FACTFILE
AGE: 21
HEIGHT: 6ft
WEIGHT: 18st 8lbs
CLUBS: London Irish, London Irish Amateurs, Bath University, Windsor RFC

Firstly, Austin, tell us a bit about your rugby background.
I started playing rugby at my home club, Windsor RFC when I was seven and played there until I was 16. When I was 14 I started playing for Berkshire and after a year playing for the county, I was scouted by London Irish and I made my way through the Academy system there.
Once I finished college I signed my first professional contract for three years with Irish. As well as Irish I enrolled at Bath University where I studied Sports Performance for three years and played in the new BUCS Super rugby league.
During my time with both Irish and Bath, I played in numerous British and Irish Cup and A-League games. In my final two years, I was sent out on loan with the Irish Wild Geese in National 2 South until signing for OEs during the summer.

You must have come up against some rising stars on the university circuit and enjoyed some memorable moments?
Yeah, I did play against some class players - the likes of Alex Dombrandt from Cardiff Met and Sebastian Negri from Hartpury. There were quite a few moments that stood out for me while I was at Bath such as doing the double over Exeter, Hartpury and Loughborough in my final year. Going up to Durham and beating them two weeks in a row in my first year was great as well. But my favourite moment has to be last season, turning 21 years old and beating Hartpury away for the first time in the university’s history. It was something special and one birthday I will always remember.

How did the move to London Irish come about?
So when I was 15 I was playing for Berkshire against Oxfordshire in the county league and Billy Clark the London Irish Academy Director was there watching the game and invited me down to train and play in the U15s academy tournaments across England which was a real honour for me. While in the AASE scheme I was also in the Gold (U18s) Academy coached by Nick Kennedy, Dec Danaher and Paul Hodgson. But in my first year, I was unlucky to miss out due to a broken foot. However, in my final year, I was part of the unbeaten Irish side which won the U18s Premiership Academy League and then I signed my first contract to the Senior academy.
 
What were your three years at Irish like?
I loved it. I met some great players and I was with one of my best mates, Matt Williams, who I grew up playing rugby with at Windsor since we were seven. It was a professional environment and learning from some of the best players like Saia Fainga’a, Gordon Reid and Tom Court really helped my progress as a young prop.

What was the best thing about being a professional player?
Becoming a professional rugby player was always a dream for me and being at Irish allowed me to fulfil those dreams. It was difficult having to learn how to approach everything - from my gym work to social media. But I think just being around everyone and knowing and saying I was a professional rugby player made me really proud and humbled.

You spent the last two seasons on loan at Wild Geese in National 2 South. Did that help your development as a player?
Playing at the Wild Geese was great fun. I’ve got a lot of time for those boys and they mean a lot to me. I did enjoy the experience, but it was hard playing Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the experience of battling relegation just makes you a bit more determined to perform well. But playing at men’s level instead of university rugby, helped me hugely especially in my scrummaging.

As a young prop you would have come up against some pretty tough and ‘street-wise’ front rows last season!
Going to places like Redruth, Taunton and Old Redcliffians was a challenge, but it personally made me better and it allowed me to think about how I scrummaged and how I could manipulate some of those big gnarly props and get a scrum penalty or shut them backwards.

How did the move to Elthamians come about?
In my last year of uni, I knew I wasn’t getting re-signed. All my mates were announcing contracts and I was left twiddling my thumbs. But after speaking to my agent and my head coach at Bath, Mark Lilley, they reached out to Gavin. I was lucky Nathan Morris was a good mate of Lills and Nath came down and watched one of my games and once I had spoken to Gav I knew OEs was a place I was really excited to come and join.

Did you know much about the club before you joined?
No, I didn’t know much at all. I had chats with Levi Douglas and Nathan [Morris], and they told me a lot about the club so I knew that they had great ambitions and I wanted to help.

How have you found the transition coming into National One?
I’m really enjoying it! It’s a different level where for a young tighthead prop I can really learn and develop my skills against some experienced players. The intensity and speed is completely different from BUCS and Nat 2 but I’m getting used to the standard.

How do you assess your form so far this season?
It's been going alright - I’ve been quite happy with how I have been performing but obviously I want to improve, get fitter and develop. I want to continue growing and become a better player, so each week is a new beginning for me and I am excited to see what the season has to offer.

Finally Austin, tell us a little known fact or secret about yourself.
Ha ha, I’m not too sure what to say here. Not many people know this but I thought it was pretty cool at the time - when I was in year 7, The Gadget Show came to my school and I managed to get on it and talk about a Lego camera!