The Official Newspaper of The RFU

March 2013Issue 155

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ENGLAND RUGBY World Cup Winners will reunite for the first time since 2003 at a Gala Dinner on 1 November 2013 celebrating ten years since the unforgettable Sydney final.

The 2003 squad and their management will gather at Battersea Evolution for an evening which will honour their achievements and raise money for two rugby charities - the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF) and the Rugby Players Association’s Restart.

The Gala Dinner, organised by the RFU and RPA, kicks off a weekend of celebrations with England playing Australia the following day (Saturday 2 November) - the first of the QBE Internationals in which England also take on Argentina (November 9) and New Zealand (November 16).

The only team to bring the Webb Ellis Trophy to the northern hemisphere, the England players of 2003 will share their memories with the guests in an exclusive evening of entertainment.

RFU Chief Executive Ian Ritchie said: “There are moments which define a sport and 2003 was one

of those for rugby. The nation was inspired and united in support and celebration for the squad. As momentum builds towards Rugby World Cup 2015 hosted in England, and the opportunity to deliver another great participation legacy, this dinner is a wonderful occasion to celebrate the memorable tournament of 2003.”

CEO of The Rugby Players Association, Damian Hopley said: “It will be fantastic to see the 2003 World Champions reunited for the weekend in support of some fantastic rugby causes. I know that the players are looking forward to seeing each other a decade on and reliving those golden moments. Given the great characters in the squad, I am sure the dinner will be an incredibly special occasion for everyone fortunate enough to join them on the evening.”

For more information and to book a table visit www.rfu.com/tenyearanniversary or phone 020 8831 7930

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) recently announced Prince Harry as Patron of All Schools, and revealed Canterbury as the inaugural Official Partner for its programme to get more secondary state schools playing rugby union.

WORLD CUP WINNERS REUNITE

Nicola MarshallThe RFU firmly believes that rugby union is a game for

All Schools – all schools and all young people in the school can play, and rugby can have a positive impact on all of the school. Currently around 1,500 state secondary schools play competitive rugby union. As Patron, Prince Harry will support the RFU in its ambition for 750 more to be self-sufficient rugby playing schools by the Rugby World Cup 2019, and to encourage new players to join local clubs.

This will be achieved by delivering a package of resource within the school, linked to the local club that helps it to start and sustain playing rugby union, including kit and equipment, as well as coaching and young leaders training.

Canterbury is the first partner to support All Schools, becoming the Official Partner for the programme. As part of its involvement, each school taking part in the initiative was given the opportunity to attend one of a number of Canterbury kit design workshops last year. The 100 participating state schools designed their own team rugby shirt, whilst learning about the core values of rugby, the pride associated with the shirt and the importance of colours, logos and emblems.

Canterbury has turned these drawings into final bespoke designs to be proudly worn by the school’s rugby team. The colourful jerseys produced for the schools were presented for the first time at Twickenham; seen during the RBS 6 Nations England v Italy match as 100 children from across England represented their school on the pitch before kick off, flanking the military bringing out the giant England shirt and at half time.

A St. James’s Palace spokesperson, commented: “This patronage will allow Prince Harry to combine his passion for rugby with his work to help children and young people in society to build their skills, confidence and aspirations. Prince Harry recognises that rugby can play an important role in helping to achieve this.”

Ian Ritchie, Chief Executive of the RFU, said: “We are delighted that Prince Harry and Canterbury have pledged their support for All Schools. It’s an extremely important

Prince Harry coaching children at Greenfield School, Walsall, when acting as Assistant Development Officer with the RFU in September 2004

Emma Kennedy

RFU & O2 TOUCH THE NATION

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Verity WilliamsThe Rugby Football Union (RFU) recently unveiled the O2 Touch tour, its biggest ever campaign to get England playing touch rugby, supported by The Untouchables, a touch team with a difference.

The O2 Touch tour was officially launched at a specially-laid pitch at the iconic Truman Brewery in East London. Joining The Untouchables for their inaugural performance was Strictly Come Dancing star Flavia Cacace and England Rugby players Mike Brown, Brad Barritt and Alex Goode, all hoping to see this initiative bringing the fun, fitness and social elements of the non-contact sport to many more people across England.

