Young Gun: Gabriel Ibitoye – England U18s & Harlequins wing

Gabriel Ibitoye is blessed with lightning pace and electric feet and he hopes that will help him evade defenders in one of the toughest places to play rugby on the planet.
The Harlequins speedster will fly to South Africa tomorrow with England U18s for a three-match series against France, South Africa A and South Africa in the space of nine days starting on August 7.
With a year left at Trinity School, Ibitoye, 17 will be one of the youngest members of John Fletcher’s side but far from being daunted by the task ahead, he struggles to hide his excitement.
“I can’t wait to get to South Africa,” he told The Rugby Paper. “It won’t be the most welcoming environment to play against South Africa in South Africa but it’ll be a great experience.
“I’m sure they’ll be very physical. My speed and agility are my main strengths and I hope they’ll help me avoid the big players I’m sure South Africa will have.
“We lost the FIRA semi-final to France so hopefully we can get our revenge before taking on the South African sides.”
Ibitoye gave most sports a go growing up with football being his favourite, but after moving to Trinity School in Croydon he fell in love with rugby. He joined the Harlequins EPDG program three years ago and will be looking to secure a full-time deal next year when he finishes school.
He added: “My coach at Trinity Aaron Liffchak has been great with me pushing all the time to make me the best I can. I’ve started rugby quite late but I’ve fallen in love with the game.
“There are so many ways the game can be played. You can be very physical and upfront but you can also move the ball and try to isolate defenders. Different situations call for different approaches and that’s what I really enjoy.
“We had a good season with Trinity. We nearly made it to the national draw of the NatWest Cup but we lost by a try to Dulwich in the regional final.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to show what I can do next year with Quins and earn a full-time contract with their academy.
“I played at the London Floodlit Sevens with Quins in May and I’m due to play in the Premiership Sevens when I get back from South Africa. There’ll be a four day turnaround so hopefully I’ll be able to recover and get involved.”