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'I'm starting to forge my own path and I'm now slightly more known as James Grayson than son of Paul'
It’s quite the pattern, the sons of former international players becoming current day stars in their own right – or stars in the making as in the case of Northampton’s James Grayson, the son of 2003 England World Cup winner Paul.
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Unlike elite football, where the emergence of someone like Frank Lampard following in the footsteps of FA Cup-winning dad Frank senior is a rare occurrence, a quick glance around the oval ball game in the UK reveals numerous surnames familiar from a decade or two ago are becoming familiar once more as the torch passes from father to son.
It’s an already established trend. We’re long used to hearing the amateur Test level era names of Beaumont, Lozowski, Youngs, Moriarty and Graham brought to life again on the rugby scene by their talented offspring.
The likes of the Fords, the Farrells and the Vunipolas also have a variety of father-son Test rugby strings to their bow, but a newer stream of youngsters are now making their way in the game. All veritable chips off the old block.
For instance, glance at Harlequins and you have Louis Lynagh and Niall Saunders, respective sons of Australia’s Michael and Ireland’s Rob who clashed in that memorable 1991 World Cup quarter-final in Dublin. There’s also Cameron Redpath above at Sale, the son of Scotland’s long-serving Bryan, Matt Gallagher at Saracens, son of World Cup-winning All Black John, and Jacob Umaga at Wasps, the son of Samoan Mike.
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Switch to Bath and you’ll find Tom de Glanville, son of ex-England captain Phil, edging his way into the reckoning. Glasgow’s burgeoning playmaker is Adam Hastings, son of former Scotland and Lions skipper Gavin. Then there is the Saints, the club of the Graysons that is also home to Harry Mallinder, son of England player Jim who is now Scotland’s performance director after relinquishing the Franklin’s Gardens reins.
What gives? James Grayson simply puts this in-family pattern down to the type of infectious upbringing the kid of a rugby-playing father gets growing up. Nuances are absorbed like a sponge from a tender age, so when push comes to shove as teenagers they are frequently ahead of the posse in getting their feet on the rung of a professional ladder and they quickly gambol their way up towards prominence.
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“When you’re a young boy and you see your dad doing something, being involved in a sport, you might think potentially running around playing rugby is probably slightly better job than sitting behind a desk,” explained Grayson to RugbyPass.
Lets's gooooooo ?@HarryMal10 is back as we return to @ChampionsCup action at the Gardens ??
— Northampton Saints ? (@SaintsRugby) January 10, 2020
“I reckon that might have something to do with it. Then I just think spending time around the club when you’re a youngster as well. It doesn’t force your hand but that might be a reason why these boys fall into playing rugby.”
Grayson is going places at the tender age of 21. He already has 40 first-team appearances in his locker and the tuition goes up a notch further this Sunday afternoon when he wears the Northampton No10 shirt as a starter in the Heineken Champions Cupfor the first time. Excited? You bet.
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“I’m starting to forge my own path and I’m now slightly more (known as) James Grayson than son of (Paul)… I reckon I’m probably a little more expansive in the way we play but in terms of our mannerisms, the way we are, we are pretty similar and of course we look pretty much identical. I hear that most times someone says something to me.”
So strong is the enduring rapport between the Graysons that they now even work together professionally, although young James took the big step last year of fleeing the family nest to get a taste of life on the outside.
“I moved out of home in February so I have been out for about eleven months, but mum and dad live just across the park so I can pop home for a Sunday lunch and see then. It’s nice to have my own space but still be able to go back and see family.
“He [Paul] is a kicking consultant at the club so we do a couple of sessions a week here kicking. We get quite a bit of time here to chat about rugby and I obviously can always pop around for a cup of tea and a debrief if necessary,” he said, adding that memories of his dad as a player haven’t faded either.
“I did get to watch him quite a bit. I remember being a mascot here at the club, running out with him at Saints. Various bits and bobs. I remember him going away to the World Cup in 2003 and watching the final with my mum, so little bits like that.”
