Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
GRAYSON JR DONS DAD’S EURO BOOTS
EIGHTEEN years after Paul Grayson kicked Northampton to Heineken Cup glory, his son is set for his Euro shot.
In Bucharest on Saturday there will be the familiar sight of the Grayson name adorning Saints’ No.10 jersey.
This time it belongs to James – rather than the man who scored 2,784 points for Northampton in 259 appearances, spanning 19 years.
The 20-year-old signed his first senior contract last week and now gets to start the European Challenge Cup tie against Romanian outfit Timisoara Saracens.
But bearing a famous surname can be as much a curse as a blessing, as Grayson Jr admits.
“Maybe when I was younger it was a little bit harder,” he said. “More so with peers than anything else. If you get picked it’s ‘because of your dad’. That kind of stuff.”
Mirror Sport columnist Paul
(above) confirmed: “He had that surname stuff chucked at him.
“But everyone who makes it has their stories – each setback gives you more resolve in the long term.”
So it has been with Grayson Jr, who has graduated from Saints mascot and ball boy to now holding the keys to No.10, with the full backing of Saints boss Chris Boyd.
“He is a young player with heaps of talent and an excellent work ethic to make the most of his ability,” said the New Zealander.