Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Getting to Know: England U20s loosehead Asher Opoku-Fordjour

Sale and England U20s prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Safe to say that out of all the 360 players originally selected across the 12 countries at the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship, Asher Opoku-Fordjour arrived at the tournament in South Africa with a well-established reputation compared to last year’s maiden voyage.

ADVERTISEMENT

A year ago he was coming to the age-grade event in Cape Town off the back of a challenging season in England. Part of the Wasps academy, he became a free agent when the club spectacularly collapsed in October 2022.

Sale offered a lifeline and while that initially involved getting stuck into National League action with Stourbridge and Sedgley Tigers, by the time he arrived back in Manchester from finishing fourth with England in Cape Town, the Sharks recognised they had a hot young talent on their hands.

Video Spacer

HITS, BUMPS AND HANDOFFS! | The biggest collisions from the U20s World Championships

Video Spacer

HITS, BUMPS AND HANDOFFS! | The biggest collisions from the U20s World Championships

Over the winter, Alex Sanderson and co had no hesitation throwing him into a series of Gallagher Premiership and Investec Champions Cup matches as a tighthead and while it is on the other side of the scrum where he continues to be chosen for England age-grade, he has shown himself to be potential prop star in the making.

Having started last Saturday’s opening-round win over Argentina in Athlone, he will provide bench cover this Thursday back at the same stadium looking for an opportunity to hurtle through Fiji in the same stylish way he bounced through this Getting to Know RugbyPass Q&A session:

Fixture
World Rugby U20 Championship
England U20
48 - 11
Full-time
Fiji U20
All Stats and Data

THE BASICS
Born: July 16, 2004;
Joined England age-grade: Scotland, came off the bench first game of the Six Nations U20s last year. I didn’t play U18s;
Club: Sale;
Height: 5ft 9;
Weight: 111kg;
Position: Tighthead (club), loosehead (country);
Boots: Adidas. Style? The one that all the props wear;
Gumshield: I don’t wear one. It gets in the way;
Headgear: No;
School: City of Oxford College.

RATE YOURSELF (out of 100)
Pace: 75;
Passing: 75;
Tackling: 80.

ADVERTISEMENT

THE PAST
My favourite England player of all time is… I’d probably say Manu Tuilagi;

Favourite try I have ever scored is… Ireland last year, World Cup;

A rugby memory that makes me smile is… First time I went to training ground at my local club with my brother. Broadstreet RFC;

The moment I realised I could make it is… I haven’t made it yet. My second year at college, that is when I started to realise I could do it if I put a lot of work in;

One piece of advice I would give to my younger self is… Just keep working hard;

ADVERTISEMENT

My best subject in school was… I wasn’t any good at school to be honest. PE;

The first player who made me fall in love with rugby is… Probably Manu Tuilagi again;

Growing up, my position was… I was a winger, centre, back row, hooker, prop, back row prop. I was probably 12, 13 when I was a winger;

The coach who has most impacted my game is… Can I say the Wasps one when I was there? Richard Beck.

Related

THE PRESENT
My best attributes on the field are… I’d to say I scrum well, carry well;

One thing I’m doing to improve my education is… No, not really;

My favourite current England player is… Ben Earl;

My favourite YouTuber is… Yeah. DBG;

My hardest working teammate is… Finn Carnduff;

My most skilful teammate is… Sean Kerr;

My favourite training drill is… Scrum sessions;

My favourite music artist is… I don’t really have one, I don’t have a favourite really. I’ll give it to Drake. Why not.

THE FUTURE
A player who could go all the way is… Finn Carnduff;

If I could play with anyone, I would like to play with… Ardie Savea;

I will be happy with my career if I… Have done everything there is to do. British and Irish Lions, England, loads of caps;

One thing I want to add to my game is… I would say more dominance in my tackles;

If I could play in any other country, I would play in… France probably;

One person I want to meet is… LeBron James;

One trophy I would love to win is… A World Cup, Webb Ellis.

  • Click here to sign up to RugbyPass TV for free live coverage of matches from the 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship in countries that don’t have an exclusive local host broadcaster deal

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

G
Gilbert Moore 2 hours ago
Why the ‘State of Origin’ will have a big say in Schmidt’s Wallabies selection

After losing access to my crypto wallet due to a phishing scam, I was desperate for help. I came across ExpressHacker99 and decided to give them a try. From the first email to ExpressHacker99@gmail.com, their team was professional and transparent. They explained the recovery process clearly and didn’t ask for any upfront fees, which made me feel more at ease.

Within a few weeks, they successfully recovered a significant portion of my funds. Their expertise and dedication were evident throughout the process. I highly recommend ExpressHacker99 to anyone facing a similar issue. They’re trustworthy, skilled, and truly deliver results.

78 Go to comments
C
Carmen Beechum 3 hours ago
Waratahs snap losing streak against ill-disciplined Brumbies

(Telegram: https:// t. me/Pro_ Wizard_ Gilbert_ Recovery)Email (pro wizard gilbert recovery (@) engineer. com)I never imagined I would fall victim to a cryptocurrency scam, but that's exactly what happened. My name is [Carmen Beechum, and I invested $500,000 into what | believed was a legitimate trading platform. Everything appeared professional-the website was well-designed, customer service was responsive, and my trading account even showed promising returns.It all seemed too good to be false.However, when I attempted to withdraw my funds, I was met with endless delays and excuses. First, they claimed there were technical issues, then they needed additional verification, and finally, they requested a release fee before processing my withdrawal. Despite complying with their demands, my account was eventually frozen, and all communication from the platform ceased. That's when reality hit me—l had been scammed out of half a million dollars. Desperate to find a way to recover my money, I searched online for solutions. That's when I came across PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY, a company dedicated to helping victims of online financial fraud. At first, I was skeptical-after all, I had already been deceived once, and the last thing I wanted was to fall for another scam. But after speaking with their team and reviewing their success stories, I decided to take a chance.Their experts immediately got to work, using advanced blockchain forensics and investigative tools to trace my stolen funds. WhatsApp: +1 (920) 408‑1234They identified the fraudulent wallets where my money had been transferred and collaborated with financial institutions and law enforcement agencies to take action. Thanks to their persistence and expertise, they were able to freeze the scammers' accounts and successfully recover my $500,000. What seemed like a devastating loss turned into a remarkable recovery. I am incredibly grateful to PRO WIZARD GIlBERT RECOVERY for not only retrieving my funds but also restoring my peace of mind. My experience serves as a warning to others-always be cautious with online investments, but if you ever become a victim, know that recovery is possible with the right experts on your side.

0 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Owen Farrell set to return for an increasingly desperate Racing 92 Owen Farrell set to return for an increasing desperate Racing 92
Search