PORTRAIT OFF A MAN

At just 19 years old, Racing and England U20 star Junior Kpoku is already coming of age

- JOE ROBINSON MAIN

HE LINE between confidence and arrogance is fine. Confidence is knowledge of one’s self-worth and ability regardless of external validation, while arrogance is a superiority complex born from exaggerated ability and/or achievement. The subtle difference between the two is important in defining how we see someone and often the two can be confused for one another. You may think Junior Kpoku is arrogant but he is not, he is just confident. And that is what he would tell you, too.

“Having a personality in this sport can take you far, at least I think that! Maybe that’s what the current England team is missing? Someone who is outgoing and says it how it is. It marks your territory and shows that you’re enjoying playing rugby. Maybe they’re missing something in that pack, maybe they’re missing a Kpoku!” the 19-year-old tells RW.

“I love when people are watching me, I love to prove a point every time I’m on the field. I like the pressure. The bigger the opportunity, the more exciting it is. Playing on stages like the Champions Cup or the U20 World Cup final and expressing who you are as a player is great. Look at Henry Pollock. Cocky but gets the job done. That’s me as a person. If I’m quiet, there is something on my mind or I’m playing rubbish. If I’m loud, it’s me showing you that I’m here and I’m getting it going.”

The confidence is warranted. At just 18, Kpoku became an U20 Six Nations and World Championship winner with England and one of the driving forces in a Mark Mapletoft-coached side which is giving fans of the red rose plenty of reasons to be cheerful for future days.

Now in his second season with the age group, he’s one of the squad’s elder statesmen, guiding a team that Conor O’Shea, England’s Executive Director of Performance Rugby, has heralded as being potentially “generational”.