George Hammond is set on becoming Harlequins' lineout caller of the future with old England U20s teammate Hugh Tizard for company in the club's engine room.
The duo have been thrust into first-team action throughout the season, with Hammond making his senior debut against London Irish last September prior to earning his first start against Ulster in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals six weeks ago.
And while a youthful Quins side were beaten 57-21, there is no shortage of wisdom waiting to be imparted by the likes of Jerry Flannery and senior professionals Matt Symons and Stephan Lewies as they plot a first Premiership triumph since 2012.
“I was really happy to get that start against Ulster,” Hammond told TRP. “I felt I had worked hard since my debut and it was definitely good to get my first start, especially to be around boys who I haven't played with for a while from the academy days. That was all exciting and it was just a shame about the result.
“The youth in the squad are leaders like Marcus (Smith), he is a superstar but he leads it all. We have a good crop coming through and it is a great time for the club.
“We have a good balance in the first team of experi- enced seniors and then us youngsters in the pack. With myself and Hugh, we get a lot of advice from Matt Symons and he goes through our games with us and gives us tips of the trade. Steph (Lewies) helps a lot despite him having a lot on his plate as captain and Glen Young also. Especially in the lineout Glen helps out, he is an athletic bloke and he has got the lineout calling spot on and that is something I would like to learn off him.
“Symo is definitely the one who spends extra time with me outside of training. He will sit down and go through clips with me, us young guys look up to him as one of the seniors in the group.”
Nicknamed ‘Jambon' by forwards coach Flannery, Hammond took great value from last year's U20 Six Nations before the pandemic caused the tournament's cancellation before the fifth round.
The former Whitgift pupil started all four matches for Alan Dickens' side and was partnered by London Irish's Ben Donnell when not by Tizard.
“It gave us the exposure to a new standard and to know what is expected of us,” Hammond said of his relationship with Tizard. “We never went on loan together or played outside of an A League game, so that experience in the U20s really helped our relationship as a lock pairing and we bounce off each other, pushing each other to work harder.
“That time in the U20s set us up well but obviously Covid-19 got in the way of things in last year's Six Nations, so that was a bit of a ball ache. But we did come out of it all as better players and with a better partnership.”
