Ben Thomas to try out for England U19 rugby

Haileybury’s first Frank Warren Sports Scholar, Ben Thomas (BFr), has been invited to return for a second trial match for the England U19 rugby team.

He was originally due to attend an England U18 training week at Loughborough, but after intense interest from England U19 coaches, he was fast-tracked into the U19 setup, playing his first U19 trial match in August. He has subsequently been asked to return for a second trial match on 5 October.

Ben is modest about his achievements. "Last year the rugby season was a disappointing one for me as my game time was limited due to a number of disruptive and frustrating injuries.

"My injuries did, however, give me time to improve my strength, fitness and general skill levels which has put me in good stead for this year."

During the summer holidays, he was involved in an intense pre-season training phase with the Saracens first team.

"This was a massive opportunity for me and I am pleased to say it went extremely well. The pre-season training allowed me to make significant gains both physically and mentally and gave me the chance to train with a team of professionals, which was excellent for my skill development," he says.

"The feedback from Saracens has been very encouraging and they have offered me a contract for when I finish my final school year. This season I hope to play for England U19s in both the Six Nations and World Cup, and also hopefully play some Guinness A league matches for the Saracens 2nd team."