Joe Ford says that he is relishing the challenge for this season’s battle for the Northampton Saints number 10 shirt.
Ford, who turns 20 in a couple of weeks, caught the eye last season with a series of good performances for his former club Leeds Carnegie, including netting the man of the match award on his first team debut.
But this year he faces competition for a spot in the Saints starting line-up from Shane Geraghty and Stephen Myler, both of whom spent the early part of their summers on the England tour to Australia and New Zealand and the Saxons’ successful Churchill Cup campaign respectively.
Ford, however, believes that vying with such players will only raise his own standards.
"My goal is to keep working hard and to get in the best shape I can, and then obviously to get myself into the team," he said. "It’s not going to be easy. The two tens in front of me are really good and are internationals. That’s the challenge but it’s something I’m looking forward to."
He says that he has already established a good working relationship with assistant coach Paul Grayson.
"We sat down for a chat about what we want and then we’ve had a few skills and kicking sessions as well," Ford added.
"He’s been great with me and I’m looking forward to learning more from him."
And as far as the notorious pre-season training is concerned, Ford admitted that it has been somewhat different from what he has been used to in the past.
"We didn’t do any hills at Leeds last year, but we’ve been doing them twice a week here," he said.
"That’s tough in itself, but we’ve also been doing three sessions a day. The heat’s added to it, but you can’t complain about that when you’re outside.
"So it’s been tough, to say the least! But I’ve been enjoying it and it’s been beneficial. The lads have been good and friendly and I’ve settled in very well.
"There are a few guys like Greig Tonks, Scott Armstrong and Calum Clark who are pretty young, which is good, and obviously some guys who aren’t so young!"
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