Broadening the reach and appeal of rugby through touch is one of the key focus areas for the RFU to create a lasting legacy for the sport in the build up to and beyond the Rugby World Cup

in 2015. The RFU, working with O2, is committed to establishing 75 new O2 Touch Centres by June 2013 and a further 100 during 2013/14.

Over the next two months O2 Touch and The Untouchables will tour across England to promote local touch activity and attract new people to the game. The Untouchables features a mix of male and female athletes including leading free runners, a choreographer to world-stars such as Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal and a former Leicester Tiger. They are visiting Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and Bristol and encouraging people of all ages and abilities to sign up and participate in touch; whether at their local rugby clubs or universities, as part of the O2 Touch programme. A wider tour, which runs until April this year, will also visit Plymouth, Portsmouth, Southampton, Sheffield, Hull and Norwich.

PRINCE HARRY PATRON OF RFU’S

ALL SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

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BE THERE AS ARMY BATTLES NAVY FOR THE BABCOCK TROPHY!

PRINCE HARRY PATRON OF RFU’S ALL SCHOOLS

PROGRAMME

RFU & O2 TOUCH THE NATION

initiative for the RFU, and is already having a significant impact up and down the country. We know that both Prince Harry and the team at Canterbury share our aims to encourage more young people to play rugby and I look forward to us growing the game together.”

Commenting on the announcement of Canterbury as Official Partner, CEO Chris Stephenson, said: “The RFU’s All Schools is a fantastic programme which we are proud to support. The Canterbury kit design workshops present pupils with the unique opportunity to design their school kit, which they will later wear in action and with extra pride on the rugby pitch. The workshops offered a stimulating educational experience for those who may have little understanding of the traditional values of rugby and it was great to see the outcomes from all taking part.”

All Schools forms one of the seven areas identified by the RFU to deliver the greatest participation legacy for the game in the lead up to the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and beyond. Secondary state schools have been selected in small clusters, allowing them to play rugby against each other locally. The RFU plans to take a school that is new to or has only just started to play rugby union, and turn it into a self-sufficient rugby playing school by the end of the three years providing a pipeline of players to the local rugby club.

A keen sportsman and rugby fan, Prince Harry is also Vice Patron of the RFU and Patron of the RFU Injured Players Foundation.

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Continued from page 1…

Sally Cowdry, Marketing and Consumer Director at O2 said, “We’re really proud of our long standing relationship with England Rugby and through the O2 Touch programme, are committed to bringing rugby to everyone. Touch rugby is such an inclusive and accessible sport and we really hope that the tour and The Untouchables will inspire a whole new generation to pick up a rugby ball and start playing this exciting game.”

Fresh from rehearsals for her West End show Midnight Tango, Flavia Cacace said, “There are so many skills that you can pick up and hone by playing O2 Touch: deftness, quick feet, speed, agility, great hands, strength. But more than that, it’s a really fun way to keep fit - anyone can do it and have a go. Touch rugby is now part of my training regime!”

England’s Brad Barritt said, “O2 Touch is a great way to keep fit and to have some fun. The best thing about it is that anyone can play and not worry about the physical side of rugby! It’s a really positive initiative from the RFU and O2 to enable people of any age to get back into playing the game or try it for the first time. I’d definitely encourage people to pitch up to play.”

For more information about the O2 Touch tour, to find out about opportunities to pitch up and play near you and to watch videos of The Untouchables in action, visit www.rfu.com/o2touch.

DON’T FALL FOUL OF FRONT ROW REGULATIONSFollowing a recent breach of regulations in the Daily Mail RBS Schools competition, all clubs and schools are reminded of the prohibition on U16s players playing in the front row of an U18s match.

U16s are not allowed to play in the front row of an U18s match (see RFU Regulation 15.3.6). It is also worth a reminder that 17 years olds are not permitted to play in the front row when playing adult rugby (see RFU Regulation 15.3.7). These Regulations are absolute prohibitions and there is no discretion to deviate from these prohibitions. Breach of these regulations may result in disciplinary action and the imposition of sanctions, including disqualification.

