YOUNG GUNS
A try-double in the Junior World Cup opener against Argentina continued the recent run of success for England U20s speedster Jordan Olowofela, who in April achieved the distinction of making his Premiership debut for Leicester against Bath at Twickenham.
Hull-born but schooled in Lincoln, Olowofela joined Newark RFC as a youngster before being signed on as a 16-year-old by Leicester, where he is flourishing under the guidance of senior teammate Telusa Veainu and vastly experienced backs coach Geordan Murphy.
Olowofela said: “Newark has a good reputation as a club and Joe Heyes, who’s also at Leicester and plays with England U20s, came through there as well. I got involved in age group stuff at 15 and was signed into the Leicester academy a year later, and it’s gone pretty well.
“I’d played Anglo Welsh Cup before but to make my Premiership debut at Twickenham in April was incredible. Not many people get to do that and my aim now is to have a successful World Cup with England U20s before going back to Leicester and trying to stake a claim.”
Olowofela will have to get past the likes of Jonny May and Veainu, but it’s the full-back’s role he really covets as he continues to rely on the latter for guidance.
“I can play wing or full-back, although I like full-back a bit more and Telusa Veainu’s been really helpful to me and is the ideal man to learn off. I like the way he plays, his footwork is fantastic and he knows how to score tries, so I always spend time with him after training.
“I’m in an ideal position because Geordan Murphy coaches us and he was a world-class full-back as well. I watched him growing up and although he’s not the biggest, a bit like myself, he was one of the best players in the world at his peak and he teaches me a lot.”
A fan of Australia’s Israel Folau as well – “He’s brilliant under the high ball” – Olowofela is now desperate to be part of an England U20s team that wins the World Cup.
“It’s incredible being part of this squad,” he says. “Growing up I always wanted to be part of a team like this and to be finally given the chance in the Six Nations and again now is brilliant. To play in the opening game and bag a couple of tries was a great start. “I missed out on the U20s last year but I’ve loved my time this year. There’s a fair few of us Leicester boys in the squad with Ben White, Sam Lewis, Tom Hardwick and Joe Heyes here in France as well, so it helps to be with people I train with week-in, week-out.”
He added: “I’d like to prove myself against some of the best U20s players in the world now and if I keep working on my basic skills and communication in backfield, hopefully I can get more chances here and then take that into Leicester and make an impact.”