GUNS

ELLIOTCHILVERS

Being jettisoned by a Premiership club at a young age has sounded the death knell for many a promising career. For Elliot Chilvers, however, the pain of rejection by Northampton was something he elected to take on the chin as he set out to fight his way back.

Having reflected inwardly and overcome that crushing disappointment by joining the Trailfinders Rugby Academy in 2019, 20-year-old Chilvers has now been rewarded with a longterm senior contract at Ealing, with whom he intends fulfilling Premiership ambitions.

Ipswich-born Chilvers, who played his early rugby for Ipswich YM before joining Northampton, says: “It just didn’t happen for me at Saints. Being honest, I was off the pace in my last year in the U18s and it was a massive wake-up call when I was told I’d be released.

“It meant I really had to switch on if I was going to have a career in rugby. You’ve got to take these things on yourself and can’t be blaming other people for that, so I managed to join the Trailfinders academy and I’m trying to make sure I fulfil my potential now.

“I’ve signed a longterm senior contract which gives me confidence that Ealing really want to see me progress and I’m happy to be with such an ambitious club.”

Despite the recent lack of rugby, Chilvers is fully integrated into first team training and benefitting from the wisdom of older heads. He explained: “I’ve done the whole pre-season and while we’ve struggled for rugby, I’ve certainly made a lot of good gains.

“The gym stuff has been tailored to what I need and Ealing are very hot on fitness, plus in training I’ve been going up against tightheads like Elliot Millar Mills and Lewis Thiede, guys who’ve got loads of experience at a very high level. Coming from the Premiership, Lewis’s knowledge of scrums is class so it’s been brilliant to get feedback from someone like that.

“In my loosehead position, I’m also getting as much advice as I can from guys like Kyle Whyte, Will Davis and James Gibbons. They’re all really good characters and it’s easy to speak to them, take tips and it’s helped the process of assimilating with the first team.

“Another really good guy I speak to is Alun Walker, our hooker, who gives you plenty of straight-talking feedback. As a young bloke pushing through, that’s all you can really ask for and I’m just trying to compete as hard as I can to be the best player I can be.”

If things go to plan and Chilvers makes his big breakthrough at Ealing, his ultimate goal is to replicate the kind of career being enjoyed by England’s Ellis Genge.

Chilvers added: “The aggression and workrate from Genge, especially through his carrying, is second to none and he’s really developed his set-piece as well. I’m definitely trying to take learnings from his book and those are the levels I’m aspiring to reach.”