Clare Balding’s 19-year-old nephew Jonno has been called up to England’s U20 Six Nations squad.
The Gloucester lock, who stands at a towering 6ft 9in tall, has established himself as one of English rugby’s bright young forwards after impressing in the club’s academy.
Jonno is the latest Balding to continue his family’s rich sporting legacy.
Not only is he the nephew of sports broadcasting giant Clare, who is best known for presenting major events such as the Olympics and Wimbledon for the BBC, the teenager is also the grandson of former rugby star and racehorse trainer Ian Balding.
Ian, who sadly passed away aged 87 on January 2, made 92 appearances for Bath Rugby before becoming a horse trainer for the late Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother.
Ian already came from a family steeped in horses. His grandfather Aubrey Hastings was the trainer of four Grand National winners, while his father Gerald Balding was a British champion polo player.
Andrew Balding, Ian’s son and Jonno’s father, carried on the family’s horse training legacy, chalking up several major wins across Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates.
Jonno, who turned 19 on December 29, revealed in an interview with Gloucester two years ago that it was his grandfather who inspired him to take up rugby.
‘I started when I was four or five at Overton Rugby Club which is near to where I live,’ he told the club website.
‘On a Sunday morning with dad, we’d go and play touch rugby. That’s where it started for me. It was great fun and it’s part of what got me into the sport.
‘My grandfather was quite a good player, he played for Bath, and it was him that got me interested in the sport. It was his footsteps I wanted to follow in.
‘We come from a very competitive family, whatever sport it is, even board games get competitive. So, it is exactly where I got it from and what encouraged me to take up competitive sport.’
Jonno is one of five Gloucester youngsters to make England’s U20 Six Nations squad, including club team-mates Olly Allport, Freddie Ogden-Metherell, Will Knight and Harry Wright.
England U20s kick off their Six Nations campaign against Wales U20s on Friday February 6, before facing the youth teams of Scotland, Ireland, Italy and France in that order.
‘As a squad, we’re looking forward to setting the tone for the campaign and starting our journey together in Portugal this week,’ head coach Andy Titterrell said ahead of his team’s training camp.
‘Our objectives this season are to embrace the mindset of getting better, supporting each other in a high-performance environment and earning the right to achieve top honours. Most importantly, we want to build connections on and off the field, between coaches and players, in an open and honest environment.
‘Building towards the Six Nations campaign is an exciting prospect for all involved. Recent years have seen some of the best attended England U20 fixtures in over a decade and we aim to grow the rose with strong performances and player development.’