The only limited exception to these prohibitions is if an England Academy Player is given specific permission from the RFU Elite Player Development Manager (see RFU Regulation 15.3.8).

Further information on RFU Regulation 15 www.rfu.com/Regulation15

April 27th promises to be possibly the biggest and best Army v Navy match for the Babcock Trophy.

Last year broke all records, with more than 65,000 fans at Twickenham to see the Army victorious. This season, with the Royal Navy hosting and intent on a fight back, supporters are promised an exciting encounter.

Said Captain Chris Alcock RN, Chairman Royal Navy Rugby Union, “When allies meet on the rugby pitch all loyalties

change. Make no mistake this will be a real battle.”

There will be some familiar faces on the hallowed turf and some up and coming players, among them the likes of the redoubtable Army front row 40-year-old Chris Budgen of the Royal Welsh, Roko Rokoduguni, the flying Fijian who plays for Bath of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the irrepressible POAET Dave Pascoe and POAET Marsh Cormack both of RNAS Culdrose and look out for rising star AB

Tom Davies from HMS Illustrious. who was U23 captain this year.

And a ticket to the main event also gives access to the Vets and Women’s matches at 10:30am at Kneller Hall, just a stones throw from Twickenham Stadium. The U23 Combined Services v Oxbridge U23 match acts as a curtain raiser to the main event at 12 noon, with the Army v Navy kick off at 3pm.

Tickets at £20 (family 2adults+2children £40) available from armynavymatch.org.uk

RFU LOOKING FOR NEW WOMEN’S SEVENS TALENTFollowing the success of the 2011 England Women Open Sevens Trials, the Rugby Football Union will host open trials again, in April, in a bid to unearth some more new rugby talent.

Twelve months ago, 85 players attended the open trials and two players – Sally Tuson and Ruth Laybourn - who had never played rugby for England before, were selected into the Elite Player Squad. England then went on to be crowned IRB Challenge Cup Sevens winners in Hong Kong and London and win the European Championships.

With rugby sevens now on the Olympic agenda, with the sport set to make its debut in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro Games, sevens is going from strength to strength. This season has seen the first ever Women’s Sevens World Series, whilst Moscow will host the Rugby World Cup Sevens in June.

The England Sevens trials will be held on April 13 at Surrey Sports Park in Guildford and the trials are completely OPEN. You don’t need a huge amount of sevens experience and players can be selected from both inside and outside of the current RFU Performance Pathways. Those attending trials will be tested on their fitness, rugby skills and game play.

Nicola Ponsford, the RFU’s Head of Performance (Women), said: “We think there are players outside our current system with huge amounts of talent who we’ve never seen before. Some of these players may only just have started playing at University or College for example but have the potential to become fantastic players. We really want anyone who has a great level of fitness and rugby skills to come along and show us what they can do. This really is a chance to unearth new talent.”

If you’re selected into the Elite Player Squad or Sevens Development Pathway, you’ll receive strength and conditioning training, one-on-one coaching and the opportunity to train with England’s top sevens coaches. Plus, of course, the chance to represent your country in the England Sevens programme.

To submit your application to attend the open trials visit www.rfu.com/Eng7sTrialsWomen. Entries must be received by April 7.

Julia Hutton

3M A R C H 2013 – Touchline

Guarantee your seat for the next 10 years ofRBS 6 Nations and QBE Internationals at Twickenham.

Join the Priority List for your chance to become a Debenture Holder.Limited release of debentures on sale 25 March 2013.

Discover more at www.rfu.com/debentures

YOURS.FOR A DECADE.

The England rose is an official registered trade mark of the Rugby Football Union.

RFU DRIVES LOBBYINGCAMPAIGN TO PROTECT CASCSThe RFU has been leading the charge to ensure that the Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) scheme continues to benefit rugby clubs across the country.

The scheme provides a number of charity-type tax reliefs to support sports clubs, including 80% mandatory relief on business rates and the ability to raise funds from individual donations under Gift Aid.

