The League Paper

RUGBY? I COULD HAVE MADE IT!

by
The LeaguePaper Team
23 August 2026

By Chris Dunlavy

GREAT EXPERIENCE: Ibane Bowat playing on loan for Austrian club TSV Hartberg and, right, at new club Huddersfield
PICTURE: Alamy

BUT for a heavy tackle that left him crocked, Ibane Bowat might have been lining up for Harlequins instead of Huddersfield.
Released by Chelsea at 12, the central defender quit football and took up rugby union, where his pace and power during county matches for Surrey caught the eye of big-hitters Harlequins.
Swiftly signed up after a trial, he played in youth group matches for the Twickenham-based side and to this day reckons he could...

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