Questioning the best: Joy Okechukwu's rise at Harlequins

Whether it is asking questions in training or studying Chemistry at UCL, Joy Okechukwu is a fan of learning - and she has been putting those lessons into practice in the JAECOO Next Gen Cup.

The Harlequins flanker has started both matches in the competition so far, scoring a try in the process, with the visit of Bristol Bears to Twickenham Stoop still to come.

Okechukwu is making the most of that time to test herself beyond age-group rugby, with the aim of a PWR league debut ahead this season.

“I feel really privileged that I'm able to start and make that impact straight from kick-off. I've seen a lot of personal growth in my game over this past year, but pre-season especially,” she said.

“I feel like the support that the coaches have been providing all of us, myself included, means I'm able to have these one-on-one conversations, get feedback and also get words of encouragement.

“Coming out of under-18s or even juniors, it's such a different game to when you step into the PWR. I feel like that experience does teach you a lot of things about not only yourself as a player, but also how to play the game more smartly.

“Getting my first league cap is naturally the goal from this point. For my personal development, I want to know that I'm progressing and to be able to see tangible results.”

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That tangible progress is something Okechukwu has consistently been able to demonstrate.

Despite only first picking up a rugby ball in year 10, when her friend was short on players for a rugby festival with her secondary school, it did not take long before she was representing her country.

Okechukwu started rugby in earnest that summer, before playing for Hampshire under-16s and then Havant RFC all in her first season.

By her second season, she trialled for Harlequins Academy before getting the call-up to England under-18s for the Six Nations.

“I'm the person who always asks questions,” shared Okechukwu. “If you ask anyone in the team, I'm always asking a question of some sort, because I was brought up never to shy away from questions.

“I feel like the more that I can expand my learning and my understanding, the better I'm able to be on and off the pitch.

“The biggest thing is giving myself a bit of grace, giving myself a bit of time. It has been very fast so there'll be a lot of things that I don't know, or things that sometimes you'll know when you're reviewing, but then you'll get onto the pitch and you might forget.

“But I think giving myself a bit of grace in order to learn has been the biggest thing.”

That supercharged rise means Okechukwu is still only in her second year of university, balancing studying with her rugby career.

It presents an additional challenge to the flanker but, just as on the rugby pitch, it gives another outlet for valuable opportunities for growth that can benefit her in both spheres.

“I'm a person who likes to have that double life. After a stressful or long day at uni, I know that I can just go to rugby. I can train, do the sport that I love, and see the friends that I like,” explained Okechukwu.

“I feel like rugby gives me a lot of things that I might not necessarily always have at uni. It's a break away from uni. Equally, if there’s pressure from rugby, I’m able to step away from that to uni.”

Where her university professors might be the experts in their field, Okechukwu would be hard pressed to find anyone better qualified to learn from than the flankers at Quins.

Among the ranks in her position are Aoife Wafer, Alex Callender and new signing Marlie Packer, with experience oozing out of the back row in west London.

“The greatest thing is that everyone's so open to sharing their knowledge,” she added.

“Everyone has so much knowledge to share because they've been in the game for so much longer than I have. Definitely in terms of those technical aspects, especially Aoife, she's so knowledgeable.

“If I ever have a question, I'd go to her. Even last season, when we had Jade [Konkel], I'd go to Jade and ask her questions.

“There's no silly questions. Marlie’s only been in for two or three weeks of this pre-season because she's been very busy with England, but she definitely has that aura about her.

“She is one of the legends of the game, but she is so humble. Hopefully, as the season progresses, I'll be able to ask her more because when she's in my position, I want to try to take in as much knowledge as I can.”

It is an approach that so far has served Okechukwu well, and as she aims to take on increasing responsibilities herself within the Quins set-up, it will be those faces who she will turn to for confidence as well as competition.

“I remember last season in training, I'm usually not that confident in being the head runner, but in one session, I was just like, ‘Let me just step it up,’” she recalled.

“Bimba [Laura Delgado] was the person who told me, ‘Joy, you have really good lines of running. It doesn't matter what you think, just back yourself and continue to do it.’

“That was the first time I'd had a contradiction to my own thoughts. You know your strengths and weaknesses as a player, but someone else picked up on something I might have thought was a weakness and turned that into a strength.

“I really took that to heart. I still try to tell myself that now, to give myself some confidence.”