YOUNG GUNS
OLLY Hartley yesterday took his first steps towards emulating his England trialist dad Gary when he made his Wasps debut in their Premiership Cup clash with Newcastle Falcons.
The 19-year-old inside centre went to Whitgift school in Croydon, whose famous alumni include Elliott Daly, Marland Yarde, Danny Cipriani and Harry Williams.
Hartley, who has trained with England U20s this season, was delighted to get his first run-out in first-team colours.
He said: “It’s like a little stepping stone towards being a first-team player in the Premiership. It’s a great chance to show what you are about at this level.
“All week, it’s been full-steam ahead. Wasps are not going to throw boys under the bus when they feel that they are not ready. They know when boys are physically and mentally ready to play at the top level.
“That is probably why Wasps have such a good record at producing young players and playing them in the firstteam.”
He hopes to follow in the footsteps of his dad who was also a centre and played 240 games for Nottingham alongside Brian Moore, Simon Hodgkinson and Gary Rees.
“I’m told he was a half-decent player, but I think we are quite different players,” adds Hartley. “He was a bit small, more nimble and really quick, whereas I am a bit more confrontational. “I didn’t ever see him play, but we have got some tapes of games that he played in that I have watched over the last couple of years. “Am I a better player? Yes, probably, but he would want me to say that. He never put pressure on me, but I always put pressure on myself because you want to perform well for your family.”
Hartley, who first joined Hammersmith & Fulham rugby club when he was five, combines playing with doing an online degree in Business Management at Northumbria University. He says he always had his eye on becoming a chartered surveyor like former Barbarian Gary – who ran the family estate agents business – until his development stepped up a pace when he was 15.
“When I was playing U16s, that is the year that I had most development, and when I first realised I might be able to make a career of rugby if I worked hard for a couple of years,” says Hartley.
“So I put my head down and worked hard at it. Until then, I was pretty set on going to university to study marketing and business management. “Then maybe going into the city or doing some property becoming a chartered surveyor because I knew it’s not easy to get a contract straight out of school.”