'In life you don't get to choose your opportunities': Jamie Benson ready to seize Ireland chance
Jamie Benson is a versatile back whose first preference would be N0.10. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho
Things are happening fast in the world of Jamie Benson. Ulster only announced his arrival from Harlequins back in April but he found himself in a one-day camp with Andy Farrell’s Ireland just three months later. He hadn’t even met his new clubmates.
The 23-year old has played only five games for the province since but nevertheless finds himself back in Farrell’s orbit as part of a national squad that is preparing for a four-match Test window in next month’s Nations Championship.
A versatile back whose first preference would be N0.10, that fast-tracking caught more than a few people by surprise, even if the long-term absence of Jack Crowley and another injury for the luckless Harry Byrne were always going to leave a door open for someone.
Even Benson’s parents have been taken by surprise. His mum and dad had long decided to follow Ulster out to South Africa for their ongoing two-game URC trip. Little did they know that their son would be back in Dublin after the first fixture against the Bulls last week.
“So they're still out there in Cape Town, going whale watching,” Benson laughs. “They were absolutely delighted [with the Ireland call] but she did tell me that they were slightly annoyed they were going to have to do a week in Cape Town on their own.”
His mum is key to the switch from the English PREM in the summer. Carole Collins was born and raised in Belfast before moving to the UK and meeting Martin Benson. That, of course, laid the seeds for the move back across the Irish Sea and his availability for Ireland.
Benson played U19 and U20 for England. He was a non-playing member of an England ‘A’ squad that faced a New Zealand equivalent as well as Spain only eleven months ago, and he makes no bones about where his Test ambitions lay until very recently.
Still, he wore plenty of green jerseys around the house as a nipper in London while spending a lot of time here during the school holidays, including summer trips to the west coast. And the presence of extended family in Belfast has been a huge help in settling him in.
“In life you don't get to choose your opportunities so once this Ulster opportunity came up the switch from England to Ireland wasn't really a hurdle for me. I'm so proud of my Irish family and my Irish heritage that I'd be very proud to wear the Irish jersey if I got the opportunity.” More game time was paramount too. If his career is suddenly gathering pace then that’s reward in itself for the patience and maturity he has shown in balancing sporting ambitions while completing his studies and giving himself future opportunities beyond the game.
He started rugby at Richmond RFC, a storied club in southwest London that produced Jeff Probyn, Brian Moore and Dan Luger, then passed through a Hampton School that has graduated Olympic champions, a director general of the BBC and a founder of The Yardbirds.
Louis Lynagh, an underage player with England now playing for Italy, was on the same team.
“We've both gone on slightly different journeys since then,” Benson smiled.
He joined the Harlequins academy straight from school, but not full-time as the club wanted. Instead, he chose to study for a Bachelor of Arts in Natural Sciences at Cambridge, ultimately specialising in neuroscience and earning a first-class grade for his research project
His thesis was, ‘Effects of Rugby Training Exposure on Knee-Jerk Reflex Magnitude’ and he has vivid memories of trying to scramble essays over the line at 3am or 4am on the morning of a game from one hotel or other before an U20s Six Nations game the next day.
Not an easy road.
“Getting a foundation in my education was always something that was so important to me because I knew it would free me up. Once I did have that in my back pocket, I knew it was going to be something no-one could ever take away from me.
“So I felt like it would take the tension out of my shoulders whenever I was playing rugby, and so certainly, having done that, having got my degree, it's taken the pressure off me a little bit, which only helps me to enjoy my rugby and enjoy the journey I'm on.”
Goes without saying that this is a guy who can balance more than a few loads. He has demonstrated as much with a versatility on the field that was apparent long before he arrived at Ulster where he has already turned out at 12, 13 and at out-half.
He remembers, for instance, lining out at full-back for Cambridge when he played the first of his three Varsity matches against Oxford. Put him up against a wall and he’ll go with No.10 as his favourite jersey, but he is far from fussy.
“Playing in other positions, there's plenty to enjoy. I like the contact element of the game. So playing in the centres, obviously, there's a lot more exposure to that. Equally, playing at 15 and slightly wider, I love running with the ball and having space in front of me.
“So playing in different positions definitely lends itself to different skills. But I played 10 growing up my whole life. That's where you get the most touches, most influence. So I think that's where I'm best positioned to be able to help the team.”
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