LIKE most students, Joe Burton is all too happy to welcome his parents with open arms when they visit with a food parcel and the promise of taking his dirty washing home to clean.
But this is maybe where the similarities with the majority of students ends, as Burton’s parents are regularly visiting their son to cheer him on in his other day job – as a professional rugby union player.
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Trying to show his worth: New Nottingham No.8 Joe Burton prides himself on being a ball carrier. Picture: Dan Westwell
Back-row forward Burton joined Nottingham Rugby in pre-season and is currently juggling training commitments with studying a degree in business, economics and finance at Loughborough University.
The former Bedford School pupil is in the second year of his course, having played for Loughborough last season, and admits it is a difficult balancing act to fit everything in.
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“I’ve just had the first week of lectures this week,” said the 24-year-old No.8.
“And then that has coincided with training so I’ve just got to weigh it all up and stay in contact with Martin Haag to say when I can do things and when university will let me do things as well.
“It will be a bit of a juggle this year but I am hoping everything will work out.
“I’ve spoken to a few guys in the squad about it who have done it themselves. They say you can do it, but just have to stay on top of things and don’t let things pass you by otherwise you will be playing catch up, which you don’t want to be doing.
“I’m really enjoying it (since joining the club), the coaches and the players are all really friendly, the whole set up is really enjoyable and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Burton is stocky in build and brings adept ball-handling skills to the club in the number eight position – skills he picked up during two spells playing rugby in New Zealand.
The England Counties and England Students international representative’s rugby journey all started courtesy of a gap year in the southern hemisphere and has subsequently led to time at London Wasps and Loughborough before joining the Green and Whites.
Burton has joined a squad rich with back-row talents and he is keen to show the different skills he can add to coach Haag’s squad.
“It has been quite tough coming into a new club and learning all the roles. I think where I add to it is my carrying side of it and that’s what I have really been trying to push with Haagy,” explained the youngster – who has the look of a young Boris Johnson about him.
“Out in New Zealand they have their shorter stockier guys playing at No.8. I was out there for two years and that’s when I actually adopted the position.
“I think that’s where I can add to the squad in terms of my ball carrying skills and leave the line-out stuff to the flankers, who tend to be the taller guys.
“I went out to New Zealand for a gap year and it turned out that I got selected for a local team at under-20s and then got picked up by Wasps.
“I came back and had a bit of a dark six months in the gym trying to get me a bit bigger and then they sent me back out there (New Zealand) and played another season of senior rugby out there.
“It was all a great experience for something which was only meant to be a gap year at the start of it all.”
Article source: http://caledonianmercury.com/2013/09/30/rugby-a-tale-of-two-cities/0042008
Burton looks to juggle student life with Nottingham Rugby commitments
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