Joe Batley: Bristol lock dreams of England, Prem title & 100 Bears games

Batley began his career in Gloucester’s academy but in 2018, while playing for Bristol in the Championship, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma aged 21, and underwent chemotherapy.

Two years later he signed for Worcester in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, but saw his career again hanging in the balance when the club folded in October 2022.

Now seven years in remission and with a son and a daughter on the way with his partner, the experiences have given Batley a different perspective on his career.

“When I went through all the cancer stuff, I was still quite young and naive. At no point did I think it was going to be the end rugby wise,” he said.

“It wasn’t until Covid happened and life stopped and everyone had time to reflect that I really came to terms with what I’d been through.

“I could have been looking for jobs, thinking about what could have been, what I might have done when I hadn’t achieved anywhere near what I wanted to within the game.

“A lot of things are really positive and exciting and I’m keeping one eye on that, but also just being in the building, being on the pitch on the weekend is massive for me,” he said.