HAYDEN THOMPSON-STRINGER

How’s your summer going? Prettykept up good with thanks. training I’ve even have if a it little was break nice asto I playedthe bounce three spending seasons on last When summerdoes pre-seasonin Australia. startOn Julyat Saracens?3 officially but there’sbefore thatan optionalwhich I’ll week probablyto. I feel goodend up after goingthe breakWhy did so youI’m raringgo to to go. Australia?I switched from the back row start to of looseheadthe 2015/16 at season.the After a lot of conditioning I played my first game with Bedford so the coaches thought it’d be good for me to head Down Under to keep playing. Who did you play for? I played for Manly which was a great experience. I didn’t have to go but I loved it out there. They play from anywhere on the pitch so it made wonders for my fitness while continuing to develop as a prop. When did the switch come about? At the end of the 2015 summer, we had a catch up with the coaches at Sarries and Mark McCall led the way in suggesting I should move to prop. I was a bigger back row anyway weighing 17st 7lbs (111kg) so I went for it. Was it hard to take? It took me a couple of weeks to make my mind up. I spoke to my parents and some of my old rugby coaches but I liked the sound of going one on one against people at the scrum really appealed to me. How big of a challenge has it been to switch so late? I was 20 when I switched and I knew I had to be 100 per cent in it if I had to be any chance of being successful. It went great and Sarries have offered me a new two-year contract which I’m over the mood about. Did you have to put on weight? Yes but it wasn’t that hard as I’m someone who puts on weight very easily. That’s why I was a big back-rower. I’m 18st 8lbs (118kg) now and I also worked a lot on my neck and shoulders to make sure I could cope with the pressure of the scrums on my body. Who’s your mentor? Sarries is a great environment to learn and Juan Figallo has had the biggest influence on me in terms of teaching me how to go about my business. Do you remember your first big game at prop? I played in the three rows of the pack in the 2016 season but near the end I had my first game for Bedford as a prop. It was at Nottingham with the rain pouring down. I was pretty nervous but it went ok. Happy with your season? I think I’ve made myself proud. I played a lot of rugby for Bedford and I even got to make my Premiership debut against Northampton. I’m knocking on the door so I’ll keep going. How did you find the Premiership? Very exciting! I even managed to get a penalty against Paul Hill. I used to play with him for England U20s where I was actually scrummaging behind him from second row. It was good to get one over him. What’s the feedback from the coaches? They recognise I’ve come a long way since making the switch. Now it’s up to me to prove to them they can trust me in the big games. Hopefully my opportunity will come. Could you have played in the Premiership as back-rower? I believe so but I have no regrets. What was the mood at Saracens at the end of the season? It was tough to lose the Premiership semi-final at Exeter but we did win the Champions Cup so it can only have been a good season. If not rugby, what would you be doing? Probably do some labouring job for my dad. But my mum is a hairdresser so I’m going to study to be a barber. Favourite cheat meal? Chinese. Three dinner guests? David Beckham, Anthony Joshua and Juan Figallo. Best and worst banter at Saracens? Chris Ashton was the best before he left but worst would have to be Nathan Earle. Best and worst dressed? Maro Itoje can pull anything off unlike Nick Tompkins.