Joining Petersfield RFC with his brother Sam over the summer, the Janaway brothers have taken Penns Place by storm since their debuts in September. We caught up with Jack ahead of today’s game against Chichester.

PRFC: Jack, it’s great to hear from you. Firstly, how has it been adjusting to life at PRFC?

JACK: It’s been fantastic getting back into the rhythm of rugby, and I’ve been blown away by how welcoming and supportive everyone has been. The level of skill and determination from the team took me by surprise at first, but it’s safe to say I’m absolutely loving it here.

PRFC: Could you possibly give the readers a bit of context on your rugby career so far?

JACK: I first started playing for Alton when I was just four years old and continued through to the Under-13s. After that, I headed to school in Dorset, where I played a decent standard of rugby and spent a couple of seasons in the first team. I was fortunate enough to captain the side during a successful season alongside my younger brother.

During my school years, I also had the privilege of spending some time in the Bath Academy, which I felt really progressed me as a player. Now, I’m excited to find myself here at Penns Place, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far we can go as a team.

PRFC: Three tries so far in an impressive first season for PRFC. What are your expectations heading into the latter stages of the season?

JACK: On a personal level, my main focus is staying fit and getting as much game time as possible. As a team, we know we haven’t always been where we’d like to be at times during the first half of the season. Moving forward, it’s about turning those tight games into wins and pushing ourselves to climb higher up the table by the end of the season.

PRFC: It’s been a tough few weeks for the boys with three losses on the bounce. Do you think that’ll be turned around this Saturday?

JACK: Even though we didn’t get the result we were hoping for over the weekend, there were plenty of positives to build on. Our set-piece is definitely one of our biggest assets, and we’re excited to use it to put Chi under pressure on Saturday and hopefully create some great opportunities to take advantage of—and get Sarge on the score sheet yet again.

PRFC: Last time out against Chichester, you scored two in a MOTM performance! How wild was that game?

JACK: I actually started that game with a yellow card under the sticks in the first two minutes, which wasn’t the best start. Chi really took advantage for most of the first half, making the most of their opportunities, so the half-time chat was a bit of a tough one.

But in the second half, we realised they couldn’t handle our set-piece. We made our maul a real weapon and slowly worked our way back into the game. It might not have been the most exciting match for the spectators or the backs, but as a forward, it was such a great performance to be part of. Hopefully, we can bring that same energy this weekend and come away with another five points.

UTR!

Jack starts on the open side tomorrow as 'Field look to finish 2024 on a high against Chichester! Make sure tog et yourselves down to Penns Place at 3pm for a festive afternoon of rugby!