Young Gun: Jonas Mikalcius – Harlequins wing

Jonas MikalciusFortune favours the brave and Jonas Mikalcius is the perfect example of where chasing your dream can lead you.
The big Lithuanian winger lit up Franklin's Gardens in the 7s last week on his first outing for . Now, just five years into his rugby career, he is one of the hottest prospects in .
Giving up swimming for rugby aged 16, it did not take long for him to get noticed in Lithuania. He was keen to see how far he could go so he decided to move to and played for the U19s.
It was a great experience for the 17st 10lb, 6ft 3in powerhouse wing but it was too far from home so he decided to explore his opportunities back in Europe. Hartpury College were quick to give him a scholarship two years ago.
He hasn't looked back and, after 27 tries in last season, he was picked up by Quins. On Sunday he lined up against one of the finest wingers around in at the finals.
“I'm looking forward to it,” Mikalcius, below, told The Rugby Paper. “To come up against someone like Christian Wade in the first game was a great opportunity for me to learn from an international winger.
“It all started in 2013 when I decided to go to South Africa and play for the Sharks. Little did I know that I'd be here three years later having joined Harlequins.
“They are a club with great history. They have a great coaching staff and they play with width and a lot of pace which is something I love.”
Mikalcius, who moved to the wing only last season after starting out as a flanker, will spend the first year of his three-year deal with Hartpury as he looks to finish his Sports Conditioning degree.
He added: “I never liked to get into the rucks when I was playing back row and I was often waiting for the ball in the wider channels. So it made sense to move to the wing and I remember my eyes lighting up when I saw all that space.
“I wished I'd started as a winger from the off because I have a lot of catching up to do. But I've improved a lot already since starting pre-season with Quins and I'll make sure I keep going because, should I get there, it won't take long for Premiership wings to expose my weaknesses if I don't.
“The main focus for me is to finish my degree at Hartpury and then see where my performances take me. It's up to me to play as well as I can for Hartpury and maybe I'll get a call to play in the A-League or the Anglo-Welsh Cup with Quins.
“Hopefully Hartpury can push for promotion this season too in National One. They're a great bunch of lads and once I get back there after pre-season with Quins I'll be doing my best to help out.”

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