Hull FC are hoping to find on trial winger Jack Rampton a Championship or League 1 loan move. The rugby union convert is currently training with the Black and Whites on a trial deal, with the player ‘determined’ to make it in rugby league.
The 24-year-old, who has played 7s internationally in the union code for Jamaica, debuted for the club’s reserves side against Hull KR earlier this month, scoring an eye-catching 90-metre interception try.
Full of pace and standing at six feet four, Rampton has the physical attributes to make it in the sport, with John Cartwright hoping to give the speedster as many chances to shine as possible. The reserves have four games remaining this year, with the next outing against St Helens on Friday, 4 August. However, a move to the lower leagues at senior level is hoped to be another option in the coming weeks.
Asked by Hull Live if any moves are forthcoming, Cartwright said: “I hope so. We’re trying. We want to give him as many playing opportunities as we can. He seems to have settled in really well. He’s only been here for a couple of weeks. He’s done a lot of travelling during his career with the 7s, so he’s used to being in different environments. He’s very determined to make it here, and that’s a big bonus for him as well.
“We’ve got to get him some football. We’ve only got four games left in the reserve grade. He’ll play here as much as he possibly can, but it’d be lovely to get him a gig on a weekly basis. He’s got all the skills – it’s just that the game is new to him. We can train him as much as we like – that will help – but the real help will come when we can play him week to week at a decent level. He’s got a basic knowledge – he can catch, pass, and run – it’s just tying that into rugby league – sometimes that can be a bit difficult.”
Meanwhile, Cartwright is hoping to use the reserves as a springboard to push some of the club’s younger and more fringe talent to first team level. That was the case for Jack Charles, who used his opportunities playing for the second string to propel him to the first team, appearing in victory at Salford Red Devils last week.
“That’s why Jack was promoted,” Cartwright said. “It was his effort at training and in the reserve games – he really took things on board and led. He’s played really well. Anyone who keeps continually doing that, when there is an opportunity, we will look for those guys and give them a reward. He’s a great kid, Jack, and he loves the club. He’s a very committed rugby league player, and he wants to make a career of it.”
As for loan moves, Hull currently have a handful of their players at other clubs. Denive Balmforth has just joined Catalans Dragons, while Hugo Salabio is at Castleford Tigers. In the Championship, young trio Will Kirby, Ryan Westerman, and Joe Ward are at Hunslet, with Lennon Clark at Whitehaven. The club are also using their dual registration partnership at Doncaster, with Brad Fash, Will Gardiner, and Logan Moy all playing for the Dons in recent weeks.