Dale Lemon has come a long way in his short rugby career.

The Cinderford second row only took up the sport when he went to Cleeve School at the age of 11, but 10 years on the second row is one of the key components in Cinderford’s push to return to National One.

He is in his third full season with the club and in director of rugby Paul Morris he has found someone who is as passionate about the game as he is.

Talk to the articulate Lemon – he’s a student at the University of Gloucestershire – and you quickly realise that it’s his burning passion for rugby that is driving him onwards and upwards in the game.

And when he finds a coach who is as passionate about the game as he is, everything sort of clicks.

“I didn’t start playing rugby until year 7 at school,” said the 21-year-old. “I liked the back row but I got put in the second row because I’ve always been a bit taller than most people.”

While rugby at school is good, rugby at a local club as well can often fast-track a player’s development and that’s where Lemon got his first big break.

“A couple of my friends were at Cheltenham Tigers, so I went along with them,” he said. “I played with them all the way up to under-17s and I owe a lot to the club.

“Jim Connolly, who has sadly passed away, was the under-12s’ second team coach when I started and then he took over as the first team coach for all the age groups as we grew up.

“He was such a big part in my rugby life. He was a great man – he really was – who really cared for us and we cared for him.”

Jim’s son Aaron played in the same age group as Lemon – “He was a hell of a rugby player,” said Lemon – and it was that passion that Connolly senior had for the game that really rubbed off on the young Lemon.

“It sounds cliched but he really cared about us,” said Lemon. “When you have a coach like that you really buy into what he’s trying to do and we all learned a lot from him technically.”

Lemon’s second big break came when he moved on to Cleeve’s Sixth Form where he came across Dimitri del Valle, another man with a huge passion for rugby.

“I kind of knew him a bit before but I got to know him a lot better once I reached sixth form,” said Lemon. “He had a real good rugby CV and was another who really wanted to win.

“He was a good player himself and he taught me how to play as a forward. I learned about all aspects of the game from him and I progressed a lot.

“I guess you could say I was a bit of a late bloomer.”

Late bloomer he may have been but the young Lemon’s career was certainly starting to flower around this time.

He had started playing adult rugby with Cheltenham North – he followed Jim Connolly there and really enjoyed his time at Stoke Road – and in his final year at school his standout performances got noticed by the England Schools’ selectors.

He’d been playing and impressing for Gloucestershire and the South West at under-18 level when the call came, and he was soon heading for Marcoussis near Paris where he played against France and Ireland Schools.

The modest Lemon was reluctant to talk about those representative honours save to say “it was a good platform for boys who missed out on academies”.

Lemon may not have made it into an academy but he was still good enough to play for Bristol in the A-league while studying at UWE Bristol.

However, his time in Bristol was to prove shortlived.

“I wasn’t enjoying my course so after a year I decided to come home,” explained Lemon, who still lives in Bishop’s Cleeve.

“I had the summer off and then sat down and thought about what I wanted to do rugby-wise. I wanted to play at a good level so I approached Cinderford.

“They were in National One at the time and I had been to Cinderford for two or three weeks when I was in the sixth form, but what with my A-levels the travelling was too much.

“I spoke to Paul Morris and he remembered me, so he said come down and it went from there. I trained and played for the 2nds all year – that was the season the 1sts got relegated.

“I got half a game for the 1sts against Darlington right at the end of that season and last season I played 20-odd games and got quite a few starts.”

He obviously impressed those who mattered at the club because this season he has been a regular starter for the 1st XV and is in charge of the lineout calls.

“I think Paul Morris saw the work I put in for the United and in pre-season,” explained Lemon. “He is very passionate about rugby and you feel that passion. You want to do well for him.”

Not that it’s all been plain sailing for Lemon. He was left out of the 1st XV for a couple of games at the end of October but typically he redoubled his efforts to make sure he got back into the first-team picture.

“His reaction was brilliant,” said Morris. “If everybody reacted like he did everything would be a lot easier.

“He captained the United against Richmond and worked really hard. He’s a good boy.”

So what is Lemon’s biggest strength?

“I’d say the lineout is my greatest asset,” he said. “I’m 6ft 4in and my timing is pretty good.”

Lemon has achieved a lot already in his short rugby career so how far does he want to go?

“I think every player wants to go as far as he can,” said Lemon, who weighs in at 115 kilos, “but I like to be realistic.

“I’m not aiming for the stars, I just want to go as far as I can.

“I’m very settled and happy at Cinderford. If we can get into National One that would be spot on. That would be a very good level to play at but we’ll have to see what happens.

“I’m pretty comfortable at the club right now. I’ve got a lot of mates there and the coaching is good. There’s a good atmosphere at the club.”