The Apprentice England’s protege Gabriel Ibitoye
Eddie Jones’s newest ‘apprentice’ aims to add defensive nous to his gift for scoring wonder tries
Gabriel Ibitoye has put a maths degree at London’s City University on hold while his rugby career takes off. On the field, the 19-year-old’s attacking play frequently seems to defy physics.
Alongside Sale Sharks backrower Sam Moore, an England Under-20 colleague, Ibitoye joined Eddie Jones’s senior squad yesterday. Following fellow Harlequin Marcus Smith, he is the latest promising “apprentice” player to be called up.
The hope is that the experience will steel Ibitoye and inspire him to earn a Test debut. The hype around him has been building for some time. An astonishing try against Australia at last summer’s under-20 world championship provided a snapshot of his capabilities.
Gathering a pass close to the left flank, Ibitoye was forced wider. However, he sprang forward, straddled a tackler and transferred the ball into his right hand. His body was over the touchline but suspended in mid-air – and therefore in play – as he dunked the ball into the turf. “It’s weird,” says a smiling Ibitoye, remembering that score fondly. “Since I’ve been young, I’ve watched Super League, NRL and Super Rugby where guys are finishing like that all the time.
“There’s [New Zealand rugby league international] Roger Tuivasa-sheck. His ability to get the ball over the line in tight spaces is ridiculous. [All Black wing] Waisake Naholo is a freak as well. He seems to be able to run through brick walls, run around players and find the corners.
“Those are individuals I’ve looked at, and I thought it’d be an amazing skill to add. It’s a tough one to explain. In the moment, you don’t think about it. Training is about making sure those instincts are in my system and I can produce them out of nowhere. I’ll have fun with my friends back home, practising crazy finishes. A lot of it is down to watching rugby and going out and trying things in touch sessions. The England under-18 set-up really helped that. It encourages players to express themselves, to try to beat defenders in different ways.”
John Fletcher, the innovative England Under-18s head coach, is prolific in his development of elite talent. With his colleagues Peter Walton and Russell Earnshaw, he encourages players to improve their strengths – what sets them apart from their peers. Fletcher
‘At school, I could hear my mum on the other side of the pitch praying I wouldn’t get hurt’
made the stocky, explosive Ibitoye captain of the touring party to South Africa in August 2016, saying the youngster epitomised the energy he wanted the team to exude.
Ibitoye’s progress has accelerated at breakneck speed ever since, with several milestones being set this season. Comfortable at outside centre and wing, he made his Harlequins senior debut against Saracens in the Anglowelsh Cup at Allianz Park in November. Later that month, during a 19-minute replacement appearance at Bath, Ibitoye burst 70metres down the centre of the Rec to score his first Premiership try.
John Kingston, the Quins director of rugby, cannily tied Ibitoye down to a contract extension at the start of this year.
Just last Friday, he shrugged off five of Wales’ Under-20s and scurried 60 metres to propel England to a 37-12 victory. His highlight reel is a blockbuster one, but he knows that unsung subtleties of back play – positioning, kickchase, tackling and more – will be crucial to his prospects. You sense Jones and Paul Gustard, the England defence coach, might have examined these facets thoroughly over the coming days.
“You need to have an all-round game,” explains Ibitoye, who credits Quins and England Under20s coach Tom Williams for honing his game with both the club and country set-ups, and during a loan spell with Esher.
“You can look a million dollars in attack, but if your defence isn’t up there, you won’t get picked,” he says. “Trying to be solid either side of the ball is my aim. Personally, I hope that if I get it right defensively, the attack can take care of itself.
“Everybody likes to be on the ball. It’s important to improve off-the-ball stuff as well. Once you have that, you are going places.”
Although affable and outwardly easy-going, Ibitoye is measured, mature beyond his years and, evidently, is fiercely driven. The middle of five siblings, he was brought up in Dulwich by his mother Olaide.
Trinity School in Croydon introduced him to rugby and played a significant role in setting him on his current path, but one influence stands above the rest.
“My mum’s sacrificed a lot to get me to where I am now,” he says. “Whenever I had a game or a trial, she’d always try to get me there – setting aside whatever she was doing.
“We didn’t have a car, so it wasn’t easy at all. There were a lot of trains out to Guildford! When I was younger, I probably didn’t see it, but now I can get myself to training – I started driving a year ago – I realise how much easier it is with a car. She put aside a lot of time for me.
“I tried not to ask her to games too much because she got really worried whenever there was a collision. When I was at school I could hear her from the other side of the pitch, praying that I wouldn’t get hurt.”
Individual voices are probably more difficult to decipher at the venues Ibitoye frequents now. Thankfully, Olaide is more used to things as well.
“She’s got better. She’s not too bad now. She realises it’s my job. I’ll be asking her along more often.”