In November 2012, the RFU, supported by other NGBs and the Sport and Recreation Alliance, agreed to seek an opinion from QC James Kessler on proposed changes to the CASC scheme. HMRC carefully considered this opinion and consequently things have moved forward.

On 4th March HMRC published a Written Ministerial Statement on CASC. The signs are positive and the RFU expect a workable limit on membership fees, an appreciation for social income, and more generous rules for travel expenses and payment of players. With immediate effect, CASCs can offer junior memberships without voting rights.

A consultation with sports clubs will be conducted and the RFU expect detailed legislation to be set out in the autumn. This is a positive step as the RFU hope to protect existing CASCs and promote the scheme to more rugby clubs.

Emma Kennedy

England Counties U20s are using an innovative development weekend to select the squad of 25 who will travel to Georgia for a two match tour in May.

The three-day camp over the Easter weekend will see the strongest 22 players from each of the four divisions (North, Midlands, London and South East and South West) keen to lay down a marker for selection.

The format is designed to develop young players and give ample opportunity for them to showcase their skills. The four squads will assemble on Friday 29th March at Welbeck College for an afternoon of 10s rugby, encouraging players to be expansive and creative in using the space available.

Saturday starts with seminars on nutrition and lifestyle, anti-doping and refereeing advice, before a positional specific session to put core skills to the test. The format reverts to a traditional XV-a-side tournament on the Sunday, the final stage of selection.

Malcolm Ross, England Counties U20s Team Manager said: “The weekend is as much about selecting a squad for Georgia as it is about providing 88 talented players with an experience which they can learn from and build upon.

“Introducing the 10-a-side and individual skill sessions creates a number of situations in which players can show their potential and provides coaches and selectors with the best evidence on ability and the opportunity to offer individual feedback.

“The seminars are important to raise player awareness and provide an all-round rugby education. As management, we are looking forward to welcoming the divisions to Welbeck for a weekend I’m sure we will all benefit from.”

WANT TO PLAY 7s IN MEXICO?The Cancun Sevens Tournament is a great event, with competitions for men, women and vets. Any team at any level from around the world can apply to play and they welcome club sides, social sides, invitation sides and even full international sides.

The event is over the weekend of 22th June, finishing with beach rugby and where better to enjoy it?Applications can be made at any time during the year, with no closing date as the occasional late call-off means teams can be sometimes

accommodated at the last moment. However, deadlines to ensure organisational arrangements are: teams interested in participating are requested to inform by May 15th to info@cancunsevens.com.

Confirmation of teams that have expressed interest and tournament fee by June 1st

More information at www.cancunsevens.com

GEORGIA ON THEIR MIND

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BISHOPS’OLD HEADS

ON YOUNG SHOULDERSTony Simpson

BISHOP Auckland RFC may be one of the relatively junior clubs in Durham, having been founded in 1976, but they have certainly established a reputation that organisations with a much longer heritage would be proud of.

In playing terms, they are pressing to move up from Northumberland and Durham Division Two – Level 8 in the league structure but more importantly, they have 125 senior players, 250 juniors ranging from 6-18 and 45 women playing members. This season they have fielded four senior teams, the ladies are about to tackle their first fixture and the junior section continues to prosper at all levels.

One of the key elements in the club’s success is also one of the core values enshrined by the RFU – respect. Former England Students Manager Steven Colwell and England colt Mark Binns handle the coaching duties, with Colwell outlining the secret of the West Mills club’s development.

He says: “The success we are enjoying is built on the hard work of everyone at the club, a simple no hierarchy policy and treating every player of whatever age or ability with respect and enthusiasm. This has created a true family among members. Our junior section is outstanding and this is helping the senior rugby. We have a number of teenagers thriving in 1st XV rugby and their enthusiasm is rubbing off on the veterans. The club is in a great position and has lots to look forward to.”

The club is extending its thanks to some stalwarts of local rugby by inviting Fergus King (MBE), Ted Wood and Matt Carter to be vice presidents in honour of all the help they have given.

“Bishop Auckland RUFC is without doubt one of the success stories in challenging times.” Says Durham RDO Matt Bryan: “Many of clubs I visit have specific issues about certain things and whenever I get asked ‘which club is doing it right’ I often use Bishop as a model of good practice.

