Northampton Saints lock Chunya Munga wants to follow in the footsteps of England captain Maro Itoje by becoming a role model for youngsters of West African heritage.
Itoje, who grew up in London after his parents emigrated from Nigeria, has won 93 caps for his country and will also lead the British & Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer.
Saints face Itoje on Saturday when Saracens visit Franklin’s Gardens.
Munga, whose parents are from Cameroon, told BBC Radio Northampton: “For me, as a kid growing up, he was someone that set the standard not just for rugby but second rows in particular.
“He definitely helped my mum to understand rugby. She was almost like ‘OK, cool, this kid can study and play rugby and it’s not ruining his whole life’.
“For young West African or Afro-Caribbean athletes to see role models in the sport is fantastic. I think when you see something that looks similar to what you are, the impossible seems not so distant.
“Hopefully I can be that for some kids when they turn on the telly – they see Chunya Munga and think ‘that can be me one day’.
“If I can have that little impact on somebody, that’d be fantastic because I know it made a difference to me growing up.”
Northampton’s hopes of defending their Premiership crown were finally ended by their 42-14 defeat by Exeter Chiefs in the past round of games, while Saracens are seeking points to force their way into the top four.
However, Saints still have an opportunity to end the campaign with silverware when they take on Bordeaux in the Champions Cup final next weekend.
Munga, 24, added: “I think everyone knows in the back of their mind this weekend is the one before the big, big dance – so it’s not a weekend to hold anything back.
“It’s an opportunity to put a performance together because we take a lot of pride in what we do here.”
