YOUNG GUNS
GABE GOSS BATH WINGER
Gabe Goss has found out for himself that things can turn around quickly in rugby as the newest member of the England U20s camp.
After a disrupted 2020, the Bath flyer missed out on selection for the EPS squad announced by head coach Alan Dickens at the start of the year.
But the disappointment of January has faded into the rearview mirror for Goss, speaking to The Rugby Paper from the England U20s base at Loughborough University and a tryscorer in the team’s first training match against a Newcastle Falcons XV in March.
“At the time I was annoyed about it because I felt I did deserve to play for the U20s,” Goss says of his EPS omission. “I rang Dicko up and asked him about the selection and he explained he wanted to go with one of the older lads who played last year – Matty Ward (Newcastle Falcons) – because he hadn’t seen much of him.
“I just used it as fuel. You can either sit back and accept that or you can use it to crack on and get your next opportunity. I just wanted to show Dicko that I am a good contender for my position.
“I was never on England’s radar before. All the lads that are playing now have played together since U18s and I wasn’t involved until this year.
“Covid has been a bit of a blessing and a curse in terms of my rugby. It was a little difficult at first because everyone did know each other and I was kind of the odd one out but I feel with time we all get to know one another.
“I’m not great with new people but once they all saw me on the pitch I think they saw what I can do and they gravitated towards me. Getting that game against Newcastle worked out so well for me because they could see what I could do.
“I have pretty much settled in now and made some good mates.”
Bath is where the heart is for the winger who came through the AASE link at Beechen Cliff, with teammates Ethan Staddon, John Stewart and Orlando Bailey.
Director of rugby Stuart Hooper has made no secret of Bath’s long-term strategy being aimed towards making the club self-sustainable. By 2023, the club intend to adopt a selection policy of homegrown players making up 50 per cent of their match-day squad, something which serves a encouragement for Goss.
“The coaches have said from day one they want to make Bath a homegrown club built on the success of its homegrown players,” said Goss, hopeful of making his senior debut for Bath and winning his first England cap in 2021.
“It gives me and my peers opportunities to play more so than some other clubs in the league. But it also should be said that the coaches invest so much time into academy players. We in the academy are playing how they want Bath to play; we know the ins and outs of how the club play, and that is a huge advantage.”