Kvesic keen to build on England tour

Back row dynamo Matt Kvesic has no plans to slowdown after yet another busy year of rugby for club and country – as he targets a dream crack at the Aviva Premiership with Worcester Warriors.

Rising star Kvesic has sparkled at Sixways over the last 12 months as he broke into the first team under the guidance of Head Coach Richard Hill and went on to make 13 appearances in the league and cup, scoring five tries.

Kvesic, a product of the AASE and Academy system at Warriors, also impressed for England Under-20s this summer alongside club team-mate Andy Short. The 19-year-old was one of the standout performers as England eventually narrowly lost out to New Zealand in the Junior World Championships in Italy.

After a few weeks recharging the batteries, Kvesic is back in pre-season training ahead of the new league season. And the level-headed young Warrior admits he would not change a thing as he looks to kick on once again and prove his worth at Sixways.

“It is a different year now and it will be a busy one again as I still have England Under-20s action, hopefully that goes well and I can make an impact,” said Kvesic.

“A big target for me is getting my first Aviva Premiership start and kicking on. It will be a tough year and we have a lot of competition here so hopefully at some point I will get a chance to prove myself.

“It was disappointing for everyone to go down to the RFU Championship, but it was a stepping stone for me and I was quite lucky that I got a few games. That might have been through injury, but I felt I took my chances well.

“Last season was good for me, it has given me confidence and I took that into the Junior World Championship and strung a few decent performances together.

“Hopefully I can follow that through to this season and take that confidence into the top-flight.

“Not to take away from a great tour with England, but it was really disappointing to lose the final to New Zealand,” he added.

“There was a feeling of frustration more than anything that we fell at the last hurdle, but as an experience for Shorty (Andy Short) and me it was huge.

“The intensity and the speed of the game, plus the short turnaround between fixtures, meant it was tough. But we really, really enjoyed it.”

Kvesic returned to Sixways this week alongside fellow international stars Short, Matt Mullan and Miles Benjamin and acknowledged the first few days had been a serious examination.

“The first day back in was what I expected – the legs were heavy and I was tired,” smiled Kvesic.

“The conditioning was tough, but it’s good to be back in because you do end up twiddling your thumbs at home and it gets dull.

“I’ve been on my holidays and feel fresh, now I am just looking to get stuck into the rugby again.

“I think I’ve only had about two weeks off this year, but it’s all good and I am still learning. It is not going to do me any harm, my fitness and strength is only going to get better for all this rugby.

“As long as I’m in good shape and feel fit and healthy then I don’t see the problem, I will just keep going.”

Kvesic has also backed team-mate and close friend Short, who has followed him through the AASE and Academy set-up to make his name at Warriors, to continue to impress this year for Warriors on the on his international exploits.

“Shorty did really well at the Junior World Championships,” he added. “He put in some outstanding performances on the wing and we knew we could give the ball to him and get go forward. Hopefully he can do that again this year and it should be exciting times for both of us.

“We do get on really well, although he tried to follow me on holiday and I went off on my own,” laughed Kvesic. “He was a little bit disappointed I left him at home, but it was good for him to have some time off too before we go into a big season for both of us.”


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