Clare Balding’s 6ft 9in nephew heading towards England Rugby World Cup call-up
Rugby NewsWednesday, 26 August 2026 at 14:25
Clare Balding’s 6ft 9in nephew Jonno Balding has revealed his ambition to reach the very top with England as the towering Gloucester prospect continues his rise.
The second-row has already represented England at U18 level before progressing into the U20 setup, but Balding has his eyes set on eventually pulling on the senior shirt.
Asked about the prospect of playing for England at a Rugby World Cup, Balding made his ambitions clear.
“That’s the dream, isn’t it?”
Join the RUCK’s WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
England ambition
Despite his progress, Balding knows there is still plenty of work to do before a senior England call-up becomes a realistic possibility.
“I’m definitely not the finished article,” he admitted.
Rather than rushing through the pathway, the youngster wants to keep improving “week on week, year on year” as he develops physically for senior rugby.
Balding has previously suggested that being thrown into the professional game before he is ready could potentially result in injury or poor performances, insisting there are different routes to eventually reaching the same destination.
The youngster, who has developed through Gloucester Rugby’s academy, also comes from an incredibly competitive sporting family.
“We come from a very competitive family,” he said, with that competitive streak reportedly extending from professional sport to family board games.
Clare Balding's support
His aunt Clare has also become a valuable source of advice as he begins navigating the professional game.
“Clare’s been a great support,” Balding revealed.
The youngster has turned to the broadcaster when dealing with contracts and other paperwork, adding that she is particularly useful for reading through documents because “she’s done a fair share of that!”
Away from Gloucester, Balding has also combined his rugby development with studying Politics and International Relations at the University of Bristol.
Rugby also runs through the family.
His grandfather Ian Balding played 92 times for Bath between 1956 and 1966 before becoming one of Britain's leading racehorse trainers.
Speaking about his grandfather's influence on his own sporting ambitions, Jonno said: “It was his footsteps I wanted to follow in.”
Wales eligibility
There could have been a very different international path for Balding.
Despite representing England through the age-grade system, the towering lock is also Welsh-qualified through his grandmother.
Clare previously revealed that the late Wales international and commentator Eddie Butler was well aware of that connection.
She recalled Butler asking her: “If he's going to be any good, could he come and play for Wales?”
For now, Balding's ambitions appear firmly focused on England.
He may describe himself as far from the finished article, but his ultimate target couldn't be much clearer.
“That’s the dream, isn’t it?”
EDITOR’S PICKS
Dan Carter and Richie McCaw agree on the greatest rugby player of all time
Two All Blacks legends were in complete agreement when asked to name rugby’s GOAT.
Two All Blacks legends were in complete agreement when asked to name rugby’s GOAT.
Finn Russell named the best rugby player in the world – Ranked 10-1
The Scotland superstar comes out on top in a controversial countdown of the world’s best.
The Scotland superstar comes out on top in a controversial countdown of the world’s best.
Dan Carter and Richie McCaw both ‘hated’ playing against the same player
The legendary All Blacks pair singled out the same opponent when discussing the toughest players they faced.
The legendary All Blacks pair singled out the same opponent when discussing the toughest players they faced.
Siya Kolisi didn’t hesitate when naming his toughest ever opponent
The Springboks superstar had a very clear answer when asked who gave him his toughest test.
The Springboks superstar had a very clear answer when asked who gave him his toughest test.
TRENDING
LATEST NEWS
LATEST COMMENTS
Loading
