YOUNG GUNS
Phil Brantingham is a talented young England U20s prop who cites Kyle Sinckler as a role model and is grateful for the Rugby League background that helped hone his skills.
A product of Morpeth Rugby Club, where his dad also played prop, Brantingham switched his attention to League at the age of 13 when he joined the Cramlington Rockets.
“I loved Rugby League,” says Brantingham, 19. “We had a good side at Cramlington and as a young rugby player it was massive for me in improving my skills, simply because of the number of touches you get on the ball and all the movement around the park.
“My handling skills improved tenfold and I would definitely recommend League to anyone in that respect. At 16, I was dual-linked with Newcastle Thunder and the Falcons and that really helped as well. Between them, they managed my pathway really well.”
Having edged towards Union, Brantingham represented England U18s in 2019 on a never-tobe-forgotten tour of South Africa. He recalls: “We took a very young squad and our first game was against Argentina – a massive side who brought heavy physicality.
“But we did okay and after that we played well against France and then took on South Africa, who had another really big pack. We lost a game we probably should have won but played some really good stuff and took a lot from that tour. A lot of those boys are in the U20s squad now so it’s good to build on those memories and strengthen the bonds we have.”
In common with most developing players, rugby has been hard to come by over the past year.
Brantingham adds: “It’s been hard without any games but I played in the last North v South U20s match before Christmas and we’ve had a lot of tough sessions at the Falcons to replicate games.
“But we’re certainly looking forward to getting the Six Nations played now. Getting into that squad has been my main focus so hopefully we’ll play it in April and May.”
In the meantime, Brantingham is gleaning as much knowledge as he can from Newcastle scrum guru Micky Ward and others as he settles on choosing his best position.
“For England I’ve been playing a lot at loosehead, but in pre-season at Falcons I was playing at tighthead,” he explained. “I quite like the versatility because it gives you more opportunities, but as I get older I’ll have to make a decision on making a side my own.
“Micky’s got massive experience of the front row and it’s great to pick his brains, while Falcons props Trevor Davidson, Adam Brocklebank and Jon Welsh are really good at giving me tips.
“Further afield, part of my personal development plan has been looking at a lot of the stuff Kyle Sinckler does in the loose. As well as being a good scrummager, he has a very rounded skillset so that’s a guy I’m trying to model my game around to get to that level.”