Grainy old videos, iconic images and unfair jibes about nepotism have provided a constant reminder to Josh Beaumont of his dad Bill’s feats on a rugby pitch.
He was born 17 years after Beaumont Senior made his England debut, 12 after he captained his country to Grand Slam glory in 1980 and a decade after he retired.
While confessing rugby was ‘in his family’, Josh – the youngest of three boys – never envisaged following in his father’s footsteps.
“I didn’t think about following dad,” he says, reflecting on a career which never really took off until he played for Durham University while studying Geography in 2010.
“Both my brothers played rugby and it’s in our family. But I went to University with just the degree in mind and it went on from there. I wanted to do my own thing and was looking at other options while at University and then the rugby just took off and I thought ‘why not?’.”
Why not indeed. Having been a budding fly-half, he developed into a towering No. 8 blessed with pace and fine ball handling skills and suddenly Newcastle Falcons came calling before he signed with Sale Sharks in 2012.
He has not looked back and, having been part of England’s recent training camp with the 45-man provisional Elite Player Squad (EPS), he is tipped to emulate Bill with a senior spot.
“Slightly,” he reveals, when asked if has grown tired of the constant references to a revered figure who won 34 caps, captained the British Lions and is now chairman of World Rugby. “But you just get used to it. I’ve grown up with the ‘son of tag’ but I think it’s wearing off now and I’m making a name for myself. It’s now ‘father of’. It’s easier now than when I was younger.
“Lots of people used to say ‘you’re only here because of your dad’. But when you get to this level you are here for a reason past that. You can’t get away with just being a name out there on the pitch. I’ve seen the old videos of my dad, in black and white, but he stopped playing a long time before I was born so there’s no pressure or expectancy. The game has moved on a bit since then as well.
“Anyone would love to play for their country and captain their country, but I don’t ever look at my dad and think I have to surpass him. I will do my own thing and see where I can get to. I want to make my own name, my own achievements. It’s my time.
“I take on his advice, but he just says work hard and try to impress every time you get out on the pitch or training. The best advice I had is to have belief in my ability.
“At Fylde, Brian Ashton (the ex-England coach) gave me a free rein and said I’m going to let you go out and play and just do your stuff. I’m immensely proud to be involved in the camp and in the EPS, I’m sure my parents are as well, but they will just encourage me to push on.”
He is driven to fulfil his dream of an England place and will begin that bid on Friday as Sale begin the new English Premiership season with a trip to Falcons.
“That’s my goal, 100 per cent,” says a bullish Beaumont, who scored a try against the Barbarians last May for an England select side in a non-Test friendly. “It’s not about just getting one cap either, but to push on and get many more. You can take a step back and see what you’ve done, be pleased, but there’s a lot more still to get.
“I know I have to concentrate on my work at Sale though. I haven’t played for six months because of injury and have to find my form very quickly with Sale and then take that into any England set-up I go into.
“It’s an exciting time to be part of England, 10 games unbeaten, nine under Eddie, so it’s a hugely, hugely optimistic time. There’s a lot of competition for places, but we have seen that if you are playing well, Eddie is going to have a look at you and then if you impress in training then you might get that opportunity.”
Beaumont was first called up by Jones in January ahead of the Six Nations. But a dislocated shoulder ended his campaign early in March and he adds: “No one likes to be injured, it’s a depressing place to be.
“You get off the highs of being involved in the England camp and then you seem forgotten about really because you are not playing. So you have to make the most of the opportunity when you are playing and take nothing for granted.”
Beaumont will have more opportunities to impress Jones with Sale also drawn to face defending champions Saracens, star-studded Toulon and Scarlets in the Champions Cup which begins in October.
That could mean facing up to Sarries’ Billy Vunipola, currently in possession of the England No. 8 spot, and South African Duane Vermeulen, an imposing presence for the French outfit and one of the world’s best locks.
“It’s really good to test yourself against players like this,” says Beaumont.
“Billy’s a great player and played very well last season, really impressive, and ball-carrying wise he’s one of he best around.
“You have to look at these guys and learn off them, and just try to offer something else that they can’t do really. I take it as a challenge and thrive on it. I want to play against the best and you have to challenge yourself to show you can be at the same level.
“You want to play in these big games, in front of the big crowds and definitely it will inspire the team as well. There’s no point thinking what you can achieve as an individual. If the team gets out of the group and I don’t do too well, then it’s still happy days for me.”
We spoke to @JoshBeaumont1 at this mornings #AvivaPremLaunch pic.twitter.com/RMKUWbJoEx
— Sale Sharks (@SaleSharksRugby) August 25, 2016
Beaumont’s confidence has been boosted further with captaincy of the Sharks and a new three-year deal – a clear indication of how highly he is rated by the club.
“To captain a side at 24 is pretty special,” he says. “I’m not a big shouter, I try to do my leading on the pitch. I’ve captained successful teams for University before and it’s something I enjoy doing, doesn’t faze me or inhibit my game too much.
“We’ve got guys here I can learn from too, like Mike Phillips, who is a British Lion, and lads who are older and have had international caps.
“You have to look at other captains too, but also in other sports. Someone I look at is Roy Keane who captained Manchester United when they won the Treble. He was a guy who led from the front.
“I’m really excited about this season and what we can do at Sale. We have to build on last year when we were top six.”
