Jake Parkinson
I’m originally from Burnley, near Manchester. I started off at Colne & Nelson Rugby Club. It’s just a very small, little town team. A guy came into my school teaching tag rugby and the guy said to me, listen, you’re no good at this, but you’ll be alright at proper rugby. So I went down. And from the very first day, I said I want to be a professional rugby player. Fast forward 10, 11 years, and here I am.
I feel I was dealt quite a bad hand at Ampthill, but then you have to look at both sides of the coin. Rugby is a commercial asset as well as it is a sport for fans to enjoy. So I understand that I was stuck on the bench most weeks, itching to get on and itching to play some rugby, Which is most of the reason why I made this move to Cambridge after Newbs reached out to me and offered me the opportunity. And I’m really glad, based on what we’ve done this last month. I’m really enjoying it so far! The last two years were difficult for me, no two ways around it. I didn’t play a great deal of rugby – not as much as I wanted to – and I was fortunate enough to start the last game of the season against Cambridge at Ampthill, but since I’ve made the move, it’s been all smiles and I’m really looking forward to the season.
I’m in the second row – I’m not replacing Gareth Baxter! He’s a man in his own right, he’s a Club legend and his story tells itself. I’ve got a different story; I’m a different character I bring different attributes and qualities – so I think it’s important to start off by making that distinction! I actually went up to the head coach before that game in the week leading up to it and I said to Dave Ward, I’d really like to start this one, against my future club. And Gareth and I had a tremendous battle! For me, it really felt like one set of doors closing and another set of doors opened as soon as that match was done.
I haven’t seen too many differences between the Champ and National One so far – I still feel like we’re training at that Championship standard. We’re still training at that super, super top level. But I suppose the ultimate difference between Championship and National One is just the amount of time and resources you have and you’re able to put into your teams. Your teams like Ealing and Worcester, they’ve got all the time in the world. Whereas your Nat One teams might only have two nights a week, a few hours all put together. So, comparing Championship and National One, in both leagues you need to have a strong set-piece, but even more so in National One with it being ultra-competitive.
I’m absolutely over the moon about the group of lads that we’ve got this season. Tremendous players, but also tremendous blokes as well. We’ve had laughs already, Our very first meeting, we were on a camping trip away just two, three days and we had an absolute blast. The boys who were staying, the likes of Ben Adams, made us feel really welcome within the squad, especially for the new boys. On that point there are quite a lot of new faces joining the squad this year and I think so far we’ve blended together really well.
The pre-season fixtures we’ve got are electric, aren’t they? I know Havant are a very competitive National Two side; I’ve been looking at some of Colchester’s signings and they’ve been recruiting really well so they’re a tough test too. I have no doubt we’ll get over the line but looking at them, they could be very competitive and then, what a game! Friday night away at Bedford Blues. We all want to play that one, don’t we? We can’t wait!
My degree is in business and management. I have done sports coaching but I’m trying to move away from that. Currently I’m just doing anything. I’ve been a lifeguard, I’ve done some management, I’m currently working for the university catering service to pay the bills because I’ve always been a rugby player, job on the side. Something that pays the bills, relatively enough. I’d ideally like a salaried job in my chosen field. I came through Brunel University and Ealing Trailfinders Academy. When I got that slip of paper to say I have a degree, I thought, great, and I got to play rugby too!