News
JOSH Sheppard believes he has found a new home at Hornets after feeling isolated from players with private school backgrounds inside Bristol Bears‘ academy.
The 19-year-old winger has been an instant hit in National Two West, scoring 16 tries in 19 appearances during his first season of senior rugby.
Sheppard came into this weekend joint fourth in the league’s try-scoring charts and has been a big influence on the Westonsuper-Mare side steering-clear of the threat of relegation.
He began the season dual-registered with Bristol but has now officially departed the Premiership side due to a divide he felt between state school and privately educated academy players.
Sheppard told The Rugby Paper: “Hornets has been a breath of fresh air, it’s a lot more chilled out than Bristol’s academy set-up. I didn’t enjoy my time there. I went to SGS and there were a lot of people from Colston’s. I got on well with most of them but it was a real mix and I’m happy to be out of it now.
“There was definitely a divide between people from private schools and those who weren’t. They were used to boarding and had completely different personalities, and my struggles stemmed from there.
“There’s quite a few players here who are my age, and it’s a nice blend of youth and experience. It’s nice to be up there in the try-scoring charts with the best in the league.”
Hornets have strong community ties, often putting out matchday squads that are over 75 per cent homegrown.
A player with huge potential in the game, Sheppard is happy at level four for the time being but would like to climb the leagues in seasons to come. He said: “This is Hornets’ third year at this level and we’re doing the best we’ve ever done, which is pleasing. It’s nice to be with a group of lads who are largely home-grown or at least from the western Bristol area. They all buy in to the family environment.
“I’m happy at Hornets for the time being. If anything came up in the summer that would be great but equally I am happy to stay here. It would be nice to move up the leagues, whether that’s to National One or the Championship.”
Hornets secured backto-back wins in recent weeks over Bournville and Exeter University to move up to eighth and Sheppard is targeting a top-half finish.
“We had a slow start to 2025 as we lost all three games after Christmas but it’s been nice to get two wins over teams below us,” said Sheppard.
“That’s put a lot of fresh air between us and relegation, so we shouldn’t be looking at that and instead we’re looking to finish as high as possible. The past couple of years we’ve narrowly avoided relegation, so it’s great that’s now not on the cards.”
The best betting sites
