England Under 20 and Worcester Warriors back row Matt Kvesic is one of six players shortlisted for the Land Rover Discovery of the Season Award.
The 19-year-old is up against four members of last season’s Under 20 squad, with Owen Farrell, Joe Launchbury, Christian Wade and Jonathan Joseph all nominated.
Harlequins back row Luke Wallace completes the categories nominees, and Kvesic is both shocked and delighted to have been named as a potential winner.
“I was pretty surprised when I found out to be honest,” he said. “A look at not just the previous winners, but the players also listed this year and you see some serious talent. I’ve played with four of the guys through the England age grades and they have all gone from strength to strength.
“Faz [Owen Farrell] has done amazingly well this year and performed exceptionally during the Six Nations, Wadey [Christian Wade] has scored tries for fun and is lethal on the attack, Launchers [Joe Launchbury] is a bit of a machine and was probably our player of the season last year and JJ [Jonathan Joseph] is a very dangerous player, so to even be considered alongside those guys is an honour.
“We’re all competitive guys who love playing for our clubs, but as soon as the whistle blows it’s good to have a catch up with them all. That’s what’s so good about the Under 20s set-up, you form good friendships with guys from different clubs and then get to go around all the country and see them all throughout the season.”
Kvesic has played a key role with Warriors this season, helping to secure the club’s Aviva Premiership status for another year, and was also on hand to defend England Under 20’s Six Nations trophy in March. The Junior World Championship in South Africa is next on the agenda for Kvesic, who is looking to go one better than last year’s final loss New Zealand.
He added: “If selected, I’m really looking forward to it. We had a great side last year and fell just short, but we have another set of talented players and if we all pull together and work hard then I’m sure we’ll go well.”
"A look at not just the previous winners, but the players also listed this year and you see some serious talent. I’ve played with four of the guys through the England age grades and they have all gone from strength to strength…"