It has been a whirlwind week for Noah Caluori, as the explosive young wing has emerged onto the scene with the England U18s. This past Monday, Caluori marked his England age grade debut with a phenomenal solo try, as he kick-started the scoring of the first match in the 2024 U18 International Series down in South Africa.
Caluori’s try went viral across social media, as the Saracens sensation collected the ball inside his own 22m and went on the run of his infant career. Caluori looked up and skipped past a couple of Ireland U18 tackle attempts, planted a firm fend on an additional two players before wheeling away in celebration to score an unforgettable first try for the England U18s. We caught up with the breakout star this week, and in an exclusive interview with RUCK, Noah Caluori described what was racing through his mind as he scored the debut try.
“When I first got the ball, I just thought, ‘I should just back myself’, and I did. The stage that I was on, playing against Ireland in the first cap, there was no better place to take it. I looked around me, and I saw that their fullback was covering the place where their winger was, so I had to cut in and then just try and take on as many people as I could.
“I just thought when I broke those first two tackles, I should just go for it. And in the end, it worked, it was pretty surreal in the end, after I scored, it was a really good moment.”
Despite scoring an unforgettable effort down in Cape Town, Caluori and his England teammates were unable to roll this momentum on for the win. Ireland U18s fired back against their resident Six Nations rivals, and returned fire for an eventual 42-28 win at Stellenberg High School. With the result in the rear view mirror, Caluori has had the opportunity to reflect upon the past week, and described his experiences of making his first England U18s cap.
“Coming into South Africa and getting that first cap against a team like Ireland, is all I could have wanted when I was younger. This is the part where I wanted to be, for the past few years this has been the goal that I’ve been striving for. Even though we didn’t come out with the win, which I was gutted about, the boys and myself put in a proper shift, we were hard working in that game, and we did want to come out on top. Sometimes the game doesn’t go how we’d want it to, but the experience of getting the first cap was amazing.”
After getting the go ahead to represent the England U18s, Caluori was understandably nervous as he approached his first camp and overseas tour with the age group side. However, what made things easier for the Saracen was that he had seven of his North London teammates joining him in the move up from club to country.
The wing was joined in the starting XV by scrum half Asa Stewart-Harris and back row Jack Marshall, with Jack Murphy, Matthew Branch-Holland, Finn Keylock, Fraser Rawlins and Ben Morrow all on the bench for the opening Test against Ireland. Caluori expressed how having so many fellow Sarries join him in the England camp helped settle the nerves, but also spoke about how he has been getting to know the new faces from all across the country.
“Just having some familiar faces around camp, when I initially came in to the U17s camp, up into the U18s camp before we flew out to South Africa, was really good. They’re all talented boys, it makes blending in with the squads a lot easier, when I first came in, because they would know other people. Fraser played in the U18 Six Nations, he knew a couple boys in the squad already.
“But there’s a real sense of brotherhood, not just with the Saracens boys, with the whole squad. That helps on the field, because we’re willing to go into a dark place when it’s tough out there, we’re willing to put that extra shift in just for the team. So the squad is very tight, and the eight Saracens players helped initially, when I first came in.”
“Well, I’m sharing my room with the 13, Victor (Worsnip) from Bristol. We’ve been getting quite close as we’ve beenliving together for two weeks. Elvis (Kitenge-Fuki) from Newcastle Falcons, the prop. We’re constantly together in the team room, and we’re going out when we have some time off training, reviewing clips. This squad is very close, but those two, I would say I’m around a lot.”
Caluori shares the StoneX Stadium with a fellow England age-grade wing prospect, as Jack Bracken has made immense strides with the England U20s. Making his debut for the team in the 2024 U20 Six Nations, Bracken was like a bolt of lightning for Mark Mapletoft’s team, as he lit up the pitch with electric carries.
The son of 2003 Rugby World Cup winning scrum half Kyran Bracken, Jack added the U20 Six Nations and World Championship winners medals to the family trophy cabinet, acting as a constant inspiration to Caluori when the pair reconvene in their North London training base.
