Henry Joule started his rugby career for his hometown club, Market Harborough RFC, at Under-5s level and came through the DPP at Stoneygate to earn a place in the Tigers academy in 2019.

A young footballer and basketball player, Henry prefers rugby as it can be “war on the pitch, but you can shake hands afterwards”.

Coached as an Oakham School student by Tigers legend Ian ‘Dosser’ Smith – the father of current academy head coach Matt – Henry says his experience of Tigers’ talent pathway has helped instil in him the values of “hard work  and 100-per-cent effort in everything that you do”.

“I think the first game that I saw at Welford Road was Tigers against London Irish,” he says. “And I remember Alesana Tuilagi scored in the corner in the last minute. It was really exciting.”

Getting to know you

If you could meet a famous person, dead or alive, who would it be?
That’s a difficult one, but it has to be Jonny Wilkinson – because he’s The Man. I’ve read his book and his approach seems very different to other players. He was the ultimate professional.

What is your favourite track to train to in the gym?
I like to listen to a bit of grime but my favourite’s got to be anything by Skepta.

Who’s the most famous person you’ve taken a selfie with?
I’m definitely not a selfie guy – I don’t take a good selfie!