Wasps scrum-half Will Porter 

Date of birth 14 December 1998 Born Philadelphia, USA Position Scrum-half Club Wasps Country England

Where did you first play rugby? 

At my local club, Amersham & Chiltern. My family isn’t really a rugby one – they’re big swimmers – but my dad took me down when I was ten years old.

Then at school, Merchant Taylors’, I really fell in love with it. At the age of 15 I got into the county set-up and then Wasps.

Did you play any other sports? 

A bit of hockey, cricket and tennis at school, but nothing as much as rugby.

Have you always been a scrum-half? 

I used to be a fly-half; I joined Wasps as a fly-half at 15 and the coach, James Honeyben, suggested I moved to scrum-half. He was a former scrum-half so I guess he saw something in me. He brought me up from the U15s through to U18s and was there when I thankfully got signed by Wasps.

You went to Rotherham on loan in 2017-18. How was that? 

It was great to get a taste of Championship rugby and game time playing men’s rugby. I was fresh out of school so hadn’t played much men’s rugby. I loved it up there.

What’s it like having Dan Robson to learn from? 

It’s very cool to have him in the scrum-half group. There’s also Ben Vellacott and Sam Wolstenholme. We’re a tight group and help each other out; Dan leads that as he’s the most experienced.

What are your strengths? 

I’d say speed is my main one, then decision-making and maybe my defence.

And work-ons? 

My game management, especially at the highest end in the Premiership. That’s a new level of rugby and so my biggest work-on is to manage and control a game.

What are your goals for this year? 

To play as much rugby as possible is the first one. Then supporting the team in as many ways as I can this season. The culture is so good at the moment; we’re more like a family and are striving for a confident, winning culture.

Are you studying? 

I finished a distance-learning degree in business and leadership management from Northumbria a year ago – that was organised through the RPA. I did another six-month online course in the economics of stock markets. I like to do things outside of rugby to switch off. I also like to play golf.

RW Verdict: A former England U18 scrum-half, Porter has impressed whether as a starter or substitute for Wasps this season and is set for more game time in 2021. Having spent the first year of his life in Philadelphia, he’s also eligible for the USA!

This article originally appeared in the March 2021 edition of Rugby World magazine.

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