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HOOKER Calum Scott is relishing the chance to have a crack at his first full league campaign having joined Rams from London Irish.
The youngster, who took up rugby at the age of five at Tadley, is Berkshire born-and-bred having also played for Newbury as a junior and the county from Under 14s to U16s.
He first got involved with Exiles as a U13, making his senior debut in last season’s Premiership Rugby Cup while also going onto make four appearances for England U20s.
In between this he spent time on loan at Championship club London Scottish and Rams’ National One counterparts Esher, but among a host of reasons for signing on at Old Bath Road, Scott started:
“It’s great to be here, I’ve enjoyed the past couple of weeks and I’m excited to get the season going.
“I’m getting a feel for the club and it’s in a great place, you can see it going in one direction.
“One of the biggest attractions was it’s a team built around local lads with some I’ve played with or against growing up – it’s special to be part of a club like that.
“I know Spencer (Hayhow) well – we played county together and then I was at school with him for Sixth Form.
“But all the boys have been class, it’s been great getting to know everybody, and they’ve all been so friendly and welcoming.”
Having taken early bragging rights on the golf course against Max Hayman and Ben Atkins earlier this month, he continued: “This will be my first year playing in a league (for my own club) – I’m so excited to be with a team for the whole season where you’re all together working towards one goal and hopefully getting it done in the end.
“When I was at Irish you’ve always got the thing of going on loan, being at different clubs, so it’s nice to now have one target for the year.”
Having signed a Senior Academy deal with Exiles after leaving Pangbourne College, the 20-year-old has fond memories of his time with Irish, continuing: “I had two years of being able to train with the likes of Agustin Creevy – for a young hooker that was amazing, and you learn so much from being around the professional environment.
“It turns you from being a school lad into a bloke quickly and some of the coaches – especially Fish (Jonathan Fisher) – helped me take my game up a level and I want to thank them for everything they did since I was first involved aged 13.”
With pre-season now in full swing, it is not long until supporters get their first look at Scott, and he revealed he cannot wait to get into the mix while discussing what he hopes to add to the squad.
He concluded: “One of my biggest assets is my speed – for a front row at Irish I was one of the quickest forwards at the club – and I try and bring a bit of a different picture to the old-fashioned hooker.
“I like to do the hooking side of line-outs and scrums, but then around the park I want to bring a mix of everything – physicality, aggression and more.
“Whether it’s hooker, back row, centre – I’ll play wherever the coaches want me!”
