HAILING FROM MACCLESFIELD, trading tackles in Munster. Alex Wootton is at the tail-end of his first season of Irish rugby but is eager to extend it until 20 June and the Junior World Championship final.
The Garryowen and Munster winger has featured in each of Ireland’s three pool matches at the Junior World Championships in New Zealand. In the early hours of Sunday morning [6:05am kick-off Irish time], Wootton will take on many of the English players he once envisioned playing with when he was at one of the country’s top public schools.
Wootton learned his rugby trade in Sedbergh School, famed for producing the likes of Will Greenwood and James Simpson Daniel and having five senior XVs. He played with Northampton’s academy team when he was still in school, aged 17, and, following a season in their junior set-up, was set to move to Championship side Nottingham before Munster swooped.
“I was about to move to the town of Nottingham but got called to go to France [with Ireland at the 2013 Junior World Championships]. Whilst I was over there, I was talking to Grieg Oliver, who was coaching over there, and they set up a Skype session with [elite player development manager] Peter Malone.
He set out a plan for me for the rest of that summer, pre-season and how the year ahead would go for me with Munster. It felt very comfortable with how they approached and, for me, to be involved with such a successful club as Munster is very special. My family are from County Down so I knew all about them, growing up. I jumped on the chance. I just went for it and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far.”
The 19-year-old was used to training with the Saints senior side, two years ago, on a daily basis but has been confined, for the most part, to the academy. He has appeared with the Munster A team this season in a British & Irish Cup win over Plymouth.
Wootton, who played at JWC 2013, was not in the reckoning for Mike Ruddock’s side until the final game of the Six Nations, against France. He acquitted himself well in that narrow defeat and excelled in the trial game, and a warm-up against Scotland.
“Last year,” he recalls, “I got called up a week into the tournament so there were quite a few new faces I wasn’t used to playing with. It was intense and hard on the body, with three, four day turnarounds, but it was enjoyable, testing yourself against the top young players and hopefully getting noticed.”
Speaking before he boarded a flight to New Zealand, Wootton mirrored the comments of Ruddock when he said, “The target is to win. We’re not there to make up the numbers. We’re 100% going there looking for medals.” Having reached the semi finals for the first time ever at JWC, the squad is brimming with confidence.
The winger was immune to most of the criticism directed at Ruddock’s squad after their below-par Six Nations campaign. They departed Dublin Airport with little fanfare but can expect a raucous welcome back if they can claim the crown.
Wootton commented, “It’s not as though we’ve been given a line where this age group is something which is going to be special. We know what we are capable of doing… We do want to prove people wrong but, at the same time, we want to do it for ourselves, the coaching staff and for the people of Ireland.”
TG4 and Sky Sports will broadcast the game live from 6:05am on Sunday.
