Judge targets top-three finish to repay his debt to Paver
BATH-BOUND prop Christian Judge says he owes Cornish Pirates scrum guru Alan Paver a huge debt of gratitude for facilitating his move into the big time.
Having completed a successful four-month loan spell at Saracens in which he made a dozen appearances, tight-head specialist Judge will see out the rest of the campaign with the Pirates before heading to Bath this summer.
It is a fairy-tale rise for the 25-year-old, who started his career at the Cornish All Blacks before spells at Plymouth and Bedford preceded a move to Pirates in 2017. Judge told The Rugby
Paper: “It was an amazing experience at Saracens and, with the announcement of my going to Bath since then, I’m obviously looking forward to next season and things are looking pretty good for me.
“For Saracens to show the confidence and belief in me they did – and give me the games they did in the Premiership and Champions Cup – I’m really thankful for that.
“I also can’t speak highly enough of the impact Alan Paver has had on my career. He’s got huge technical knowledge around scrummaging and he’s invested lots time and energy in helping me improve to the level I’m at.
“Any time I’ve had a question or needed to bounce an idea off him, he’s always been willing to listen. He studies the game closely to make sure he’s developing himself and when you’re a player that’s exactly what you need.”
Of his impending move to Bath, Judge said: “There were conversations with both Bath and Saracens but in committing myself to Bath now for the next couple of years, I see it as a really exciting opportunity.
“It’s a fantastic club and, like Saracens, they’ve got world-class players and a real desire and vision of where they want to go.”
Judge aims to leave Pirates on a high as he targets a top-three Championship finish.
He added: “Motivation won’t be a problem. When I look at where I was four or five years ago, starting in National Two, I was always motivated to play at Championship level.
“Bedford and Pirates gave me that dream of playing professionally and it’s great to come back here and get straight in amongst the lads and coaches.
“Everyone’s been really supportive and encouraging and that’s helped spur me on, so I’m just looking to contribute as much as I can now before I leave this summer. We finished fourth last year so we want to improve on that.”