The town of Northampton is widely known across the world for its rugby, and some of Northampton Academy’s mainstream students have really caught the bug, Morgan Howlett and Jack Donald in particular. These stars, who have been making sweet music on the field, have been approached by the school’s media.
Morgan only moved to Northampton at the start of this academic year, and she swan-dived straight into the set-up at the Old Northamptonians last October. Despite not knowing anybody there, she found the club incredibly welcoming.
Within a few months, she trialed for the U15's East Midlands rugby team. Unfortunately, she wasn’t selected, but every cloud has a silver lining. She was invited to feature in a development match for the region.
Morgan admitted that the trials were very intense, but she was not put off by the labor of the task and tried again for the second time. Her persistence paid off, and after impressing in the trials, she was selected for the squad. She starred in two games for East Midlands, which was a fantastic achievement. The full-back’s realistic goal is to continue to play rugby at ON’s and eventually join the ladies team when she reaches 18.
Jack Donald was born and bred in a rugby family and hence started playing rugby with the Old Northamptonians' from as early as the age of 7. To put that into perspective, children usually turn 7 whilst still in year 2!
Jack played tag rugby until he was 10 when the club introduced him to contact. The back rower still plays for the ON’s, and season by season, he has progressed into a true talent.
Recently, Jack was selected for the Saints Development Squad, ran by Aviva Premiership side the Northampton Saints. This was both a great achievement and a valuable opportunity.
His next goal would be to feature in the Saints Elite Development Squad, however, Jack is moving to rugby-mad Wales at the end of the academic year. Therefore, he hopes to transfer to the Sale Sharks Development Squad and then make the step up into their elite squad. Jack is then determined to progress through the Sharks academy; and then one day, be playing as a professional.
So remember these names, as you could very well be hearing them again in years to come. Good luck Morgan and Jack!
Matthew Bates
05/02/17