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Gloucester No. 8 Ruan Ackermann is keen to explore the option of playing for England should his time in the Aviva Premiership go well. Ackermann will sit in the home changing room at Twickenham for the first time Saturday when he lines up for the Barbarians against the All Blacks. If things go according to plan for the back row, it might not be the last. The former Lions forward, 21, enjoyed a breakthrough season in Super Rugby prior to leaving Johannesburg in August to join his father, head coach Johan, at Gloucester. However, despite being included in a Springboks training squad and playing for South Africa A he is not tied to the country of his birth. And, having arrived in the south-west on the eve of the new season, Ackermann could qualify for England on residency grounds in August 2020 -- just four months before World Rugby's new eligibility laws kick in. "I'm still young so I can always go back," he told ESPN when asked about his international future. "[But] I can give myself a fair shot here and you never know, hopefully it goes well and you can create yourself an option of playing for England as well." Ackermann added: "Obviously you'll always want to play for your home country. If that opportunity comes obviously I'll grab it but if it doesn't come and the England door opens up, I mean, I'm still young and England is a proud nation, so why not? "That is an option, yeah." The talented forward admitted that turning his back on the Springboks -- for the time being at least -- was the biggest dilemma he faced when weighing up whether to join his dad in England. But he is confident his age means that he could still emulate his father -- who played 13 Tests for South Africa between 1996 and 2007 -- and enjoy an international career in the famous green jersey once he has finished playing in the Premiership.  "Having seen your father playing for them growing up, playing in the back yard, singing the anthem, obviously for me it would be a massive honour playing for them," Ackermann added. "But looking at England and the passionate people and even how well they're doing at the moment, it's a great option for me." Ackermann was given little time to acclimatise at Kingsholm, having signed for the club weeks after playing for the Lions in the Super Rugby final. He made his Gloucester debut off the bench in the opening night win over reigning Premiership champions Exeter less than a fortnight after arriving in the country. It proved an intoxicating experience for the young No.8, who has gone on to start every league game since for his new side. Their most recent victory came amid the "amazing atmosphere" of a West Country derby at local rivals Bath. "Everything happened quite late, nothing was planned," Ackerman said of his move to Gloucester. "Starting the season playing the defending champions and beating them at Kingsholm was for me a great experience. Hearing The Shed and all those fans, seeing how much it means to this community, Gloucester. "Everything happened quick but it was quite passionate. Playing at Kingsholm and experiencing the people was a massive thing for me in the first week."
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