When Northampton opened this season’s European campaign at home to Lyon in November, Grayson was a spare part, lining out for BT Sport punditry rather than togging off in the dressing room. “I was commenting with Martin Bayfield – he made me feel a little bit small!”
Seven weeks on, the youngster will now adorn the TV screens for very different reasons, the selection door opening due to Wales’ Dan Biggar being handed a week off in the hope that Grayson can help get the job done versus Benetton – ‘a slippy team’ – and keep Northampton in the qualification hunt for next weekend’s pool-ending trip to France.
Looking good James ? #chipofftheoldblock #younggunatwork pic.twitter.com/PR8p0xuVdb
— Claire Jones (@redhatphoto) November 17, 2019
“I always wanted to be pushing on at this stage and I just think it is all about coaches and who you have got around you, if they are going to give you an opportunity or not,” he said, shedding further light on why he feels up to the task at European level at this early stage of his burgeoning career.
“You see lots of clubs and their youngsters aren’t getting opportunities, but it’s nice to know here that Chris Boyd will give opportunity to young boys and if you take it you can carry on playing… he has given me opportunities and has not been scared to give me opportunities which has been nice.
“The fact that he isn’t afraid to chuck me into a game which we need to win is nice for me – it gives me confidence. With Dan being here as well and knowing that he will be away probably for eight, nine (international) games a season, I’m going to get chances as well. That’s nice to know.
What a year to be involved in! Looking forward to the next one with this great group ???? https://t.co/lSglrMsBag
— James Grayson (@JaamesGrayson10) December 31, 2019
“He [Boyd] rotates and he gives young lads opportunities. He shows with the likes of George Furbank and Lewis Ludlam that if you’re young and you take your opportunity then you will probably be the first name on the team sheet.
“I have confidence in the fact that I prepare well and my understanding of the game – I have been around rugby and professional rugby for a long time and just learn things as I have gone along and been around players like Dan Biggar and coaches like Sam Vesty ands Chris Boyd, using their knowledge as well. That breeds confidence, being around those type of people.
“I feel like I’m going pretty well at the moment. I feel like my attacking game is coming along nicely. I feel like my error rate can come down a little bit. I have got to try and find the right balance between going all guns blazing in attack and being a little bit more conservative, and with that trying to keep my tactical kicking game going well.
Over the moon to have signed my first senior contract with my boyhood club! Looking forward to seeing what we can achieve over the next few years. #2021 pic.twitter.com/YHvSAaMpMB
— James Grayson (@JaamesGrayson10) December 6, 2018
“I feel that in the way we play it can sometimes get lost. You can get caught trying to run from everywhere but occasionally you need to pin teams back and try and put them under pressure as pressure generally leads to points, so try and keep that in my game as well.”
There have been lows such as the disappointments of Saints getting severely outplayed twice last month by Leinster, European games Grayson stepped into off the bench. But any upset he might have felt years ago as a fan whenever Northampton lost matches has been tempered by how he now earns his living.
“Obviously you are frustrated when you lose but you know you are going to have another chance the next week and I feel in the professional environment as a player you lose that sense of ‘we have lost, it’s the end of the world’.
“I feel a little bit more open-eyed to it and you have a wider view that you know it is not going to be the end of the world and you get another chance to go the week after,” he said, going on to reveal his budding career’s highlight so far.
“The win against Leicester a couple of weeks ago here at Franklin’s Gardens – full house, playing against the likes of George Ford, Manu Tuilagi, Jonny May, Ben Youngs, those types of players. To go out there and beat them as convincingly as we did with a relatively young and slightly inexperienced squad was really positive.”
Beating Tigers the best feeling? His father has reared him well.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Exeter were thumped by 38 points. And they only had to hop on a train.
