Basham: University route is right one for me

ENGLAND U20s back row Josh Basham has revealed why he quit London Irish to pursue university studies last summer rather than dive straight into a Premiership career.

Economics student Basham, a Junior World Cup finalist last June, is aiming for a second crack at glory with the U20s after representing Durham University in BUCS Super Rugby.

Basham, 19, says leaving London Irish was hard. “It was a massive decision for me and I took ages to make it, but I’m happy I got it right.

“More and more people are starting to take the university route now and Alex Dombrandt at Harlequins is a good example of someone who’s done his studies before going into the Premiership and doing really well, which reaffirms the decision I made.

“I really liked my time at Irish and the academy setup was really good under Jon Fisher, but I just felt I wanted to go to Durham. Wherever I’d been I would have done the same, but it was very tough.”

Basham has been linked with Newcastle but insists his studies come first.

He added: “There’s definitely that option of Premiership rugby at some stage but I’m not looking to rush into anything.

“I’ve played in all the BUCS matches so far and it’s a good standard. Physically it’s right up there and it’s getting better each year.

“The squad’s getting better as well, so in terms of preparation for the U20s it’s been ideal.”

Basham is one of 14 surviving members of last year’s England squad, with no fewer than ten of those having competed in the JWC final against France.

On paper, it looks one of the strongest U20s squad ever assembled with Worcester’s Ted Hill, Marcus Smith (Quins), Joe Heyes (Leicester), Tom Willis (Wasps) and Fraser Dingwall (Northampton) all having played significant amounts of Premiership Rugby.

Basham said: “There are some really good players who’ve gained a lot of Premiership experience now, so we’ll be able to use that to our advantage.”