Elliott Obatoyinbo ready to keep grasping all the chances offered to him by Saracens
Former Old Albanian pair Elliott Obatoyinbo and Reuben Bird-Tulloch (right) were on opposite sides as Saracens beat Northampton Saints in the Premiership Rugby Cup. Picture: KARYN HADDON - Credit: Archant
He ended up playing more minutes than expected but Elliott Obatoyinbo believes he is slowly getting the confidence and belief that he belongs in the Saracens side.
He appeared as a 10th-minute replacement following a head injury assessment to Alex Lewington and stayed on for the remainder of the 54-28 Premiership Rugby Cup win at Northampton Saints.
And the flying winger, who turns 21 on Wednesday, was pleased with his contribution which included an assist in Ben Spencer's try.
He said: "I didn't expect to come on that early but I was ready and I'm happy to have got some good amount of minutes in.
"I had a good pre-season and the World Cup has allowed people like me to be a lot more involved.
"That's really good and it helps with your confidence. I feel comfortable and was glad to have been involved in the try even if I did get winded in the process."
The game itself saw Saracens finally break the resistance of the Franklin's Gardens hosts and pull away after the break, finishing with seven of the 11 tries scored.
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"It was a good game," he said. "It was a bit close in the first half but we reacted well to all our mistakes, unlike last week when we got too excited.
"And we managed to put a few points on them in the end.
"I didn't expect it to be like that but we were pumped up in the second half. We knew what to do and we stuck to that.
"Luckily it paid off."
Obatoyinbo is no stranger to the surroundings at Sarries training base at Woollams having played on loan at Old Albanian two seasons ago.
And he acknowledges that experience has played its part in his development over the last few years.
He said: "It was a good experience. The physicality was the main thing. The quality was good but I wasn't used to the physicality in men's rugby coming straight from school.
"Now two years later I've put on a bit more size and its fine."
And while he knows that the conclusion of the World Cup and the return of the Men in Black's stars will limit his number of appearances, he is just looking to develop further and take those opportunities that are presented to him.
"I just what to be involved as much as I can", he said. "That way I can get my confidence up and play well off the back of it. That would be great.
"[Director of Rugby] Mark McCall said I'd had a good pre-season and I've been rewarded with these first few games.
"I just need to keep going."
