JONNY Arr is celebrating a ‘first class’ year after following up Worcester Warriors’ promotion to the Aviva Premiership with a top university degree.
Just two months after he lifted the Greene King IPA Championship title, the scrum-half swapped his rugby kit for robes to pick up a BA (Hons) first degree in leadership and management at Northumbria University.
Whether passing or box-kicking Arr, who has made more than 100 appearances for Warriors, has shown his ability to master his skills on a rugby field.
But speaking to Warriors’ official website, the 26-year-old said he was determined to add more strings to his bow as he prepares for life after his playing career comes to an end.
“When I found out I got a first, it was a relief and of course I was delighted,” he said.
“It’s given me a lot of skills and shows I can juggle something else along with a full-time job that’s physically and mentally demanding, so hopefully that in itself will keep me in good stead for when the time comes to hang up my boots.
“One of the things I enjoyed was that it gave me the chance to take me out of the rugby bubble.
“Often if you go home and don’t do anything it’s hard to switch off but if you’ve got a different focus as soon as you get away from the club, you can throw yourself into a completely different world and that certainly helps.
“It also starts to build your CV up.
“You could turn up tomorrow and get injured so it gives you a bit of a ‘Plan B’ and I’ve certainly realised that it’s not just a case of getting qualified.”
But with a tough training schedule to manage, the home-grown ace admitted he did find it difficult at times to keep up with his studies.
“It was tough to balance them both especially during pre-season because the intensity of training is so high and all you want to do is put your feet up on the sofa and recover for the next day,” said Arr.
“But you find a way to do it and certainly Northumbria University and the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA)supported me when I struggled to juggle both things because obviously rugby comes first.
“Both were very helpful and more than happy to give me extra time to focus on rugby when it was needed and getting back to studying when I had a bit more time on my hands.”
Despite all the hard graft on and off the field, Arr insisted it was well worth it in the end and he believed more rugby players should look into taking a degree.
“I would 100 per cent advise others to do something similar,” he added. “There’s quite a few across rugby who are studying and I know fellow Warrior Andy Short is now doing it.
“It’s very important to think about life after rugby. I’m not 19 years of age anymore so for me it was a case of finding something else to do to keep me occupied away from the club and having one eye on the future.”