29 Go to commentsI am De Groot.
1 Go to commentsHad hoped you might write an article on this game, Nick. It’s a good one. Things have not gone as smoothly for ROG since beating Leinster last year at the Aviva in the CC final. LAR had the Top 14 Final won till Raymond Rhule missed a simple tackle on the excellent Ntamack, and Toulouse reaped the rewards of just staying in the fight till the death. Then the disruption of the RWC this season. LAR have not handled that well, but they were not alone, and we saw Pau heading the Top 14 table at one stage early season. I would think one of the reasons for the poor showing would have to be that the younger players coming through, and the more mature amongst the group outside the top 25/30, are not as strong as would be hoped for. I note that Romain Sazy retired at the end of last season. He had been with LAR since 2010, and was thus one of their foundation players when they were promoted to Top 14. Records show he ended up with 336 games played with LAR. That is some experience, some rock in the team. He has been replaced for the most part by Ultan Dillane. At 30, Dillane is not young, but given the chances, he may be a fair enough replacement for Sazy. But that won’be for more than a few years. I honestly know little of the pathways into the LAR setup from within France. I did read somewhere a couple of years ago that on the way up to Top 14, the club very successfully picked up players from the academies of other French teams who were not offered places by those teams. These guys were often great signings…can’t find the article right now, so can’t name any….but the Tadgh Beirne type players. So all in all, it will be interesting to see where the replacements for all the older players come from. Only Lleyd’s and Rhule from SA currently, both backs. So maybe a few SA forwards ?? By contrast, Leinster have a pretty clear line of good players coming through in the majority of positions. Props maybe a weak spot ? And they are very fleet footed and shrewd in appointing very good coaches. Or maybe it is also true that very good coaches do very well in the Leinster setup. So, Nick, I would fully concurr that “On the evidence of Saturday’s semi-final between the two clubs, the rebuild in the Bay of Biscay is going to take longer than it is on the east coast of Ireland”
11 Go to commentsWhat was the excuse for the other knockout blowouts then? Does the result not prove the Saints were just so much better? Wise call to put your eggs in one basket when you’ve got 2 comps simultaneously finishing.
29 Go to commentsReally hope Kuruvoli and his partner rock the Canes.
1 Go to commentsI wonder what impact Samson has had on their attack, as the team seems less prone to trundle it up the middle, take the tackle and then trundle it up again. I lost faith in the coach last year as the Rebelss looked like a 2nd/3rd rate South African team. I also disliked Gordon standing back, often ignored as the forward battle went on and on. Maybe its our Aussie way of not getting off our A***’s until the enemy is at the gate.
85 Go to commentsThanks for the write up. Great to see the Rebs winning, I am a little interested in how they will go against the remaining kiwi teams, I think they’ve only played Hurricanes and Highlanders but how great to see these players performing!! I also see Parling has a job beyond June 30! A good move by RA? Also how do you fix the Rebels previously scratchy defence?
85 Go to commentsbe smart - go black
13 Go to commentsNext week the Crusaders hopefully have Scott Barrett back. Will be great to have the captain back. Hopefully he will be the All Black captain as well.
12 Go to commentsExciting place to be for the young fella. I expected he was French Polynesian when I saw him included in the France 6N squad (after seeing him in NZs), and therefor be strong grounds we might loose him to rugby down here. Good, in that he is good enough to warrant such a profile, and from a journalism’s fan interaction aspect, to finally get a back ground story on the fella. Hope he has settled into NZ OK and that at least one rugby country will fit with him to help his development, which, if so, he should surely continue for a few years, and then that he can experience France to it’s fullest with a bit more maturity and less reliance on family than you would have at his current age. A good 3 or 4 years before he would be ready for International duty if he wanted to wait. Of course he already sounds good enough to accept a call up, and to cap himself, in the more immediate future (he’d have to be very very good in the case of the ABs), and he’ll get a great taste of that being with the Canes who have a bunch who are just a few years further into their career and looking likely Internationals themselves.
