FORMER Okehampton rugby player Julian White's rise to national stardom is 'an inspiration' for the town's youngsters, one of his former coaches said this week.

Julian White, 26, played his first match for England reserves on Friday and it is only a matter of time before he has full international honours, said coach Ian Davies.

The player kicked off his rugby days at Okehampton as a teenager in 1990 and his success is now putting the town on the map.

A tighthead prop for North London premier league side Saracens, Julian moved on from Okehampton to Plymouth Albion, then to New Zealand where he played for Canterbury and Bridgend in Wales before getting where he is today.

Mr Davies who remembers Julian as 'rough diamond' said playing for the England 'A' team was the greatest achievement by any former member of the Okehampton club and it was wonderful for people back home to see him doing so well.

Although the team lost to Ireland in Northampton on Friday night, the result was close, 30-31, and Julian was one of the players to come out with credibility, said Mr Davies, who is a close friend of England 'A's coach Richard Hill.

'If anyone in the full England squad has an injury, Julian will be there — he is very close to full international honours,' he said.

'He is one of the top 40 players in the country and a tremendous role model for the youngsters at Okehampton. He really is an inspiration.'

Mr Davies said the player was always very 'physical and aggressive'.

'He had a great deal of skill and ability when he was at Okehampton but he was known as a bit of a hard man.

'Julian obviously responded well to being a full-time professional.'

Mr Davies has given credit to retired coaches Andy Dennis and Neil Folland who acted as mentors for Julian while he was at the club.

President of Okehampton Rugby Club and chairman of selectors Eric Pengelly said Julian always stood out from the word go.

'He came up through the colts and his main feature was his strength,' he said. 'He was always pretty dedicated as well and worked very hard to improve his game.'

Mr Pengelly said the player's roots were still with Okehampton and he returned to the club on New Year's Eve to have a few drinks with his old friends.

The hope was that he would come back to Okehampton at the end of his career.

'We would love him to come back and play with us just as former England hooker Graham Dawe has done with Plymouth Albion,' said Mr Pengelly.