AS A RUGBY talent he's the Lake District's best-kept secret - already a full England Sevens player and with a pedigree that suggests he's on the fast track to Premiership stardom.
Expect to hear more of Magnus Lund from Staveley if the 19-year-old's rapid rise through the sport is any indication.
Magnus is a livewire openside flanker who is firmly on his way to establishing himself with top club Sale Sharks with a string of international appearances in the past 18 months behind him.
The Gazette featured Magnus when he was called up for the England Under-18 schoolboys and since then his career has taken off.
The highpoint this year came when Magnus received a call from England Sevens manager Joe Lydon inviting him to trials and he subsequently joined the 12-strong squad to compete at prestigious tournaments in Dubai and South Africa.
It was the biggest break yet for the former Lancaster Royal Grammar School lad, who joined Sale Jets the Sale club's Under-19 side while he completed a year's business studies course at Manchester Metropolitan University.
He was voted the Jets' player of the year' for 2001 and more international honours followed as he was selected for the England U19s side to play in the U19s World Cup in Italy in March.
A last-minute call-up to the England Under-21 squad came during the summer, taking him on his travels again to Johannesburg, South Africa.
And he got his first taste of Premiership rugby, too, when he was called up to the bench on half a dozen occasions for the full Sale Sharks side.
He was back home to see his parents' Ena and Morten in Staveley for the festive period and said: "I had a great year in 2002 and was very happy how things turned out for me.
"Being able to play alongside established stars such as Jason Robinson at Sale is something special.
"I'm just having a good time playing my rugby and hope to maintain my progress.
"My ambition for 2003 is to play more matches for England Sevens and the Under-21s and make a mark in the Sale's Premiership side."
January 10, 2003 10:31
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