Young Gun: Shaun Moulton – London Irish hooker

South African hooker Shaun Malton is a man in a hurry and wants to make his mark at London Irish in double-quick time.
A former Baby Bok, Malton came through the highly-regarded Sharks academy but found his route to first-team rugby blocked by the presence of 2007 World Cup-winning skipper John Smit and Springboks hooker Bismarck du Plessis.
Not content to wait for those not inconsiderable obstacles to move aside, Malton decided to leave the Sharks to play in the Varsity Cup, the competition that unearthed the considerable talent of Eben Etzebeth.
But instead of waiting until the close season to try to earn a shot at a senior Super XV contract, Malton opted to up sticks and chance his arm in England, where he has earned a four-month contract with the Exiles.
Pre-season training begins in earnest on Monday and Malton, 22, is raring to go.
He said: “I had a meeting with Brian Smith when I first came here and he said they were willing to give me four months to a year potentially.
“He told me, ‘this is a great opportunity for you’, and that’s something I am fully aware of.
“I intend to stick my head down from day one and work as hard as I can.
“I just saw coming to England as a great chance to really progress my career. I had played Varsity rugby but wanted a bigger challenge.”
Malton is not short of examples of South Africans who have settled into the Premiership.But there was one in particular whose impact Malton is hoping to replicate.
“I know Schalk Brits has been sensational since he came to Saracens and that was a big inspiration for me,” added Malton.
“It will be tough but I think my game will suit English rugby. My set-piece is pretty solid and I try to cover as much ground as possible.
“I am one of those hookers who likes to run with the ball and try to make things happen on the pitch.”
Despite being born and bred in South Africa, Malton has strong links to England with his dad’s side of the family hailing from Doncaster.
Indeed both his dad, Kevin, and uncle, Gary, turned out for Doncaster in the Nineties and have warned him what to expect in England.
But Malton is prepared for the challenge and, with his British parentage, is setting his sights high.
He said: “This year I want to try and break into the first team and then hopefully play in the Heineken Cup next year.
“Long term I want to play for England. I know that’s a long way off but that’s my dream.
“A lot of my family are from Doncaster and I spent most of last week visiting them.
“They told me a lot about how physical English rugby is and that is something I will need to get used to.
“Even when I was in South Africa, this was my goal. I played for the Baby Boks but as far as I know that does not make me ineligible.”