Tyler Offiah, the son of rugby league great Martin, will join Bath on a three-year deal after rejecting interest from Leicester Tigers, Gloucester, Sale Sharks and Wigan Warriors.
The 17-year-old, who played for England Under-18s at the recent Six Nations Rugby Festival in Italy, is currently part of the London and South Central Academy, which was set up following the demise of London Irish last year and is funded by the Rugby Football Association.
The 6ft 1in winger attracted interest from several leading Gallagher Premiership clubs, including a visit to Leicester and training with Sale and at rugby league giants Wigan, where his father earned legendary status for his remarkable try-scoring exploits .
But Telegraph Sport can reveal he has rejected offers from elsewhere and will join Bath in July.
Offiah is currently working on completing his A-Levels at Wellington College, and has an offer from the University of Bath to study politics and international relations. His rugby commitments will run alongside his studies.
Several University of Bath students have made their Premiership debuts for Bath Rugby in recent seasons, including Max Ojomoh, the son of former England flanker Steve.
Exclusive interview: ‘I want to be better than daddy’
Tyler Offiah is starting to find his way in what looks to be a hugely promising rugby career, and the imposing 17-year-old winger doesn’t have to look far for inspiration.
He sits with his father Martin, who scored 501 tries during a remarkable rugby league career, at the family home in Ealing to reflect on their respective journeys.
Offiah senior’s exploits with the all-conquering Wigan in the early 1990s earned him a huge collection of winners’ medals, legendary status in the 13-a-side code and an MBE from Buckingham Palace. Outside Wembley Stadium he is immortalized in a bronze statue featuring four other all-time greats: Eric Ashton, Billy Boston, Alex Murphy and Gus Risman.
“I don’t actually know what trophies my dad won, but I do know he scored 501 tries,” says Tyler, fresh from helping England Under-18s to three wins from three at the Six Nations Rugby Festival in Italy. “I’ve seen the highlights and people have said to me, ‘You don’t know the half of what this guy has done,’ and that’s true.
“I’ve never seen a full game you played in, just snippets, but it’s absolutely inspiring. One of my goals is to be better than Dad. Yes, that is certainly a motivation for me.”
That draws a wry smile from Martin, 58, who was born in Hackney to Nigerian parents and attended Woolverstone Hall School in Suffolk, where he showed a talent for fencing, cricket and rugby.
He played for Ipswich RFC and Rosslyn Park before starring for Barbarians and on the rugby sevens circuit where he was scouted by Widnes who signed him ahead of the 1987–88 rugby league season.
Wigan then paid a world record fee of £440,000 for Offiah in 1991 and he went on to win four Challenge Cups, five league titles and a World Club Challenge, scoring 186 tries in 159 appearances (watch the YouTube video below).
Martin, whose deadly finishing earned him the nickname ‘Chariots Offiah’, says the two codes are in a different state than when he played.
“Rugby Union is very professional these days, but in my day it wasn’t like that. That’s why I moved north to play rugby league,” Offiah senior explains.
“To me, Tyler is a completely different winger – much bigger and more powerful than I ever was. We’re on our separate journeys and Tyler is working his way into a union, so obviously people are going to ask him, “Are you as fast as your dad?” That’s a little frustrating for Tyler, but it’s just the lie of the land.
“I certainly have a wealth of knowledge that I can pass on to Tyler and he is also learning from his England and Academy coaches. I always say, ‘take pieces of information you like, and don’t take what you don’t like.’
“Then you definitely become your own man and not a clone of anyone else. Am I proud of what Tyler is doing? Really bad.”
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Tyler will join Bath on a three-year contract this summer, but exams are just around the corner.
“Right now it’s all about focusing on my A-levels in PE, maths and economics,” the Wellington College student explains. ‘I’ve got an offer from Bath University to do Politics and International Relations, so I need to get my grades in that.’
Studying in Bath while trying to get a grade in the first team will be a challenge, but the teenager is not the least bit fazed by it. He is currently brimming with confidence after impressing for Jonathan Pendlebury’s England Under-18 side in Italy, where he spent 13 days in camp from March 26 to April 8, beating Wales, Scotland and Georgia.
Martin, who flew to Italy to support Tyler, added: “It was good for him to experience being in camp; get up, train – eat, sleep, repeat. You enjoyed it, didn’t you?”
“Yes,” Tyler answers. “I scored a try in the first game against Wales and then scored against Scotland and Georgia.
“It was a fantastic experience, but it was difficult to repeat it in the heat in Italy!”
The teenager is currently part of the London and South Central Academy, which was set up following the demise of London Irish last year and is funded by the Rugby Football Union. He joined Ealing Trailfinders at the age of five and previously attended St Benedict’s School, but a move to Bath now beckons this summer.
Tyler, whose 14-year-old brother Phoenix is in Brentford FC’s development system, admits he has set lofty goals for himself.
“I’m definitely very ambitious, I have all my goals written down in a journal,” says Tyler. “That includes playing for the England squad, touring with the British and Irish Lions and becoming the highest try scorer in Premier League history.
“Chris Ashton – who my father allowed to send me a video message wishing me well in my career (see Instagram video below) – has the Premiership record with over 100 tries, but I would like to beat that. Rory Underwood has the English record with 49 and I want to surpass that too.
“I’m definitely aiming for the top. If you’re not, what are you even doing?”
Tyler, who has also worked as a model, is an avid supporter of the NRL of rugby league and American Football.
“When I was younger, I played league for the Richmond Warriors for a few summers,” Tyler adds. “I watch a lot of NRL games and am a Brisbane Broncos fan, so if that is ever an option in the future I would definitely consider it.
“I also look at what Louis Rees-Zammit is doing in the NFL. I play a bit of American Football for the London Blitz – I’m a wide receiver – so that’s another option for the future.
“I am currently based in rugby union but one day I will definitely like the look of NRL and NFL.”
Cross-code family matters
Andy and Owen Farrell
An iconic player at Wigan Warriors, Andy joined Saracens and represented England at the 2007 Rugby World Cup before moving on to coach with England and Ireland.
His son Owen, 32, has had a stellar career with the association and captained England, where he won 112 caps. He will leave Saracens for Racing 92 at the end of the season.
Freddie and Manu Tuilagi
Samoan-born Freddie, 52, played league for Halifax and St Helens before joining Leicester Tigers and creating a family dynasty.
Sibling Manu – the youngest of the six Tuilagi brothers – made his name at Welford Road, winning 60 caps for England. Henry, Alesana, Andy and Vavae all represented Samoa, while Manu’s cousin – Posolo – recently played for France in the Six Nations.
Mike and George Ford
Ford senior was a leading half-back in the 13-a-side code, playing for the likes of Wigan and Castleford, before becoming a respected union coach with England and Bath.
His son George is widely regarded as one of the best flying halves of his generation, with 96 England caps.
Jason Robinson and Lewis Tierney
Robinson became an all-time cross-code great after leaving Wigan to join Sale and help England to World Cup glory in 2003.
His son Lewis – whose stepfather is Premier League referee Paul Tierney – played competitively for Wigan, Catalans Dragons and Scotland.