SYDNEY (Reuters) – Harry Potter the rugby player may have been born in the leafy London suburb of Wimbledon but with an accent more Saint Kilda than SW19, the versatile back has no doubt that his allegiances lie firmly with Australia.
The 26-year-old moved to Melbourne at the age of 10 and although he returned to England to play three seasons at Leicester Tigers he was delighted to receive a call-up to the Wallabies squad for the end-of-season tour of Europe.
“I was here for school. I watched the Wallabies play when I was from year seven right up until going to uni and up until now,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I certainly feel like I was here for a more influential part of my life. And I’m speaking with more of an Aussie accent than I am an English accent, which doesn’t make you feel too English, to be honest, mate.”
After helping Leicester to the 2022 English Premiership title, Potter returned to Australia last year with the intent of forcing his way into the Wallabies set-up.
Despite a six-month injury layoff this season, he earned his surprise selection by impressing Australia coach Joe Schmidt with his performances for his Super Rugby team Western Force on their recent tour of South Africa.
“I felt he was back in the groove,” Schmidt told reporters when he announced his squad last week.
“Also he offered a bit of versatility. He played 13 as well as on the wing. It’s an opportunity for us to bring him into the squad and get to know him a little bit.”
Potter is unlikely to get a run out against some of his former Leicester teammates on Nov. 9 when Australia play England at Twickenham in the first match of the tour but is happy just to be in the camp.
“It’s been nose to the grindstone and train hard for the time being,” he said. “So, yeah, putting my best foot forward on the training field for now.”
Given his famous fictional namesake, Potter has been nicknamed “wizard” in the Wallabies squad and said allusions to JK Rowling’s most famous creation in media coverage of his career do not bother him.
“No, not really to be honest,” he said. “Like, it’s been 26 years of it, so it’s pretty funny I reckon.”
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
