Young Gun: Will Graulich – Gloucester lock

As the latest Gloucester lock to serve his apprenticeship at Hartpury, Will Graulich is certainly in good company – and the fledgling second row is determined to make his voice heard.
Graulich, 20, a lineout specialist in the mould of Geoff Parling, has been mixing it with the National League Two South grizzled grunters this year at Hartpury College and impressed enough to feature for the Cherry & Whites in the LV= Cup against Ospreys and London Welsh.
The former King’s School pupil, against Ospreys, was alongside close friend Elliott Stooke, another lock forged in the fires of the Hartpury engine room.
Stooke has already progressed to the England U20s set-up as he follows in the footsteps of Tom Savage, another to cut his teeth for Gloucester at Hartpury.
And while Graulich, formerly an England U16 A captain, admits he’s already achieved his goals set out at the start of the season, he hopes his prowess at the set-piece sets him apart.
“Game-time is what I’ve been after this year and so to go down to Hartpury and perform against some older, tough forwards and then get the chance for Gloucester has been fantastic,” he said.
“To get some time on the pitch in the LV= Cup was fantastic. You do notice the step up in terms of intensity but you just have to get on with it and I think I did OK.
“Playing with Elliott is great, we’ve always been alongside each other since we were kids and it helps to see people like him making that progression.
“Gloucester have a history of bringing through young players, especially in recent years, and that keeps you motivated.
“As a second row, I think the lineout is my strength, I like calling the lineout and calling the shots at the set-piece and I think it’s a good part of my game.
“At the moment I’m working on my restarts because that’s something that I could do with improving on but you’re always learning, especially at this age and that’s what I’m trying to do at the moment.”
With Stooke and Savage currently ahead of him in the pecking order, Graulich is under no illusions as to the fight he faces to make his mark at Gloucester and as a result, he remains tight-lipped on what will come of his long-term future.
As the Cherry and Whites pursue a place in the top four of the Premiership and prepare for an Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final with Biarritz, Nigel Davies is unlikely to be blooding youngsters, and as a result Graulich will be heading back to Hartpury to further hone his skills.
“I don’t know what will happen next season, I just want to concentrate on the rest of this season and I’m pretty sure I’m heading back to Hartpury,” he added.
“Gloucester have some very important matches coming up and so I don’t think I’ll be getting a look in but I’d like to stay here long term because it’s a great place for young players to be, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Graulich also has international ambitions, having skippered England at age-group level but he was not involved in England’s U20 campaign, admitting the calendar does not look favourably on him.
“My birthday falls just outside the international window so it makes it a lot harder to play age-group stuff now,” said Graulich, whose birthday is on October 5.
“It’s unfortunate but you just have to get on with it. I’ve had a taste of captaining my country and, of course, it’s a dream to be involved again but that’s a bit further down the line yet.”