This week we managed to sit down with Oxford University graduate and towering fly half Basil Strang to find out more about his education and his first involvement in a professional environment.
Strang joined London Scottish this summer as part of Dave Morris’ recruitment and instantly caught the attention as he had multiple online articles written about him, commenting on his size and weight for a fly half. Don’t let these stats fool you, he is still an agile attacking threat.
At 6ft 5 he does not look out of place with the Scottish forward pack but his ball-handling skill and cannon of a right boot makes him a very competent outside half.
Reflecting on his last few years Strang said, “I have certainly been around the university scene! I did my undergraduate at Durham where I studied Biology. Following that I did a PGCE and the last two years I have studied a part-time MSc in Learning & Teaching at Oxford”
Since his arrival at Scottish, Basil has been working tirelessly on his dissertation, which has consumed a lot of his time, commentating on that he jokiningly said “finishing my dissertation last week was a great feeling, now I can have some down time with the boys in the team room and not be focused on my laptop.”
Although he’s been working hard securing his Masters, Strang has made some good relationships in the squad, “I have settled very quickly. It’s a really good bunch of boys. I sit near Ross Neal in the team room and he is a real nerd. Perfect. We love discussing anything Game of Thrones”.
The 110kg Northerner has set his ambitions on getting as much pitch time as possible this year, “I feel that I have a great opportunity to learn a lot here at Scottish and I have a lot to offer the club”.
After the Scots recent downturn in form in the Greene King IPA Championship, Strang will be hoping he may be given another opportunity after appearing in our second league fixture this year, away at Bedford Blues.
Strang has a wise head on his rather broad shoulders, he speaks intelligently and thoughtfully about the challenges which the Championship presents; “it’s a hard league and there are no easy games. We got off to a great start against Carnegie but have maybe been caught out a bit recently.”
Speaking with a refreshing amount of optimism after the drubbing at the hands of Ealing Trailfinders , Strang continued to say, “that’s the great thing about this league though, there is always a challenge waiting at the weekend and the boys are really working hard to meet them.”
Basil Strang is an immense physical presence that brings considerable size to the London Scottish backline but his soft hands and astute tactical knowledge make him the perfect ball player from fly half. An attacking threat with ball in hand and a capable defender, Strang has all the attributes that can help him develop into an established Championship rugby player.
Basil is sponsored by Tacklebag. Want to sponsor a player? Click here
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