TOM PARTON
London Irish flyer aiming for lift-off with England this summer
LONDON Irish fullback Tom Parton says he and his fellow back-three flyers are determined to meet the demands of coach Les Kiss by pushing for England places.
With Eddie Jones set to explore fresh options, Parton and Exiles wing duo Ollie Hassell-Collins and Ben Loader are high on the list of hopefuls aiming to muscle their way into jerseys currently occupied by Jonny May and Anthony Watson.
Experienced Exiles head coach Kiss believes the trio are primed and ready, telling The Rugby Paper: “When we look at Tom, Ben and Ollie, they’ve got 130-plus games between them. That’s serious experience so they’re ready for their next exposure.
“Yes, there have been some questions (from the England coaches) about them – nothing too direct, just asking how they’ve gone – so I’d expect that if as a team we can continue to grow, those individuals will get some reward from it.
“They deserve an opportunity, just to see what the next level is like and get another form of coaching where they might pick up other things that help them grow.”
Parton, 23, who starred against Bath last weekend, would jump at the opportunity to take on USA and Canada this summer and prove himself on the higher stage.
He told TRP. “Ever since I was a kid it’s always been something I’ve wanted to do and playing for England would be a massive honour.
“Being involved in those discussions is a good thing but, ultimately, it will come down to playing well for London Irish on a consistent basis.
“If us three can keep doing what we’re doing and don’t have any lulls, it’s definitely an exciting time.”
Irish have high hopes pinned on Parton, HassellCollins and Loader who, along with fellow academy products Jack Cooke, Chunya Munga and Ben Donnell, have helped the club’s drive towards this season’s Premiership top six.
In the past the Exiles have been seen as a trading post with their young stars eventually enhancing their careers elsewhere. However, fresh from extending his contract, Parton says: “It was great to get it sorted and it was a pretty easy decision.
“What really excites me is playing continuous rugby here and the opportunity to keep performing with guys I have been doing it with since
I was 14 or
15. It’s rare that you get that in a Premiership club, especially as part of a starting team.
“Ben, Ollie and myself all played rugby around the community while learning our trade and it’s exciting to be in this position. The important part now is that we kick-on, drive performances and learn from experienced heads around us.”
With a fourth homegrown back-line member, Matt Williams, closing in on his return after an ACL injury, Parton adds: “It’s really unfortunate what happened to Matt but he’s back running now and there’s not much longer for him to wait.
“As a group of young backs, the chemistry we have is going to help us against tough opposition and it’s going to be an exciting thing for us to build on over the next few years, but we also want to challenge over the remainder of this season.” With Irish firmly in the mix for a top six place, Kiss is hopeful more of his young stars will flourish.
He said: “We’d like to think the squad we’re building allows these young fellas to be at their best and find out how far they can go in the game. “These guys will see the pathway Declan Kidney and I are trying to create and if we can make this place compelling enough, it’s a place they’ll want to stay. We’re ambitious to compete and along with that ambition comes expectation.”