OF Selected for Rugby U20s

Formative years with Diss prepared the way for Will Owen to join the Leicester Tigers Academy. He spent 11 seasons with the Norfolk club from the age of four onwards and is now taking a BTEC in Sport and Accounting at Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College in Leicester.

Born in Ipswich, he attended Occold Primary School in Eye, Suffolk, Brandeston Hall and Framlingham College before moving to the Midlands. While at Diss, he was coached by Tim Shaw, Pete Tomson, Mark Purves and David Williman and his Leicester mentors are Tosh Askew, Neil McCarthy and Kevin Mannion.

Will played for England at U17 level against Scotland at Melrose and France at Harrow School and stepped up for the U18 side in the 44-7 win over Wales at Swansea last March. His other representative honours have been for Norfolk U14 and U15 and Eastern Counties U15 and U16 and his ambition is “to become the starting No.7 for the Tigers and be the best player I can.”

He played cricket for Suffolk U13 and was a Number 8 on the rugby field until switching to flanker at U16 level. His favourite match was for the Tigers’ Academy against Northampton Saints at Oval Park two years ago and he rates Lewis Moody as his top player. Off the field, he enjoys fishing, shooting, cricket and farming.