The chemistry of life
RUGBY’S SIMON TACKLES GAME AND STUDIES
TOP rugby player Simon Uzokwe has the perfect prescription for after games activity. After scraping the mud from his knees, the 23-year-old bright spark rolls up his sleeves to get down to some serious studying as he concentrates on his degree in pharmacy. The Newcastle Falcons player takes up his position in the team’s back row but juggles his time between Falcons rugby club at Kingston Park in Newcastle with the lecture halls at University of Sunderland. And he’s following in his doctor dad’s footsteps in the medical profession as he aims for his Pharmacy qualifications. Simon said: “I’m pretty busy from the moment I wake up; university, then training, then revision, it’s pretty full on.”
Being a part of a Falcons team that are heading for the play-offs is a dream come true for Simon who has been playing since he was 11 years old.
Born in Manchester but raised in Ipswich, Simon first started playing during PE School.
He soon proved a force to be reckoned with and began playing for the county before, at the age of just 14, getting picked up by Northampton Saints RFC, where he remained until he was 18.
Taking a gap year, Simon played for Ipswich Rugby Club before lessons at Ipswich deciding what he was going to do when it came to picking a university.
He said: “I visited University of Sunderland during one of their open days and I really liked what they were offering when it came to pharmacy. My dad is a doctor and so I had always been brought up in that medical environment and