IN THE blink of an eye, Jack Walker was all choked up. Belting out God Save The King before England faced Italy nine days ago, the Harlequins hooker fixed his mum Suzanne’s gaze in the Twickenham crowd. Amid the Six Nations pomp, the 26-year-old suddenly had to hold back the tears.
Walker would later climb off the bench for his Test debut and help steer England home 31-14.
A decade after his father John died and he moved in with older brother Chris as a 16-year-old chasing a career at Leeds, Walker had realised a family dream.
Only 1,452 people can tell you what it is like to debut for England’s men and, for Walker, the experience met every hope and expectation.
“I caught eyes with my mum in the crowd, and that just had me holding back the tears,” Walker told Standard Sport. “I didn’t realise how much the emotion would hit me, singing the anthem.
“I wouldn’t say I’m a very emotional person, but that got me. It just goes to show what a massive honour it is. It was truly amazing, everything I had dreamed of and more.
“You can’t prepare for that feeling. And then when I came onto the pitch it felt like I was in a video game. It was an amazing day.”
This story is from the February 21, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
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This story is from the February 21, 2023 edition of Evening Standard.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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