YOUNG GUNS

Last March, Eddie Jones invited seven players from the England U20s camp to train with the senior team during the fallow week. Among them was Freddie Steward, Richard Capstick, Sam Maunder, and young Gloucester back row Josh Gray.

For the former Dean Close School pupil, his time training at Twickenham Stadium with ‘Undercurry’ et al was a significant eye-opener, which held him in good stead for the U20s triumphant campaign.

“It was great for all of us,” Gray, 20, told TRP. “There was seven of us there across different positions and we had three days with them experiencing life around the hotel, going into training and recovery. I had a couple of small conversations with Sam Underhill and Tom Curry to glean a couple of tips of things regarding my game.

“It was a really good few days and a big payoff for us younger lads to have that time with the senior boys – a snippet of what we can expect in the future, hopefully.

“Fred Steward has really kicked on this summer to get his debut. Richard Capstick has seen a lot of first-team involvement with Exeter and Sam Maunder is right there, too. These are all boys who have experienced Premiership rugby.”

A keen golfer who plays off a handicap of five, Gray isn’t pinning his hopes on an immediate debut for Gloucester knowing full well some game-time at Hartpury will go a long way to allow him to contest spots occupied by Lewis Ludlow and Ruan Ackermann.

“It will be a season where some of us younger lads maybe don’t get as much time as we did over the last two seasons,” added Gray. “All the boys are looking very fresh and ready to go this season, so for me I’ll be looking to go on dual-registration to Hartpury for the start of the season.

“I’d like to get a good start to the season there in the Championship and get some 80-minute games under my belt. Then if the Premiership Cup is a go, to get selected for that as it is a really good opportunity to put down your mark in the first team.

“It is great up there at Hartpury, you have ‘Pasty’ (Mark Cornwell) and John Barnes pushing things on. It feels like it has become a really professional environment there over the last few years and, although the results weren’t going our way, the Gloucester lads like me and Arthur (Clark) have hopefully brought something to the club.

“Hartpury can be

around the middle of the table and pushing on for a top-four shot. It will be a young squad, a little like an ‘A’ League squad

with some of the academy boys in there but it should be a very good experience for us all.”