Harlequins academy centre took time out after training to discuss transitioning into the first team, World Championship glory and developing versatility in midfield…
Saturday 8 November 2014 11:34, UK
After claiming successive IRB Junior World Championships titles with England Under 20s Harry Sloan quite rightly harbours lofty ambitions, though the 20-year-old remains firmly grounded in a Harlequins camp which he believes will empower him to flourish.
Sloan, a product of Skinners’ School in Tunbridge Wells, remains on the academy books at Twickenham Stoop but is revelling in the opportunity of training alongside some of the best players in the country.
Conor O’Shea, the Harlequins director of rugby, invests heavily in the club’s academy structure with a view to building formidable foundations and Sloan believes he has been a huge benefactor of Harlequins’ emphasis on unity.
“We’re very well looked after here, I would say we have one of the best academies in the Premiership without wanting to sound too biased,” Sloan explains in the club’s dinner hall.
“You come in here and everyone is very welcoming, from the youngest player to the oldest at the club; everything we do is all interacted, there is no separation between the older and younger lads, we’re always together on the field and in the dinner hall.
“Conor O’Shea is a wonderful manager and very good with us youngsters too, he’s preparing us for the first XV and he puts all the time he has into us and the academy.
“He puts a lot of time and effort into the academy which is really good for us youngsters, he’s a very approachable guy too, you don’t just have to go to your mentor, you can go straight to the top of the table and speak to Conor O’Shea.”
Sloan made his senior debut in Harlequins colours in November 2012, featuring in the LV= Cup match against Northampton Saints, and has also enjoyed a loan spell with Worthing RFC in the English third tier. He is now relishing the chance to make a step up.
“I’m still in that transitional stage at the minute and it is tough, but we’re quite lucky here at Quins in the sense that as soon as you turn 18 you’re straight out training with the first team which is very helpful,” he adds.
He puts a lot of time and effort into the academy which is really good for us youngsters, he’s a very approachable guy too, you don’t just have to go to your mentor, you can go straight to the top of the table.
“With most squads, you stay in the academy for two or three years and then move into the first team, but here we’re training with them straight away so the transition is not that difficult in terms of the training, but the step up in playing for the first XV there is big stride there.
“You have to show the boys you’re ready for it and that you’re prepared.”
Speaking to Sloan you hear a steely determination to progress to the elite level, but the 6ft 2in, 16 stone centre clearly understands the wisdom to be gleaned from the elder statesmen of the Quins squad.
“My current mentor is Tommy Williams, he’s an unbelievable player with an incredible amount of caps for Harlequins so he makes a great mentor – he’s always keeping on top of me both on and off the pitch which is again really helpful,” he says.
“In the centres - Tom Casson, George Lowe, Jordan Turner-Hall, Matt Hopper - they’re all really helpful and they all want to help me position myself better and improve.
“I’m very lucky with the experience in the squad I can use to help my development and ability as a player.”
Competition in the Harlequins midfield is intense and Sloan, who idolises the likes of Brian O’Driscoll and Sonny Bill Williams, believes his versatile skills set will aid his chances of earning a first team call.
My ambition is obviously to work my way into the England squad and the way for me to do that is to get into the first XV at Harlequins, earn a starting spot in the centres and hopefully in the long term progress to England level.
“Injury has held me back which has been very frustrating,” he admits. “I’ve had a few missed opportunities because of my leg but I just need to get some game time now.
“I’ve been playing inside and out, between 12 and 13 which has been very helpful for my game, positionally it has really helped me and I think it stands me in good stead in terms of breaking into the first XV.
“I just need to get that experience under my belt now and I know that will come in time, the coaches seem happy with the way I’m progressing and we have some great centres here so I am really going to have to put my foot down now.”
Although equally adept in a No 12 or No 13 jersey, Sloan sees a stark contrast between the responsibilities faced at outside centre to the demands of playing inside.
“People talk about centres being centres, but personally I see 12 and 13 as being two very different positions,” he explains. “At 13 you’re a lot more exposed in defence so it really helps your vision and understanding, when to pick guys off and when to stay in the line.
“I have found playing at 13 has really helped advance my defence and you’ve also got a more space when you get your hands on the ball, whereas at 12 you’re a lot tighter to the ruck and have a lot bigger boys running at you.
“You do a lot more work down the middle, carrying more into contact than you do at 13 and you’re a distributer, so you’re always looking to bring the back three into play and communicate more with the forwards.
“It has been really great, playing 12 and 13 has really helped develop my game and hopefully I can go on to play 13 for the club.”
Sloan’s ambitions do not end with Harlequins, however. Twice an IRB Junior World Championship winner, in France in 2013 and New Zealand this year, Sloan dreams of following in the footsteps of Jack Nowell and Anthony Watson – team-mates he watched graduate to England’s senior setup.
“My ambition is obviously to work my way into the England squad and the way for me to do that is to get into the first XV at Harlequins, earn a starting spot in the centres and hopefully in the long term progress to England level,” he insists.
“It’s been shown it can be done through the England U20s, with the likes of Jack Nowell and Anthony Watson all progressing up to the international level and in the long term I look to emulate that.”
He adds: “The international experience has been brilliant. In 2013 we were out in France for the World Cup and we were very happy to have won that, but then to back it up in New Zealand this year was even better.
“International age-group is big thing, it’s a big step and it’s a great transition stage if you’re looking to break into the first XV when you’re older. Stuart Lancaster keeps a close eye on the Under 20s and it’s a brilliant setup.
“I was lucky enough to win World Cups back-to-back which was an absolutely incredible experience for me.”
When it comes to guidance of reaching the international stage Harlequins are not short of experience. Sloan hails the influence England captain Chris Robshaw has on the younger players in the squad and is excited by the prospect of seeing his colleagues competing in the forthcoming QBE Internationals and next year’s Rugby World Cup.
“Chris is obviously the most well-respected man in the squad," Sloan says. "He keeps the boys very tight and he’s a really good captain both on and off the pitch – he’s very professional and very good with us youngsters as well.
“I think the England squad is in a really promising position at the minute, Stuart Lancaster has done an excellent job – I thought we had a really good Six Nations, we should see exactly what English rugby can produce and this [autumn internationals against New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Samoa] is going to be a great stepping stone for the World Cup.
“It’s great to go up against the best before the World Cup and it’s going to be a great chance to go up against the best and show that we can go into the World Cup and win it.”
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