“Definitely, especially when I was injured, as I was in the Academy squad constantly. Even though I couldn’t train, I’d be up there every session with my notepad asking him (Jack Bracken) questions about how would you do something as a wing and control in the backfield, where and what you need to do constantly.
“I look up to him in that sort of way, because he’s done very big things, as he played in the U20s this year and won the World Cup in South Africa, just a couple weeks ago. I’m definitely striving to be like him in some sort of way. Since I’m ’06 (born in 2006), I won’t be able to play (U18s) Six Nations next year, so i’ll have to strive and try and get into that U20s squad.”
Caluori continues to ply his trade with the Saracens U19s, with the ambitions for a senior academy call-up in the not so distant future. The wing is in the perfect environment to develop ahead of his calling, as he is learning the ropes of the Saracens’ blistering attack from senior Sarries wing Sean Maitland and and former centre Duncan Taylor. Speaking on how the two StoneX stalwarts are helping him progress, Caluori said;
“Just before we flew to South Africa, a couple of the boys, including me, trained with the first team and the senior Academy for Saracens, and that opportunity was a very, very good experience. Being able to learn from such experienced players that have played at the top level for so many years, and also people like Sean Maitland and Duncan Taylor, who have now come down to help coach in the Academy, working with them week in, week out, has made me so much more knowledgeable about my position.
“It has made me understand skills that I would have to do as a wing, compared to a centre, which benefits me so much. It helped me benefit things that I’m doing out here in South Africa, with England now. Sean Maitland and Duncan Taylor, especially them two, when they first came into the academy, I’ve been trying to feed off as much knowledge as they have, as both of them have been star players for Saracens and Scotland as well. They’ve really helped me a lot. They’ve been like mentors to me.”
Whilst Caluori continues to ride the wave of momentum brought around through his tireless efforts in the Saracens and England jerseys, it has not been a direct route to the national team. Caluori suffered one of the most frustrating rugby injuries imaginable, as a ruptured finger tendon turned any catch or pass into an incredibly painful experience. The young flyer was forced to the side-lines and spent his time out wisely, as he hit the gym and returned to the pitch ready to impose his new physical dominance.
“So I joined Mill Hill this year on a scholarship first year, and they have a partnership with Saracens, and being in that environment, being so close to Saracens, having quality coaches at Mill Hill, supporting my development has really helped me take my game to the next level.”
“My coach was constantly in talks with Saracens as he’s an U16s Saracens Coach himself, Chris Bajak, he’s helped me take my game and improve so much as a player, constantly supporting me.”
“The environment around Saracens is very good. They’re always looking for you to reach your full potential and get the absolute most and best out of you, which I really like. They won’t let a single person in the academy feel like they’re not getting the treatment that everyone else is, which I find really nice.”
“This season with my development, I was out for the whole Academy league because I ruptured a tendon in my finger, which was quite a struggle. So just being off the pitch and working as hard as I can in the gym, to try and catch up and be better than I was before. So I was not really being down and out, I used and utilised that opportunity to come back stronger than I was before I got injured, and develop other parts of my game that I couldn’t really prioritise when I wasn’t in full ability. It did benefit me, the injury in some ways.”
The England U18s are taught the same mindset as the professional senior squad, with the Mill Hill scholar leaving the defeat to Ireland behind him and focussing on the incoming matches. The England U18s are set to face Georgia tomorrow (12:30 KO), with the Eastern Europeans replacing France, who withdrew from the U18s International Series earlier this week. Following Georgia is a bout with the Junior Springboks, with England closing out their campaign against the hosting nation South Africa.
“There was definitely a lot of good things that we can build up, and work on from Ireland. Definitely things that we can build up from, and we’ve reviewed Georgia’s game, we’re just looking to get better after each game, and constantly strive to be better than the opponent in front of us, better than we were in the last game. Even better than we were in the first half of the game that we are currently playing, and we are looking to go two from two for the next two games, and just be the best team that we can be.”