Sam Royle: St Helens star on making Super League debut and studying for biochemistry degree

Sam Royle has made 22 appearances for St Helens, making his debut in their 26-14 home defeat by Salford Red Devils in 2021

When you think of the hard work and dedication it takes to reach the top of any sport - particularly one as brutal and demanding as rugby league - it is even more impressive when that is balanced with a top-tier education.

But St Helens' Sam Royle juggled the two as he balanced breaking into the first team with his studies.

The 23-year-old second-rower achieved a first-class degree in biochemistry from the University of Liverpool and made his first-team debut along the way.

"I started my degree when I was in the last year of the Saints academy," Royle told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"During the second year of my degree I was playing reserves for Saints and the final year of my degree I was full-time with Saints."

Not only was Royle meeting the demands of being a professional athlete, but he was also managing the difficulties of a global pandemic in the process.

That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however.

"Luckily for me, but obviously not for everyone else, Covid struck and I got to do all my lectures and exams from home," he said.

"I was very lucky that I got through everything from home. I'd come and train, then I'd do my uni work.

"If I had to go in [to university] and do full-time rugby I don't think I would have made it through that."

From the Red Vee to the white coat

Royle made his St Helens debut in their 26-14 defeat by Salford Red Devils in September of 2021 - a rare defeat in an otherwise dominant season, for a club in the midst of their recent dynasty.

Fortunately, his club were supportive of his scholastic efforts and pushed him to finish his degree, while their then boss Kristian Woolf developed him and teed him up to be part of a new era at the club.

"Saints definitely wanted me to do it. They were adamant from the start that it's very important that you get your education," Royle said.

"Once I'd started it, I didn't want to stop halfway through and start again because once you've got a bit rusty it's very hard to pick it back up.

"I just thought it's three years, let's smash it out and once it's finished it's finished."

Biochemistry, the study of living things, plants and animals, can be a tricky subject for any student to get their head around, let alone one who had to maintain the fitness needed to break through the ranks at Saints.

But Royle, who made 15 senior appearances for St Helens last season, is on the fence as to whether his long-term future is on the field or in the laboratory.

"With biochemistry there's quite a wide scope of things to go into, but mainly working in a lab doing all the Covid tests - I would have been able to do those," he added.

"Honestly, once I got my degree I didn't know whether I wanted to go into that and do that. The degree is the main thing. I got a first-class degree.

"It shows you are capable of higher learning and the dedication that employers want to see. Hopefully I could use that to go to a lot of places."