Loughborough Sport Men’s Rugby Programme 1st April 2023

RUGBY

RHYS EDWARDS DIRECTOR OF RUGBY

Welcome all to Loughborough University, where today we host Barnstaple. Welcome to all players and officials from the club, in what we hope will be another great game of National League Rugby. Our previous encounter this year was our first fixture, and we are excited to welcome them to campus for the first time.

Welcome all to Loughborough University, where today we host Barnstaple. Welcome to all players and officials from the club, in what we hope will be another great game of National League Rugby. Our previous encounter this year was our first fixture, and we are excited to welcome them to campus for the first time.

Last week we played Leicester Lions away and we were disappointed with the result, not getting anything from it in an uncharacteristic performance. The result saw Leicester Lions crowned National 2 West Champions for 2022/23, gaining promotion to National 1 in the process. We wish them the best of luck next season; they were worthy winners. However, we will look to return to the form of weeks gone by, having won 3 and drawn 1 before the Lions game.

Today’s guests have been fighting towards the bottom of the league since the start of the season and currently sitting second from bottom and facing relegation should they lose today. The first fixture of the year proved to be a tight game with Barnstaple taking a narrow win with a penalty kick in the last minute to win the game. If that game is anything to go by, today should be an exciting encounter.

Since we were last at home in the National League, our BSR squad have capped off a great season by securing Loughborough’s first BUCS Super Rugby title! Following this, a good win against Nottingham on Wednesday in the Quarter Final has seen the squad head into a

Semi Final with Bath this coming Wednesday at 7pm. So we hope to see many of you back for that game.

Good luck to everyone this weekend.

Thanks again for supporting the squad today, it’s been great to see familiar faces every week.

All the best to everyone today!

Rhys Director of Rugby

*Any further information regarding membership, please contact rugby@lboro.ac.uk for more information.

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC VS BOURNVILLE

MATCH REPORT

MATCH DAY:SATURDAY 11/03/2023

FULL TIME: LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS

RFC 39-36 BOURNVILLE

HOME TEAM (LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC)

TRIES: Hunter 10, Barber 41, Mason 9, Tunney

55, Tusler 59, Crane 69

CONVERSIONS: Wainwright 11, Smith 42, 55

AWAY TEAM (BOURNVILLE)

TRIES: Grimshaw 15, Sheppard 25, Harding

50, Williams 64, Herrington 74

CONVERSIONS: Craven 15, 26, 50, 74

HALFTIME: LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC 7-17

BOURNVILLE

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS: Doyle, Barber, Martin, Tusler, Cadogan, Wainwright, Mason, Agbongbon, Bloomer, Pill, Hunter, Jennings (c), Crane, Bell, Meill

REPLACEMENTS: Cameron, Smyth, Tunney, Naylor, Smith

BOURNVILLE: Williams, Burrows, Grimshaw, Craven, Ho, Williams, McGahan, Fanning, Sheppard, Dawson, Herrington, Williams, Kijak, Harding, Smellus

REPLACEMENTS: Weaver, Handy, Hall, Coulson, Walker

Students edge enthralling battle on Epinal Way.

With a healthy crowd and clear surface, proceedings commenced as Loughborough entertained Bournville, staking their third consecutive win.

A fast start from the students saw debutant Archie Hunter finish off a fantastic multi-phase attack. However, the following 15 minutes saw Bournville able to capitalise on numerous errors and they pounced with 2 quick fire scores sandwiched between a penalty as they took a 17-7 lead. Just like that, Loughborough were on the back foot and would have been further adrift if not for some dogged defence to see out the half 10 points behind on the scoreboard.

After half time, Loughborough’s synonymous high tempo rugby came to the table as they began to run Bournville off the park through their ever present try scorer Charlie Cadogan,

before scrum half Jonny Mason found his way over the line.

Some debatable decisions allowed Bournville to peg back and tie proceedings at 24 a-piece with 25 minutes to go. The sides exchanged scores once again, but the boot of Tom Smith ensured Loughborough held a slim advantage. Bournville AGAIN hit back through a powerful maul and the sides were level at 36-36 before poor Bournville discipline was once again punished, this time the students took the 3 points and went ahead 39-36.

The final play of the game saw Bournville camped inside the Students 22, trying to force a winner, but some excellent multi-phase defence got the students home, with a huge win as they push for a top 5 finish as the campaign begins to close.

For Bournville, the task remains an uphill battle in their bid for survival.

