6 A dream debut with Bath
When Bath came calling in 2024, Pepper made the move south on a three-year deal. His first start couldn’t have gone better — a try against Leicester Tigers.
Fast forward to June 2025, and he was Man of the Match in the Premiership final, helping Bath edge Leicester 23–21. His solo try was disallowed, but his performance spoke volumes.
7 Wearing the rose
Pepper has worn the England shirt at every level — U18, U20, and now the senior side. After joining Steve Borthwick’s England training squad in 2024, he finally made his senior debut in June 2025, coming off the bench against Argentina. In the following match, he even set up the winning try to seal a 2–0 series victory.
8 Compared to Richie McCaw
It’s not every day you get compared to one of rugby’s greatest ever players. Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, didn’t hold back when he said he saw “something McCaw-like” in Pepper — referring to legendary All Blacks captain Richie McCaw. “He just doesn’t quit,” van Graan said. “Eighty minutes of pure workhorse magic.” High praise, but few would argue.
9 A tackling machine
Pepper’s defensive stats are jaw-dropping. In December 2023, he made 34 tackles in a single Premiership game, equalling the league record. Even though Newcastle lost that day, pundits called it “a performance that announced a star.” Since then, he’s built a reputation as one of the hardest-working flankers in English rugby.
10 Twickenham dreams come true
This weekend, Pepper will take another step in his journey — his first Test start for England, against Australia in the Quilter Nations Series at Twickenham. His family will be in the stands, watching the boy from Eggleston run out in white for the first time as a starter. With Tom Curry and Henry Pollock on the bench, it’s a huge statement of faith — and the beginning of what could be a long international career.
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