BARROW BUOYED BY FALCONS FUTURE
The towering lock played a key role in helping England Under-20s win the Junior World Championships last month, defeating Wales 23-15 in the final.
And the 20-year-old lynchpin cannot wait to team up with the likes of Carlo del Fava, Scott MacLeod and Mark Wilson in the pack in the run-up to the 2013-14 Aviva Premiership season.
“You look at the talent in this group, and that was one of the real attractions about coming here,” said Barrow, who is dubbed as one of the hottest prospects in the game.
“Being in the same squad as players like Scott and Carlo – they are guys I used to watch on TV and look up to. Add into that people like Fraser McKenzie and a whole host of others, and just by being in that environment I am going to become a better player,” he added.
Barrow and fellow Falcon Scott Wilson were regulars during England’s outstanding performance in the Junior World Cup this summer.
Reflecting on his country’s success story, the Yorkshireman said: “There were no stars, no egos in the under-20s squad this year – just a real group of honest lads who were all pulling in the same direction.
“It is early days for me at Newcastle and I don’t want to speak out of turn, but that seems to be the same as what I have experienced in the Falcons’ squad.
“Even though there is immense talent and experience, it is all based around the collective and what they can bring to the team.
“The year before we had taken a star-studded team with more egos and we didn’t achieve what we probably should have done. When you compare that with the group for this year, while there was the same talent across the field what we had this time round was a group where everyone was willing to muck in for one another.”
