Last updated at 12:42, Tuesday, 22 May 2012

While most students can look forward to letting their hair down once they’ve finished their studies, Nathan Morris will sit a geography exam in the morning and then fly off to South Africa that night for the biggest test of his rugby career.

Nathan Morris

The 19-year-old London Wasps hooker juggles studying for a degree with his Premiership career. And it means he is having to cram in revision for his end-of-year exams while preparing to play for England Under-20s at this summer’s Junior World Championship, which starts with a game against Italy on June 4.

Morris sits his last exam next Tuesday, before he leaves with the England party, including fellow Cumbrian Will Addison, to fly to their base in South Africa.

The former Carlisle rugby starlet, from Cargo, said: “It’s tough at the moment because of the work I have to do but the conditioning coaches from England have sent me a training programme and understand my situation.

“I need to study but it is also imperative to go to South Africa in the best possible shape.

“One of the things I was taught is that there is enough hours in the day but it’s how you work around things.

“At the moment I’m doing a couple of hours of revision on climate change and then going out to do some training.

“We had a training camp in Exeter last week and each evening I had to slink off to my room to do some work.”

Morris has won England honours from Under-16 to Under-19 level and one of his international shirts is hanging in Carlisle Rugby Club.

The youngster left Sedbergh School only last summer but was handed his full Wasps debut in last season’s LV=Cup clash with Northampton Saints.

He underlined his potential by being named as one of the youngest members of coaches Rob Hunter and Nick Walshe’s 28-man squad heading for South Africa.

After meeting up with the rest of the touring party last week as part of a team bonding and training week, Morris admits the tournament can’t come quick enough.

He said: “It was great to meet up with each other as it has been a while since we were at the Six Nations Championship.

“We managed to train all week and get familiarised with each other again as we went go-karting and out to eat together.

“There is a lot of excitement in the camp at the moment. New Zealand will be overwhelming favourites as they have won it for the last four years.

“But we’ve just got to take each game as it comes and, looking at our squad, if we perform as well as we can, everything is in our hands.”

First published at 11:28, Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk