KWAMEBEKOE

YOUNG GUNS

LEICESTER TIGERS & ENGLAND U18 LOCK

Leicester second

row Kwame Bekoe says a first victory in an England shirt is his proudest moment so far as he looks to build on an increasingly influential role within the age-grade set-up.

The powerful lock, who is currently on tour in South Africa, had made five appearances without tasting victory before England overcame Georgia in this year’s U18s Six Nations, making the result particularly significant after months of work with the group.

Now with nine caps, the former inside centre is becoming one of the more experienced figures within the England group and hopes to use that platform to push towards Prem Cup opportunities with Leicester and a place in the England U20 set-up next year.

He told The Rugby Paper: “The Georgia game was definitely my proudest rugby moment. It was my first win for England after about five games. I just felt really proud of the boys. We’d put in a lot of work to win that game and it was close at the end, but it felt like everything we’d worked towards over the previous camps had paid off.

“My transition to second row didn’t really bother me because I played No.8 for my school while I was playing 12 for my club. So, I already understood quite a lot about the way forwards played. The main new detail was around the lineout.

“I’m hoping to get a few Premiership Cup caps over the next few months, get into a few England Under-20 camps and hopefully get into that EPS squad.”

Leicester’s academy is notorious for often being a challenging environment for young budding players but having been taken under the ginormous wings of Lewis Chessum, Bekoe is enjoying life at Welford Road. He said: “They push you hard, but the coaches are really nice. I’ve been training with some of the senior players before coming out here. I’ve learned a lot from Geoff Parling over the last couple of weeks, especially with him being involved around the line-out and forwards.

“The Tigers environment is tough, but everything they push you through is for a good reason. Recently I’ve learned quite a lot from Ollie Chessum’s younger brother, Lewis. He’s not very little, though – he’s about 6ft 11! Elliott Stooke has joined this season as well. He’s been around a few clubs and knows his way around rugby, so I’ve learned a lot from those two.”

Bekoe is an abrasive, physically dominant player who thrives in the engine room and the Norwich School product says he’s always loved the gym, producing impressive numbers.

“I think one of the main reasons for my success in rugby is because I started going to the gym very early and I’m quite a strong lad,” he said. “My physicality is definitely one of my strong points in rugby and going to the gym has played a big part in putting me in the position I’m in today. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been benching around 140 kgs (22st) for four reps. I’d probably squat around 200 (31st 7lbs).”

Bekoe isn’t the only sporting talent in his family as his older brother plays American Football for Great Britain. Bekoe added: “He wasn’t as keen on rugby as I was, so after leaving school he decided he still wanted to play sport and went into American Football. He goes to Warwick University and played there on the offensive line. He played well, got noticed by some scouts, went on trial in London and then played for Great Britain recently against Portugal. I was really happy for him.”

BEN JAYCOCK