13 Go to commentsI remember towards the end of the original broadcasting deal for Super rugby with Newscorp that there was talk about the competition expanding to improve negotiations for more money - more content, more cash. Professional rugby was still in its infancy then and I held an opposing view that if Super rugby was a truly valuable competition then it should attract more broadcasters to bid for the rights, thereby increasing the value without needing to add more teams and games. Unfortunately since the game turned professional, the tension between club, talent and country has only grown further. I would argue we’re already at a point in time where the present is the future. The only international competitions that matter are 6N, RC and RWC. The inter-hemisphere tours are only developmental for those competitions. The games that increasingly matter more to fans, sponsors and broadcasters are between the clubs. Particularly for European fans, there are multiple competitions to follow your teams fortunes every week. SA is not Europe but competes in a single continental competition, so the travel component will always be an impediment. It was worse in the bloated days of Super rugby when teams traversed between four continents - Africa, America, Asia and Australia. The percentage of players who represent their country is less than 5% of the professional player base, so the sense of sacrifice isn’t as strong a motivation for the rest who are more focused on playing professional rugby and earning as much from their body as they can. Rugby like cricket created the conundrum it’s constantly fighting a losing battle with.
4 Go to commentsOh wow… “But as La Rochelle proved in winning in Cape Town this season, a cross-continental away assignment need not spell the end of days.” La Rochelle actually proved quite the opposite. After traveling to Cape town and back they (back-to-back and current champs) got mercilessly thumped the next week. If travel is not the reason, why else would a full-strength powerhouse like La Rochelle get dumped on their @r$e$ one week later?
29 Go to commentsYou know he can land a winning conversion after the full time siren is up. (Even if it takes two attempts.)
5 Go to commentsA very insightful article from Jake. I would love to know how South African’s feel about their move to Europe. Do you prefer playing in Europe or want to go back to Super Rugby?
4 Go to commentspure fire
1 Go to commentsA very well thought out summary of all the relevant complications…agree with your ”refer the Cricket Test versus 20/20 comparison”. More also definitely doesn't necessarily mean better!
4 Go to commentsMust be something when you are only 19 y.o and both NZ and France want you. Btw he wasn’t the only new caledonian in french U20 as Robin Couly also lived in Noumea until 17. Hope he’s successful wherever he chooses to play.
13 Go to comments“Several key players in the Stade Rochelais squad are in their thirties” South Africans are going to hate the implications of that comment!
11 Go to commentsI know Leinster did a job on La Roche but shortly after HT Leinster were 30-13 ahead of them and at a similar time Toulouse were trailing Exeter. At 60 mins Leinster were 27 ahead but after 67 mins Toulouse were only 19 ahead before Exeter collapsed. That’s heavier scoring by Leinster against the Champions. I think people are looking at Toulouses total a little too much. I also think Northhampton are in with a real chance, albeit I’d put Leinster as favourites. If Leinster make the final I expect them to win by more than ten and with control.
11 Go to commentsHey Nick, your match analysis is decent but the top and tail not so much, a bit more random. For a start there’s a seismic difference in regenerating any club side over a test team. EJ pretty much had to urinate with the appendage he’d been given at test level whereas club success is impacted hugely by the budget. Look no further than Boudjellal’s Toulon project for a perfect example. The set ups at La Rochelle and Leinster are like chalk and cheese and you are correct that Leinster are ahead. Leinster are not just slightly ahead though, they are light years ahead on their plans, with the next gen champions cup team already blooded, seasoned and developing at speed from their time manning the fort in the URC while the cream play CC and tests. They have engineered a strong talent conveyor belt into their system, supported by private money funnelled into a couple of Leinster private schools. The really smart move from Leinster and the IRFU however is maximising the Irish Revenue tax breaks (tax relief on the best 10 years earnings refunded at retirement) to help keep all of their stars in Ireland and happy, while simultaneously funding marquee players consistently. And of course Barrett is the latest example. But in no way is he a “replacement for Henshaw”, he’s only there for one season!!! As for Rob Baxter, the best advice you can give him is to start lobbying Parliament and HMRC for a similar state subsidy, but don’t hold your breath… One thing Cullen has been very smart with is his coaching team. Very quickly he realised his need to supplement his skills, there was talk of him exiting after his first couple of years but he was extremely shrewd bringing in Lancaster and now Nienaber. That has worked superbly and added a layer that really has made a tangible difference. Apart from that you were bang on the money… 😉😂
11 Go to comments