If the pressure of having a two-time World Cup-winning father was supposed to weigh down a young rugby player, someone forgot to tell Alex Horan.
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Rugby royalty has joined the Canberra Vikings' ranks with the signing of Horan, son of Wallabies legend Tim, for the National Rugby Championship.
While his father turned out in Australian gold 80 times, Horan is intent on making it on his own and he has already got the game to prove it.
A playmaker at No.10, Horan laughs that his dad "couldn't kick a ball" at inside centre despite being one of the best players in the world throughout the 1990s.
It was Horan's abilities in the No.10 jumper that caught the eye of the Vikings and Brumbies coaching staff, who view him as a player with great potential.
Carrying such a famous name into a game of rugby is something the youngster has become accustomed to since bursting onto the representative scene in Queensland.
"I get a bit of chat thrown at me at times but I just cop it," Horan said.
"I just take it on the chin, I'm going to get it all the time."
The 19-year-old came to Canberra in search of an opportunity after being the leading point-scorer in Brisbane's Colts competition for the past two seasons.
With no room in either of Queensland's NRC franchises, an opening in the nation's capital was all Horan needed to put pen to paper.
"I wanted to get some NRC experience this year," Horan said.
"In Queensland there wasn't many options, [then] Canberra came up so I thought I may as well. It'll be a good experience for the 10 weeks."
Horan will vie for the No.10 jumper with incumbent Nick Jooste after training with the Vikings for the past two weeks.
"[Jooste] had the first game on the weekend and went really well," Horan said.
"I've just got to keep chipping away and training hard and hopefully my time will come."
Canberra's newest import's name has had no bearing on his reputation among the playing group, allowing for a seamless transition into the squad.
"It hasn't really had a big effect on me at all," Horan said.
"The boys are pretty welcoming and seem like pretty good blokes so I haven't really had to deal with that at all."
Horan has been a staple in Queensland's junior representative sides and was a part of the Reds' championship-winning under 20 squad this year.
The move to Canberra caps off a whirlwind season in which Horan played a key role in all three grades of the University of Queensland Red Heavies premier Brisbane club rugby season.
After leading UQ's Colts side to a semi-final berth, Horan starred at No.10 in the reserve grade grand-final win before backing up off the bench for the first-grade side that same day.
NATIONAL RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP
Sunday: Canberra Vikings v New South Wales Country Eagles at Viking Park, 3pm.
