Young Gun: Henry Taylor – Saracens & England U20s scrum-half

Of all the players out in New Zealand trying to defend England’s Junior World Championship crown, none of them are quite like Henry Taylor.

For one, the scrum-half is the sole member of Nick Walshe’s squad who was a full-time university student this season – the 20-year-old is studying Fine Art at Loughborough.

Throw in the fact that Taylor is a classically-trained pianist as well and you start to get an idea that this No.9 is not your average rugby tragic.

But off-field interests are no distraction to his on-pitch talents, his two-try showing in England’s 38-24 win over Australia in Pool A reflected that.

And after being drafted into England’s Six Nations squad at the start of the year, Taylor is already starting to feel like part of the furniture.

“It was a massive surprise to be called into the camps before the Six Nations,” said Taylor, who last week was named in The Rugby Paper’s National One Team of the Year for his Loughborough efforts.

“After leaving Quins academy and going to study I thought I’d only be playing at Loughborough and not much else.

“But I had a good start to the season and I got the call up from Nick (Walshe) and I was very happy to go in and now here I am at a Junior World Cup.

“I was very keen to keep my rugby going while I was at uni, but I was also thinking that from an academic background, I wanted to have a future because, in rugby, injury can be just around the corner.

“While rugby is the biggest thing for me, I wanted more than one option. I like to live quite a diverse lifestyle, and university has certainly helped that development.

“I study Fine Art so sometimes I am in the studio, then I’m seeing mates and then there’s the rugby as well so there is a lot going on and that’s the way I like it. There is a piano where we’re staying in New Zealand so I’ve had a little go for the lads.

“I’m the only player here at university so I’m very grateful to the coaches for that because a lot of them want you to be in a professional environment for your development.

“But I play week-in, week-out and other lads don’t necessarily get that so coming here has given me a bit of the limelight that I needed.”

Indeed that limelight has earned Taylor an acade

Young Gun: Henry Taylor – Saracens England U20s scrum-half

Of all the players out in New Zealand trying to defend England’s Junior World Championship crown, none of them are quite like Henry Taylor.

For one, the scrum-half is the sole member of Nick Walshe’s squad who was a full-time university student this season – the 20-year-old is studying Fine Art at Loughborough.

Throw in the fact that Taylor is a classically-trained pianist as well and you start to get an idea that this No.9 is not your average rugby tragic.

But off-field interests are no distraction to his on-pitch talents, his two-try showing in England’s 38-24 win over Australia in Pool A reflected that.

And after being drafted into England’s Six Nations squad at the start of the year, Taylor is already starting to feel like part of the furniture.

“It was a massive surprise to be called into the camps before the Six Nations,” said Taylor, who last week was named in The Rugby Paper’s National One Team of the Year for his Loughborough efforts.

“After leaving Quins academy and going to study I thought I’d only be playing at Loughborough and not much else.

“But I had a good start to the season and I got the call up from Nick (Walshe) and I was very happy to go in and now here I am at a Junior World Cup.

“I was very keen to keep my rugby going while I was at uni, but I was also thinking that from an academic background, I wanted to have a future because, in rugby, injury can be just around the corner.

“While rugby is the biggest thing for me, I wanted more than one option. I like to live quite a diverse lifestyle, and university has certainly helped that development.

“I study Fine Art so sometimes I am in the studio, then I’m seeing mates and then there’s the rugby as well so there is a lot going on and that’s the way I like it. There is a piano where we’re staying in New Zealand so I’ve had a little go for the lads.

“I’m the only player here at university so I’m very grateful to the coaches for that because a lot of them want you to be in a professional environment for your development.

“But I play week-in, week-out and other lads don’t necessarily get that so coming here has given me a bit of the limelight that I needed.”

Indeed that limelight has earned Taylor an academy contract with Saracens who, unlike Quins, have encouraged him to continue his studies for at least another year, such is their faith in his potential.

But Taylor will not allow himself to look too far ahead. For now his focus is on his battle for the No.9 jersey with Callum Braley as they bid to help England to a second successive JWC crown. Taylor gets the nod for today’s semi-final.

“Of course coming in as reigning champions there is a bit of pressure,” he added. “But this is a brand new team, a very young team and we’re very much taking it game by game.

“We definitely learned our lessons in the Six Nations and we’ve been looking back to those games for where we can be improving.

“The focus for me is to do everything I can to be consistent, to focus on my own game as there is a lot of competition around.

“But I have to get my head down and do everything to impress the coaches when I get the chance.”

my contract with Saracens who, unlike Quins, have encouraged him to continue his studies for at least another year, such is their faith in his potential.

But Taylor will not allow himself to look too far ahead. For now his focus is on his battle for the No.9 jersey with Callum Braley as they bid to help England to a second successive JWC crown. Taylor gets the nod for today’s semi-final.

“Of course coming in as reigning champions there is a bit of pressure,” he added. “But this is a brand new team, a very young team and we’re very much taking it game by game.

“We definitely learned our lessons in the Six Nations and we’ve been looking back to those games for where we can be improving.

“The focus for me is to do everything I can to be consistent, to focus on my own game as there is a lot of competition around.

“But I have to get my head down and do everything to impress the coaches when I get the chance.”

*This article was first published in The Rugby Paper on June 15.

Tagged England U20s, Henry Taylor, Saracens, Young Gun

Article source: http://www.espnscrum.com/scotland/rugby/story/219807.html

Young Gun: Henry Taylor – Saracens & England U20s scrum-half