CONNORTREACEY
BATH & ENGLAND U18 BACK ROW
England U18s captain Connor Treacey led his country through an unbeaten Six Nations and now plans to be a sponge at Bath, learning from the club’s outstanding set of back rows. Treacey’s side secured victories against Wales, Scotland and Georgia in the U18s Six Nations as the openside flanker enjoyed the privilege of captaining his nation at age group level.
A routine 28-6 triumph over Scotland was sandwiched in between dramatic last minute winners against Wales 36-35 and tournament newcomers Georgia 26-19.
“It’s a massive privilege that I feel every time I put on the shirt,” Treacey told The Rugby Paper. “To lead this team out is that little bit more special. We’ve got a lot of leaders in the team like James Linegar and Lucas Friday that steer the ship as well. Everyone recognises how privileged we are and how we don’t take every game for granted, as well as making the most of every session. That’s paid off recently.
“We know what we can get better at. We had a great game against Wales but we review it and try to improve every time. We said at the start of the tournament that we wanted to get better and better after each game.”
Treacey started playing rugby aged five and rose through the ranks at his local club New Milton in Hampshire but knew he would have to play at a higher level if he was going to go far in the sport. He moved to the prestigious Beechen Cliff school, who possess an impressive alumni of rugby stars including Henry Arundell and Freddie Burns. Treacey credits his move to the Somerset school for getting him where he is today. He said: “A big move for me was going to Beechen Cliff. The rugby where I grew up was good but there wasn’t the high quality consistent game time needed in order for me to push on. I started boarding there and the facilities on my doorstep allowed me to push on into Bath and now England.”
A dogged back row, Treacey prides himself on his work rate, idolising and being inspired by internationals like New Zealand’s Ardie Savea and England’s Sam Underhill. He added: “A couple of back rows stand out to me in Ardie Savea and Sam Underhill for their physicality on the pitch. Underhill’s tackling rate is through the roof, as well as his work rate and the way he conducts himself. Looking at Savea, his ball carrying technique, work rate, as well as pace and power are what sets him apart. If I could merge those two together, it’d be pretty ideal but there’s a long way for me to go yet.
“The amount of work I get through in a game both in terms of carrying and metres made, as well as work off the ball to get into a good position on the ball are my unique selling points. Especially with me moving to openside it’s about how I can be more effective in the breakdown, keep my contact skills where they are and push on.”
As Treacey moves into the Bath senior academy, he plans to pick the brains of the likes of Underhill. He said: “I’ll try and absorb every bit of information they tell me. Game time at this point is always an aim but I’m focusing on BUCS rugby with Bath University to transfer what I learn from the Bath first team.”