“Among the many other things they do well, they seem to have cracked it when it comes to running one club, but with various sections. They are a fine example of a club effectively marrying all the different components together.”

TEAMWORK PAYS FOR MOULSFORD PREP U11s The boys in the Colts A at Moulsford Prep finished their season unbeaten for the fourth successive time. In 12 games they scored 446 points and conceded 90 and their stats for four years show 42 matches played, 40 won and two drawn games.

Against some of the top prep school sides in the South of England, the boys had some good wins, the highlight being their victory against the South West Lambs, the pick of the rugby

playing boys from South West Prep Schools. Two of the squad have also been selected for the South East Lambs who were playing the other regions at Rugby School on March 10th.

During their four years at Moulsford, the team has stood out thanks to the way they constantly work for each other, resulting in them becoming the first side in the school’s history to have completed four successive unbeaten seasons.

KENT CLUBS FLOCK TO MAIDSTONE FOR RUGBY SUPPORTHugh Godwin

The Kent RFU Community Rugby Committee and RFU Development Officers staged another successful support evening for local clubs when representatives from 28 clubs gathered at The Village Hotel in Maidstone to meet RFU staff and others specialising in all areas of rugby from playing, coaching and refereeing to safeguarding, funding of new facilities and working with the media.

The programme of club support evenings gives the whole county a chance to swap ideas and gain practical advice in the running of their club.A ‘market-stall’ area allowed clubs to chat with RFU, Kent RFU and other specialists and county rugby sponsors Shepherd Neame were also on hand with a stall to offer support and advice to clubs on bar management, and provide welcome samples of their Premium Spitfire beer.

There were separate workshops on many aspects of running a club and Area Manager Jo Martin and Kent RDOs Andy Pratt and Matt Mitchell thanked Kent CB Community Rugby chairman Mick O’ Reilly for his help in organising the evening. And the message from Medway RFC’s Trevor Howells was: “A great night, the coaches from our club thoroughly enjoyed it and found it very insightful.”

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) launched its rugby union programme app for fans before the England RBS 6 Nations match against Italy.

An edited and more interactive version of the match day programme, the app featured exclusive articles by leading rugby writers and behind the scenes video from inside the England camp. It will be available to download two days prior to all future RBS 6 Nations matches and QBE Internationals at Twickenham Stadium.

RFU Chief Commercial Officer, Sophie Goldschmidt said, “This app will bring fans closer to the action, extend the reach of our very popular match day programme and provide an additional service for England Rugby fans around the world. We want to ensure our content is available for our supporters to access in the most convenient way – for many this is now on mobile devices and tablets.”

The app and the RFU’s match programmes are published by the PPL Group and hard copies can also be ordered before the match and mailed to supporters at home for match day by visiting pplsport.com or freephone 0808 1007377

The programme app is available through the iTunes store at a reasonable £2:99p, while the full 90-page hard copy programme sells at £6 + postage.

APP–ETISING - PROGRAMME APPANOTHER FIRST FOR THE RFU

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CUMBRIAN RUGBY RENEWS FALCONS TIESTony Simpson

CUMBRIAN rugby has received a welcome boost on the player and coach development front with the rekindling of links with the management and coaching team at Newcastle Falcons.

The valuable ties broke down some six years ago but Cumbria’s RFU Rugby Development Team have worked hard to repair the association. Confirmation of the renewal came in the considerable form of Dean Richards and the support from the Academy, Foundation and other Falcons personnel at the sharp end of the business.

The response to the first visit of Dean Richards and Peter Russell from the Falcons for a session based around ‘Building the Game’ was an excellent attendance of 41 coaches form around the county, who listened to Russell taking the lead and former England No 8 Richards backing up theories with anecdotal evidence.

The session, assisted by Falcons Community Development Officers Gavin Beasley and Daniel Simpson, involved some indoor theory and some outside practical work with a group of Cumbria Under 17 players, followed by a Q&A wrap-up session inside.

“It’s great to have coaches of this quality in Cumbria, offering their experiences to coaches of all levels.” said Cumbria RDO Liam Nicholls. “The relationship between Newcastle and the County is imperative to the growth of rugby in the area and workshops like this are immeasurable in terms of the wider benefits to the game in Cumbria.”

