LONDON Irish fullback James Stokes is still locked in a mental battle to convince himself he deserves to be playing in the top flight.
Stokes, 29, made his Premiership debut for Irish in December, 2019 after spending a decade taking the unconventional route through the National Leagues.
And, despite a stellar season for the Exiles, Stokes – whose best friend at school was Saracens’ former London Irish wing Alex Lewington – still feels like an imposter.
“I feel I don’t deserve to be here which makes me work so much harder for everything,” Stokes told The Rugby Paper.
He started his career ...