Another win for England’s rugby stars: A double win for Northumbria

As well as achieving a First-Class Honours, Anthony Watson also received the Pro Vice-Chancellor Award for Excellent Performance. Both he and Mako Vunipola join fellow England player and captain Owen Farrell, to graduate from Northumbria in recent years.

The BA (Hons) Leadership and Management (BALM) degree from Northumbria's Newcastle Business School has been designed in partnership with the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA). Qualification matches a professional rugby player’s needs and provides the flexibility to study around their sporting career.

Professor John Wilson. Pro Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Business and Law at Northumbria. said: "Despite the challenges of Covid-19 this has been quite a year for Anthony and Mako, as part of the England team that won the Six Nations and now gaining their degrees. I congratulate them both. Our partnership with the RPA is hugely successful, helping professional rugby players gain a valuable academic qualification to help them achieve their future goals and add to their sporting success.”