{"id":343583,"date":"2025-12-12T17:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/343583\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T17:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T17:25:08","slug":"gloucester-prop-afo-fasogbon-im-quite-chilled-off-the-pitch-until-its-time-to-go-to-work-gloucester","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/343583\/","title":{"rendered":"Gloucester prop Afo Fasogbon: \u2018I\u2019m quite chilled off the pitch \u2013 until it\u2019s time to go to work\u2019 | Gloucester"},"content":{"rendered":"

To announce Afo Fasogbon as English rugby\u2019s next big thing is not entirely accurate. He may be big \u2013 6ft 4in tall and about 130kg (20st 6lb) \u2013 but as far as the internet is concerned he arrived some time ago. Video footage of the young Gloucester<\/a> prop waving off the more experienced Ellis Genge after edging a scrummaging duel at Kingsholm last year went viral almost before Genge had reached the touchline.<\/p>\n

Should the 21-year-old make a strong impact off the bench against Munster in Cork on Saturday evening, however, he could soon be vying for even greater recognition. England are suddenly lighter in the tighthead department after Will Stuart\u2019s unfortunate achilles injury, with Asher Opoku-Fordjour also out of action. If Leicester\u2019s Joe Heyes so much as breaks a fingernail, alarm bells will start ringing at Twickenham.<\/p>\n

Northampton\u2019s Trevor Davison could plug a short-term gap but, at some point, the power-packed Fasogbon will inevitably enter the conversation. Last month in the gym he set a new weight-training personal best \u2013 three back squat reps of 225kg \u2013 and he is not short\u00a0on personality either. \u201cMy mates would say I\u2019m pretty wired. I love a laugh, I love a bit of banter,\u201d he says. \u201cThey\u2019d also say I\u2019m quite chilled off the pitch \u2013 until it\u2019s time to go to work.\u201d Anything else? \u201cThey\u2019d say I\u2019m pretty loud as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is certainly the kind of guy whose character is transformed on a rugby field. \u201cYou do have to be a different person when you step across that white line. On game day it is just different, isn\u2019t it?\u201d Being pitched into tough environments with England Under-20s has also helped to shape his competitive edge. \u201cBoth our World Cups were in South Africa and our warm-ups were in Georgia. Growing up, I didn\u2019t play many games at home. You\u2019ve got to perform when your back\u2019s against the wall and no one\u2019s rooting for you. You\u2019ve got make your own atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n

By now a couple of things should be pretty evident. If Fasogbon goes on to enjoy a lengthy Test career it will be good news for the Biro-chewing media. He is a cracking interviewee: chatty, engaging, honest and fun. Ask him, for example, if his meals merely consist of two lettuce leaves and a slice of cucumber and he roars with laughter. \u201cHa-ha! Definitely not, no. I\u2019m big on my proteins. I do love my meat. And maybe tuna. But unfortunately Archie, my housemate, doesn\u2019t like the smell of tuna \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Afo Fasogbon has gained more experience playing for England\u2019s Under-20s and England A. Photograph: Bob Bradford\/CameraSport\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Perhaps more pertinently English rugby may just have found a role model capable of inspiring big city kids from outside the RFU\u2019s usual catchment areas. Fasogbon grew up in a football-loving community in Colindale, north London and, until he was 13, barely knew what rugby was. \u201cQuite a lot of people had a negative view of rugby \u2026 where I was from, it was all football. We\u2019d say: \u2018We think football is the better sport, we\u2019d never play rugby.\u2019 And here I am eight years later doing it as a job that I love. Interesting, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Having made the leap to Gloucester, via London Irish\u2019s academy, it is his firm belief rugby is missing out on a load of raw potential in the state school sector. \u201cThinking back to it, I grew up with some absolute physical specimens. Maybe with a bit of coaching and the necessary desire, I reckon there could have been a bit of talent there. Maybe if rugby was presented more in schools \u2026 we only did it for half a term, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a consequence he is still learning his demanding trade. Touring with England in Argentina and the United States this year and representing England A have helped his development but, with only 15 career Prem starts to date, consistency is his next goal. \u201cAfo wouldn\u2019t mind me saying there\u2019s a few bits of his game he needs to tighten up on,\u201d says George Skivington, Gloucester\u2019s director of rugby.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he gets it right there\u2019s not many people better; he just needs to get some behaviours right consistently. And then he\u2019ll get to where he wants to be. Like any young man you arrive on the scene but the real challenge is getting the nuts and bolts right. Then you can see where you\u2019re ceiling is and what\u2019s possible. He knows that if he wants to get to the top level the ability to back it up is key.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018I do understand I\u2019m at the start of my journey. But even if it\u2019s only by 0.5%, the aim is to get better every week.\u2019 Afo Fasogbon has 15 career Prem starts to date. Photograph: David Rogers\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Fasogbon does not dispute this assessment, which may be shared by England\u2019s head coach, Steve Borthwick. \u201cI agree 100%. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m anywhere near where I want to be. I do understand I\u2019m at the start of my journey. But even if it\u2019s only by 0.5%, the aim is to get better every week.\u201d<\/p>\n

This weekend will form part of that learning curve, with Skivington predicting an \u201cintense\u201d experience. Not only are Munster stinging from their 40-14 defeat in Bath last Saturday but staging the fixture at P\u00e1irc U\u00ed Chaoimh, normally a Gaelic games stadium, will further up the ante.<\/p>\n

Should he prosper and subsequently feature in the Six Nations, though, it would be massive for him and his extended family. His father, Bobby, owns a carpeting and furniture company while his mum, Olubunmi, looks after the mental wellbeing of hospital doctors and nurses. Both were raised in Nigeria and would be the proudest parents in the stadium \u2013 \u201cI think they\u2019d be super excited\u201d \u2013 if their boy starts at Twickenham.<\/p>\n

So will social media if he makes his Six Nations debut alongside the aforementioned Genge in the spring. \u201cIt would be class. I think he\u2019s the modern-day prop so it would be sick. I\u2019ve always said he\u2019s someone I\u2019ve looked up to.\u201d Has that Kingsholm wave been forgiven? \u201cIt was good fun but it\u2019s a thing of the past now. I don\u2019t think there are any hurt feelings. Like we said at the start of this interview everyone\u2019s a bit different on the field to what they are off it.\u201d<\/p>\n

And if a first senior cap does materialise in 2026 the big man insists he will be ready. \u201cIt is definitely something I\u2019ve dreamed about since I first started playing this sport. And even more since I decided this is what I want to do as a career. My younger self would be over the moon, which is what keeps me motivated sometimes. It would mean so much to me.\u201d Good luck to the affable Afo \u2013 and to all his future opponents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To announce Afo Fasogbon as English rugby\u2019s next big thing is not entirely accurate. He may be big…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":343584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-343583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=343583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/343583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/343584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=343583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=343583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=343583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}