NEW ZEALAND’S World Cup winners might have graced The Northern Echo Arena turf in memorable fashion during the autumn, but the All Blacks aren’t the only internationals to have made Darlington Mowden Park their home this season.

In second row forward Rob Conquest and winger Pete Homan, Mowden boast two players who were recently called into the England Counties squad for forthcoming matches against Scotland and France and a summer tour to Canada.

Formed from players plying their trade in National Leagues One and Two, the RFU describes the England Counties side as “the flagship team of the community game”, and the selection of two Mowden players in the current squad reflects the giant strides the club has made in the last few seasons.

Tomorrow, Hartpury College, who are second in National One, are the visitors to the Arena, with Mowden looking to record a 12th successive league win.

Unbeaten since the start of November, Danny Brown’s team are the form side in the whole of English rugby, and both Conquest and Homan are quick to pay tribute to Mowden’s role in their own personal glory.

“It’s great for us, and it’s great for Mowden,” said Homan. “We represent Mowden week in, week out, and it’s great to think that people have taken notice of what’s been happening up here.

 

The Northern Echo:

Pete Homan scores a try in Darlington Mowden Park's win over Hull Ionians

“It’s a first call-up for me at this level. I played in the England set-up at under-20s, but have never had the chance to be involved with the senior stuff. It’s fantastic.”

Conquest is also celebrating his maiden call-up, and with a lot of this weekend’s rugby focus centring on England’s Six Nations trip to Rome, the thrill of pulling on a national-team jersey remains as strong at Counties level.

“It’s a massive thing,” said Conquest. “You’ve obviously got the full England squad, but it’s pretty rare for boys at this level to go on and reach that. So for those of us playing our rugby at this level, this is our England team. It’s our equivalent of that, so just to make the squad is fantastic.”

The Northern Echo:

Rob Conquest bursts through in Darlington Mowden Park's recent win over Ampthill & District

Homan’s story is one of hometown success, with the Middlesbrough-born winger having travelled far and wide before returning to his native North-East at the start of the season.

He has been a key part of Mowden’s recent success, chipping in with six tries, and is delighted to be part of the club’s meteoric rise, having witnessed its humble beginnings at first hand during his junior days with Middlesbrough.

“Mowden were a different club when I was young,” said Homan. “They were playing out at Yiewsley Drive, and were just your average rugby club really. It wasn’t a big club in a big stadium like it is now. The transformation from where they were then to where they are now is pretty remarkable.

“I got picked up by Rotherham when I was 18. I had two really good years there, and then moved down south to London Scottish. It didn’t really go too well there, it wasn’t really for me, so I moved to Plymouth.

“They got relegated, which was a disappointing season, and I wasn’t really happy on or off the field. Once they were relegated into National One, I thought I’d rather come back home and play so that’s how I ended up with Mowden. This is coming home for me really, and it’s good to be playing rugby back here in the North-East.”

Conquest spent some of his junior days playing with Leicester Tigers’ academy, and having left Cambridge in order to join Mowden, the powerful forward is equally enthusiastic about the club’s upward momentum.

“We didn’t have a great start with the new lads coming in, but now with this 11 on the bounce, our confidence is flying,” he said. “I think a lot of it comes down to a consistency of selection.

“If you look through these 11 games, there’s only been a maximum of two to three changes. In some of the earlier games, there were six or seven, and that can make it harder in terms of players getting used to playing together. Things have clicked now, and we’re really playing as a team.”

That team ethos will be tested tomorrow, but while Mowden suffered a 50-7 thrashing at Hartpury, who are essentially a feeder club for Gloucester, at the start of the season, they should be a completely different proposition four months’ on.

“We’ve beaten the likes of Esher, who have been at the top this season, but I do think there has been a bit of a different mood this week,” said Conquest. “When we went to Hartpury, it wasn’t a good day for us, but we’ve completely changed since then and we just have to go out and prove that.”