The ag student who’s living his farming and pro rugby dreams

Agriculture student Harry Sprague is tailoring his college and sporting timetables to realise his dreams of farming while also playing rugby at a professional level.

The 17-year-old is dedicating his efforts to securing a level 3 extended diploma in agriculture while juggling serious commitments playing for the Gloucester Rugby academy and Hartpury College’s elite rugby academy squad.

His college is working with Harry, who is determined to maximise his chances of academic and sporting success, by drawing up a timetable that allows him to make the most of his education and sports training.

See also: Jeremy Clarkson on his own farm, red tape, sheep and sheds

“My tutors are brilliant in providing me with flexibility around my timetabling, making sure I’m up to date with the agriculture course and freeing up time for me to train and play rugby,” says Harry.

“It means that I’m able to do something that I love – farming – as well as wanting to play rugby to a high standard.”

From a dairy farming background in Devon, Harry is working and learning on Hartpury’s commercial farm and gets to rub shoulders with Gloucester’s premiership players, who also use the college’s facilities to train for matches.

Harry only has to walk a few minutes from the college farm to reach the specialist 360ha sports campus.

“For me as a rugby player, it’s so impressive to have the Gloucester Rugby players on campus all the time – it gives you something to aspire to,” he says.

“My dream is to become a professional rugby player and I will take that as far as I can, but I’m pleased that whatever happens, I will always have farming to fall back on.”