By Marta Gomez

MAN OF THE MATCH- ISAAC BELL

MEET THE TEAM

TOMIWA AGBONGBON

RUGBY HERO: SIYA KOLISI

DOB: 13/12/2001

NATIONALITY: AMERICAN

POSITION:

BACK ROW

STUDYING: MATHS, ACCOUNTING & FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

HOBBIES: BASKETBALL

INTERESTING FACT: CAN SOLVE A RUBIK’S CUBE IN UNDER A MINUTE

RUGBY AMBITION: TO PLAY PROFESSIONALLY

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

SIS PITCHES

TODAYS OPPOSITION BARNSTAPLE

Barnstaple Football Club was officially founded in 1877 at a meeting of Barnstaple Gentleman at the Fortesque hotel. The meeting decided to play football according to the Rugby Union rules. The club thrived in the late 1800s, producing two England internations and remaining unbeaten at home for two seasons, being declared ‘Champions of the West’ in the 1896/97 season.

Since those times Barnstaple’s rugby has had fluctuating fortunes and in 1921 it moved from the field at Rumsam to its current ground at Pottington Road.

Barnstaple prides itself on being a community club, with the majority of the players in the senior teams being local lads who have come up from the juniors, through the club into the senior teams.

Barnstaple currently sit at 13th in the National League 2 West table. Barnstaple took a narrow win over the students earlier in the season, putting three points on them down in Devon.

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC V BARNSTAPLE

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC STAFF

RHYS EDWARDS Director of Rugby

ANTHONY ALLEN Performance Coach

ALEX WHITE National 2 Head Coach

MARTIN WEBDALE Head Coach

KATIE THRIFT Rugby Operations

JAMES PETERS Development Head Coach

JAMES GALLAGHER Rugby Programme Manager

RICHARD BLAZE Performance Coach

EMILY BURNS Team Manager

JORDAN HARRIS Lead Physio

BLAKE BURNS S&C Volunteer

IZZY WELLINGS Media&Marketing

MATT COOKE S&C Volunteer

HENRY DUNFORD PA Placement

AMIE GRAY PA Placement

MARTA GOMEZ SANTOS Media & Marketing Lead

JOANNE MADDEN-MCKEE S&C Volunteer

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC A BRIEF HISTORY

1984

Rex Hazeldine is appointed as Head Coach leading the side to a UAU title and victory in the Leicestershire Cup. A touring Australian Universities side was also defeated.

1976

1919

Loughborough College formed the original Rugby Union side in September 1919.

1930

Loughborough Colleges competed in their first Universities Athletic Union competition, beating Nottingham University 8-0 in their first match.

1939

Loughborough Colleges reached the UAU final for the first time,losing narrowly to Swansea.

1953

Loughborough Colleges won the UAU for the first time.

1962-68

These were spectacular years for Loughborough, winning every UAU title except 1965. Gerald Davies, John Mantle, Dave Rollit, John Taylor, Bev Risman and Colin MacFadyean, became world class players. John Robins became the first British and Irish Lions coach.

Middlesex 7s winners: 1959, 1964 1966, 1970 and 1976.

1996

Loughborough enter the leagues at the bottom of the RFU pyramid.

The Student’s Unions of the University of Technology and the Loughborough Colleges merged and the Loughborough Students Rugby Club was formed. The team won the UAU in 1977, 1978 and 1979, with the 1978–79 side captained by the young centre Clive Woodward.

1970

The legendary Jim Greenwood coaches the Colleges to victory in the Middlesex Sevens, and the first UAU final at Twickenham. This side was probably the strongest ever, with six future internationals, Louis Dick, David Cooke, Clive Rees, Fran Cotton, Steve Smith, and Dick Cowman.

1997

Loughborough wins over Cambridge and Oxford in consecutive weeks signals the changing balance of power in student rugby.

1998

Ian Smith is appointed as the first full-time Director of Rugby.

2003

The World Cup winning England team was coached by six Loughborough alumni: Clive Woodward, Dave Alred, Andy Robinson, Dave Reddin, Phil Larder and Simon Hardy.

2005

Winning BUCS in 2005 breaks our longest spell without a BUCS victory.

2006

Real Varsity Match v Bath. Floodlights Appeal provides campus venue for the first ever rugby ‘event’ and engages alumni leading to the Vice Presidents club. A 3000+ crowd watched Loughborough beat Bath.

2008

Director of Rugby Dave Morris leads the side to promotion into National League 2 North, making the team the first student side to take part in the National Leagues.

2009

The Dan James Memorial Match Loughborough 23 – 20 England U20 A magnificent achievement for Dave Morris’ team and a suitably characterful performance through which to remember Dan.

2012

Loughborough v The Barbarians. A huge match to mark the opening of the Loughborough Stadium. Andy Robinson’s Barbarian side win 40– 7. Loughborough promoted into National League 1.

2016

Fiji win the first Olympic 7s competition coached by Loughborough alumni Ben Ryan, defeating Team GB in the process and fellow Loughborough alumni Phil Burgess.

2017

Loughborough Lightning enter the Tyrrells Premier 15s league.