Theo Dan: 'England has been my childhood dream' Photo: Telegraph/Andrew Baker.
To give you a sense of how quickly Theo Dan has broken through with the Saracens, one of the first prostitute appointments this season was a friendly match against the parent club in the colors of Ampthill. With a fair wind, an outstanding year could end with the World Cup final at Twickenham.
In any case, Dan has risen quickly. His path to this stage was through the transition from the center to the front row with the humiliating failures that one would expect from this transition. With the support of his Romanian family, the 22-year-old's adult career has already spanned seven levels of the English club pyramid.
Among the many sliding door moments was the 2016 Wellington Festival. Playing for the Saracens Under 16s and dreaming of becoming the next Brad Barritt, Dan was persuaded to put his head in the thick of the fray. “That was the last thing I wanted to hear,” he admits. "But I gradually got used to the fact that my life in the rear came to an end"
Dan didn't expect it to be easy, and that's for the best. His alma mater, Alleyne School in Dulwich, did not have rugby facilities, and that is how the second turning point came.
17-year-old Dan, who left Blackheath to focus on final exams, needed games. Kelly Brown, then one of the Saracen academy trainers, called Old Alleynians and arranged for a front row internship at London 2 South West; seventh division.
“It suited my game because I was pretty aggressive and confrontational and it was fun,” Dan explains. “Until I was 18, I was not allowed to fight with men, whether I was signed or not.
“I spent the first half of that season playing in the back line and throwing the ball into corridor. When I turned 18, on Boxing Day, it was a case of: “OK, do you want to try a prostitute?”
Theo Dan (right) was raised as a centre-forward during his time at Blackheath, but the Saracens recognized his talents from elsewhere. #39;
The learning curve will get steeper with the next loan at Bishop's Stortford at National One. «Sinderford away» — two words that can excite the nerves of even gray-haired attackers. On the outskirts of Dean Forest, Dan started from the third tier.
“It was almost comical,” he says. “There was so much fog that you stand on the 22nd and do not see the pillars … I remember I thought the signs were rather ominous.”
“Sinderford is known for its big nasty pack and I got beat up in the fight. We were moving in reverse, my corridors weren't going very well, and I got hooked after about 20 minutes.» world now.» I realized that I needed to get bigger, stronger, actually learn the complex details of the fight, because I just went broke.
Dan showed dynamic episodes from the bench, but, in his own words, was into the fight” and “didn’t add anything to the pier”.
This prompted him to gain weight, gradually increasing from 101 kg to 108 kg. Kinder Buenos helped with this process, although Dan points out that the top five who can be asked to go from 90kg to over 120kg have a much harder time.
' My grandfather was a big influence. on me'
Octavian and Diana, Dan's parents, met in Brussels after they left Romania on their own after the collapse of the Soviet Union. They grew up in Bucharest and Tirgu Jiu respectively. Dan's maternal grandfather, Ion Diimarescu, was a prominent figure in Petrosani. An engineering professor, he represented and then coached the university team that played in the first division. His wife, Dan's grandmother, was a field doctor specializing in the treatment of broken noses.
Dan and his sister Laura were born in London but spent their holidays between Bucharest and Târgu Jiu. Romanian is still spoken at home, and in a sporting sense, Diimarescu pushed Dan to this.
“My grandfather passed away in 2019, three months before I got my first pro contract,” says Dan. “The last time he saw me play at a tournament in Wellington in 2016 was as a prostitute. He was a curmudgeon and a very special person to me, so when he saw me in the front row, he probably just smiled a little.
«My mom always forwards WhatsApp messages from my grandfather's friends, guys who 70–80. They are scattered all over the world and are tuned in online, asking my mom to tell me how proud they are.
“I met these guys maybe once or twice in my life. , some of them, but there is a feeling of love that I play rugby because my grandfather had such a big influence not only in our family but also in others.”
'Romania wants me, but England wants sleep'
There will be a ton of goodwill messages this season that saw Dan take advantage of his opportunities after being recalled from Ampthill's championship campaign. While he doesn't want to highlight any of the highlights, he was especially pleased with the scrum-winning penalties in the final clash against the Exeter Chiefs. Another dramatic victory against the Bristol Bears in late January, in which Dan started and made a poor run, was crucial in securing the Saracens' first place in the Premier League.
Julian Montoya and Dan Sheehan are mentioned as prostitute's flag bearers, although there is an invaluable mentor closer to home. Dan calls Jamie George «the best prostitute in the world». Tom Woolstencroft, Capeli Pifeleti and Ethan Lewis also help him in the joint group.
Perhaps Mark McCall chose the experience of George and Woolstencroft in the Premier League playoffs. Dan, an England under-20 international, is acutely aware of the need to perfect his game. However, Steve Borthwick appreciates «super powers» and is known to be intrigued. According to Kevin Sorrell, Saracens coach, Dan's explosive «bite» in contact is difficult to instill in players.
So what about the next step up the ladder that started at the Old Allenians? Understandably, Dan prefers to avoid talking about the World Cup when a knockout in the Premier League is looming. However, at some stage it will be necessary to make a decision about his national team, because Romania also contacted him.
“They asked if I could play before I entered the Premier League match for Sarrie». Dan says. “But England has been my dream since childhood and I always wanted to try and establish myself at Premier League level first. I wanted some international decision to be made later. It still applies.»
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