Another milestone for Ethan Grant
Having earned three county caps playing for Yorkshire Under 18’s this season and being selected into the North of England ‘Extended’ back-up squad, the rugby career of young eighteen-year-old scrum-half Ethan Grant reached a further milestone last week when he debuted for Pontefract’s First XV in their final league game of the season against Blayden on 6 April.
Ethan did not have everything his own way, coming up against an excellent Blayden opponent who exploited the grey area to spend a good part of the game on Pontefract’s side of the pitch. However, he showed that he can cope easily under pressure at this level, has an excellent delivery (to his fellow colt half-back, Alfie Abbot) and can snipe unexpectedly into attack – making two superb breaks in traffic, one of which resulted in a score under the posts to put Pontefract in front in a tight game where the lead changed hands on a regular basis.
It’s a real shame that we will not have the benefit of Ethan’s potential next season as he plans to go to college in the United States on a rugby scholarship. He has offers from three US colleges: St Thomas University, Florida; the American International College, Massachusetts, and: McKendree University, Illinois. (I don’t know about you guys, but Florida sounds good to me, Ethan, particularly after all the rain and mud this winter!).
Previous articles about Ethan have confirmed his biggest influence in rugby has been his father, former captain and tight-head prop, James Grant. When asked a similar question by your correspondent this time round he said that, to a lesser extent, it has been his younger sibling, sixteen-year-old Harry Grant. ‘I just want to be able to set a high bar for him to follow. So if he doesn’t make it, I can give him some stick’. Fair enough.
Good luck and stay safe on your travels, Ethan. Don’t forget your mates back home