Rugby academies are known for churning out top talent for Premiership clubs, but let’s take a look at some players you didn’t know came from certain rugby academies.
Joe Launchbury – Harlequins
He played for Horsham and also represented Barns Green before joining the Harlequins Academy age 15. After Harlequins failed to offer him a professional contract aged 18, he left the club and joined National League 2 South side Worthing for the 2009–10 season.
His performances at Worthing under Will Green, then head coach and former Wasps player, saw him recommended to his former club. Launchbury played in several A League matches for Wasps and, after a spell training with the Eastern Province Kings in South Africa, did enough to be given a full-time contract from July 2010.
He’s since gone on to captain Wasps and become a key player for England, winning 62 caps to date.