Old Oakhamian Jack van Poortvliet (’19) has been called up to the men’s England Rugby squad for the summer tour to Australia. It caps off a remarkable week and season for Jack, who has established himself as one of the country’s top scrum-halves.
Jack’s club, Leicester Tigers, won the Premiership on Saturday 18 June, beating Saracens 15-12 in a dramatic and tightly fought final. While Jack did not play in the final, he played a crucial role in the Tigers’ success, playing 27 times across the season, including coming off the bench in the semi-final to help lead Tigers to a comeback win against the Northampton Saints.
Recently called up to the England training squad at the beginning of June, Jack will hope to win his first senior international cap on the Australian tour, having captained the England U20 team to a grand slam in the U20 Six Nations in 2021.
The Premiership final also featured OO Alex Goode (’06), who had an excellent 2021-22 season on his return to Saracens following a loan period in Japan. Alex played 28 times for Saracens this season, as they very nearly won it all on their return to the Premiership.
In other Alumni rugby news OO Charlie Titcombe, who plays for Loughborough University in the BUCS Championship, was selected to play for England Students against France (and scored the winning penalty from 50m), and has just signed a contract with Premiership side Worcester Warriors.
