Two weeks after leaving school most teenagers would have their feet up, taking a well-earned rest, but not Rory Brand.

The 18-year-old had already signed for London Irish before leaving Wellington College last month and is now living his dream of being a professional rugby player.

Brand was one of four players snapped up by The Exiles before leaving school, and is now sharing a house with his friends next to the training ground in Sunbury.

“We’re two weeks into it now and the intensity is starting to quicken up,” said the scrum-half who benefits from being part of the SSE Next Generation Scheme.

“It’s a new adventure for us but there is that familiarity there too, so I’m quite comfortable with it.

“I’m very positive about the move, it’s been going well so far I’m just trying to get comfortable in the environment and the demands of professional rugby.

“At the minute it’s been going really smoothly, the transition has been quite seamless and I look forward to getting into the full season.

“The goal for most of the academy boys is to get a few games with the first team - that process begins now, proving our worth against the old boys that are at the club already.

“Hopefully on game weeks we can pop up and put our name forward for selection.”

Brand was part of the Wellington College 1st XV that won a National Rugby Award in 2015 for the best school side in the country.

The side won every competition they entered and made a name for themselves, prompting Irish to come calling.

Coaches from the club regularly visited Brand and his colleagues at school to ease their transition into life as a professional.

Now the leap has been made, Brand is desperate to repay their faith in him by helping the Championship side back into the Premiership as soon as possible.

At just 18 though, he knows he is not the finished article and has already highlighted areas in his game that he needs to improve.

“Box kicking is one of my main work-ons,” he added.

“That is going to be one of our main focuses this year. I need to make sure they are on point for the team, so that we can try and get the results, get through the Championship and back into the Premiership.

“That’s the aim for the whole club, we are all working hard already so hopefully by the time the season comes we will hit the ground running.

“Long-term though I want to get to a stage where I am a regular starter in the first team, in the Premiership, and definitely want to make a claim on the international stage.”

SSE’s Next Generation programme partners with SportsAid to provide financial support and training to the sports stars of the future. Keep up to date with the latest @SSENextGen