Ones to watch: the McIntosh twins

As we head back to action in the Gallagher PREM, we catch up with two players – two identical players – who are dreaming of pulling on the Exeter Chiefs jersey in the future.

This pathway pair are the McIntosh twins, Jack and Will, who have been making steady progress through the Exeter Chiefs Academy, with another year to go.

Having played rugby side by side since they were five years old, they have made their way through the age group teams at Kingsbridge RFC to the Exeter Chiefs Academy they have been a part of since they were 14. The pair are now two regular starters for the U18s team.

Will has also experienced England U18s training while Jack awaits his chance, having broken his hand in a recent training session.

Although, unfortunate for centre Jack, the hand brace was a convenient differentiator as these two young men are identical…aside from two freckles on Will’s face and different coloured boots on the pitch!

If all goes well, the dream is to see these brothers run out side by side in Chiefs jerseys, and maybe England too, to emulate the Curry twins’ club and country achievements.

The story began at the High House ground in Kingsbridge where dad Richard took them for mini rugby . Along with other dads of players on the team, Richard coached his sons all the way through to U16s and a Fisherman’s Cup victory over Brixham RFC.

The twins then opted to take their A-levels at Exeter College so they could join the Rugby Academy programme there.

“We definitely chose Exeter College for the rugby,” said Jack. “The pathway was really clear to us. You can play lots of rugby and improve your game. It was quite an easy way to carry on our journey.”

But being a part of the Exeter College Academy is not an easy choice. The twins are up at 5:45 every weekday to make the journey from Bantham to Totnes station. They call shotgun to decide who drives before then taking a 7:06 train to Exeter St Davids. They are in the gym at the Centre for Rugby at Flowerpots by 8am before another training session. They are also studying for three A-levels each – business, PE and geography – plus matches and extra gym sessions.

“It gets pretty busy to keep on top of homework. It’s manageable but definitely pretty hard work,” said Will.

What’s even harder is keeping these growing teenagers fed! Mum Clare packs them off with multiple meals and plenty of snacks to keep the energy levels up.

This season, the McIntoshes have been through a preseason, plus games for the College that led to a busy January for Academy matches culminating in the PREM Rugby NextGen Finals Day at Kingsholm last month. Exeter’s young guns played Northampton Saints U18s to claim fifth place with a 47-28 victory.

The team had lost to Saints at the start of the season, so the result was a marked improvement to mirror the great strides the twins have seen in their rugby development.

Jack commented: “It’s such good coaching here and you get so much attention. Just the amount of training you do every week means you improve so quickly.”

The season is not over yet as the Exeter College men’s team is off to Japan to represent England in the Sanix World Rugby Youth Tournament. Jack’s hand will be better by then while Will can continue to build on the experience he has garnered from England U18s training. He sadly missed out on a chance for Six Nations selection after he picked up a knee injury.

Will said: “It’s always been my goal to go through the England pathway, so getting that call-up was pretty cool. The environment there is so competitive. I’ve learnt loads.

“I just want to see where I can go with rugby, hopefully, putting on an Exeter Chiefs shirt and hopefully an England shirt as well.

Jack, who cites All Black centre Rieko Ioane as his inspiration, added: “Same for me, Chiefs has always been the team I support so I want to go through that pathway and see where that takes me.”

For Will, his rugby idol is Henry Slade. Diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, Will thought his rugby dream may be over but, like Slade, he has adjusted his lifestyle and keeps track of his blood sugar levels to ensure he remains healthy on and off the pitch.

“I’m inspired by Henry Slade…a professional rugby player, coping with it [diabetes] fine.”

The twins look in fine fettle as they eye the end of one season and look ahead to another year in Academy and College colours. They have winning ambitions for both sides while the S&C staff are hoping to add more muscle to their frames. (Get some more food in Clare!)

Meanwhile, the opposition teams will have to keep trying to tell these two speedsters apart while they continue to hone their skills in the garden.

Jack said: “It gets quite confusing for the other players but having a twin means you always have someone you can chuck a ball about with or just get some extra passes or kicks in with. There is always someone to play rugby with.”

For more information on Exeter Chiefs Academy, please visit our dedicated web page here. If you are interested in the Exeter College Rugby Academy, please follow this link.

Watch the full interview with Jack and Will below.