” he said.
“Our pack has really performed well, and then getting the start against Italy on home soil is really special. And having guys around who’ve played Six Nations before helps. If there’s anything I’m doing wrong, they can help me out, and have been giving me some advice.”
As an athletic prop he follows a recent tradition at Saints, who will lose arguably the best ball-carrying prop the Premiership has seen in Soane Tonga’uiha at the end of the season.
Hobbs-Awoyemi, a regular for the Wanderers and having also featured for Saints U18s, admits he still has a way to go before cracking the first team. Instead he has set his sights on making England’s squad for the Junior World Championship in France in the summer.
He said: “I got quite a lot of game time with the Wanderers this season which was great. They’re trying to get me more and more involved.
“Getting involved with the first-teamers has been a great experience. Paul Doran Jones gives me a bit of good advice. They’ll always help you out. They’re happy to have a quick word and take you under their wing.
“It’s great getting to learn what these guys know because they’re so experienced. They’ve been through it all.
“My aim for the rest of the season is to make sure I’m involved in the Junior World Championship. I think I’d really enjoy a trip down to the south of France and it’s a huge tournament for the U20s.
“To get there I need to make sure I perform in the rest of the Six Nations and then keep training hard at Saints.”
While multi-talented rugby players are hardly a rare breed, it’s fair to say that props tend to be
specialists. However Hobbs-Awoyemi revealed: “Growing up I played a lot of sports, I’m quite keen on basketball and played a fair amount of football and did some athletics.
“In the end I think I always knew I’d end up playing rugby, it was always the one that I enjoyed the most.
“I’m sure playing those other sports helped me, though. It’s probably why I love getting involved in the loose as well as being good in the scrum.”