JSA number eight Rob Milligan was a permanent fixture in the England Under-18 back row during the recent Six Nations festival in Cork. Wins over Italy, France and Scotland followed another success against Wales at Sixways, and had England coach Alex Sanderson comparing the team with the 2005 England Under-19s, a squad which produced the likes of Danny Cipriani and Nick Abendanon.

For Rob, becoming the fourth member of the Saints Academy system to win a Grand Slam this season – following Joe Gray, James Cannon and John Brake with England Under-20 – was vindication of the hard work that the Academy coaches are putting in.

 “Getting international honours and succeeding with England is what we all want to do and having four of us do that shows the strength of the Academy,” he said.

Milligan, a former Old Scout who reached the semi-finals of the Daily Mail Under-15 Cup while at Wellingborough School, joined the Under-15 Elite Player Development Group. He has risen through the ranks since, culminating in several Guinness ‘A’ League appearances for the Wanderers this season.

Nevertheless, he says that having three international games in seven days in Ireland was an eye-opening experience.

“It was very intense,” Rob commented. “Luckily enough we had a lot of recovery time, but we had to put a lot of time into the analysis of the next opponents. It was a great experience, having to concentrate so hard.

“Fortunately there is a lot of continuity between the club and England, in the broad sense of the word. All of the stuff taught by the Saints is the same at England level. It’s obvious that we’ve been taught the same stuff in the Academies. That is off the field as well with things like nutrition and so on.”

These four games have been Rob’s first experience in an England shirt after injury ruled him out of winning under-16 honours. Although a lot of the players in the national squad knew each other from that level Rob found them welcoming nonetheless, an experience he has also found playing with the professionals in the Wanderers.

“Playing for the Wanderers is a real step up,” he says. “It’s physical with a lot of intensity. The older lads have made it easy to fit in. They’re pro and I’m a schoolboy, but they’ve made it easy to play my game and I haven’t been fazed to be honest.

“I love playing at the club. Playing at Franklin’s Gardens is an amazing atmosphere. I also feel lucky, because a few of the guys at England level don’t have the same contact time with the first team as I do here. It makes the Saints feel like a family.”

The Saints Academy is sponsored by LIO.