The next session will be on April 1 at Penrith RFC, when Dean Richards and his former Leicester Tigers back-row colleague John Wells will look at ‘The Breakdown’, while the series will conclude on April 10 at Kendal RFC, when Mark Laycock will deliver a session on ‘Specialist Sevens Play’.

BEQUEST TO WORLD RUGBY MUSEUM COLLECTIONVerity Williams

An astonishing collection of 500 rugby books has been left to the World Rugby Museum, one of the most generous bequests it has received.

The collection, which is now available to researchers, was built up over a lifetime by Piers Morgan, a friend and volunteer at the Museum, who died in 2010. Piers assembled rugby material from all over the world, amassing what must be one of the finest private archives in the world.

The material covers all rugby-playing nations and all periods of the game. Great players, teams and matches are included, but the collection is equally strong on small clubs, school teams and obscure players and topics – including one book on tall scrum halves in Dunedin!

As a volunteer, Piers spent many happy hours meticulously cataloguing the Museum’s collection and answering rugby enquiries from all over the world. A tireless supporter of the Museum, Piers wished the Museum to receive those books in his archive of which it did not already have copies.

The World Rugby Museum is home to the world’s finest rugby collection. Piers’ bequest will significantly add to an unrivalled archive. The Museum already has over 2,000 books, 8,000 photographs and original documents dating back to the birth of the game.

Michael Rowe, Curator of the World Rugby Museum said: “The World Rugby Museum is incredibly fortunate to receive this wonderful bequest. I don’t know of any finer private collection of rugby books anywhere. It will add greatly to our archive and strengthen the Museum’s position as the preeminent rugby collection in the world.

“It seems very appropriate that Piers’ generosity will allow his fellow rugby enthusiasts to benefit in the years to come. Piers was a true friend of the Museum, and epitomised rugby’s wonderful spirit and culture.”

Gill Hagger, a volunteer at the Museum who has catalogued more than 500 of Piers’ books over the last six months commented: “This is an extraordinary and eclectic collection: even containing books in Serbo-Croat! Some of the books – including the first-ever history of football – are extremely rare. The sheer range of clubs, countries and persons covered makes this collection in itself a valuable resource for researchers.”

TWICKENHAM HOSTSDALLAGLIO FOUNDATIONRUGBY FOR CHANGE AWARDSThe achievements of London’s young people were honoured at the Dallaglio Foundation Rugby for Change awards ceremony at Twickenham Stadium last month (February). The inaugural event was hosted in the stadium following the RFU’s recent partnership with the Foundation which began in 2012.

The awards celebrated the successes of the programme, which aims to mentor, inspire and motivate “at risk” young people to begin a positive journey using the values of rugby.

RFU Chief Executive Ian Ritchie spoke at the event and also presented the Club of the Year Award to Sutton Club, for embracing the core values of rugby; Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship. He said: “The Dallaglio Foundation is a fantastic charity doing some great work with young people in England. It was lovely to see the positive impact rugby can have and to congratulate all the award winners.

“At the RFU we are pleased to be able to support the Dallaglio Foundation and we are very much looking forward to working together to promote the benefit rugby can have on disadvantaged communities across the country.”

Last year the RFU formed a new partnership with the Dallaglio Foundation to offer our support to rugby programmes which aim to reach and engage young people through the power of sport and that are aligned to RFU values and objectives.

LEGACY FOR PETERBOROUGHPaul Bolton

BOB Taylor, former RFU President and England and British and Irish Lions international, officially opened Peterborough’s refurbished clubhouse before their SSE Midlands League One East local derby against Peterborough Lions at Fengate.

Taylor, a past President of the RFU and current chairman of the East Midlands RU and Midlands Counties, jointly opened the revamped facility with Neil Darwin, the chief executive of Opportunity

Finance for the work was secured from the Olympic Legacy funding from Sport England’s Inspired Facilities Fund together with additional money from other grants and donations. Peterborough received £45,000 of National Lottery funding to upgrade the facilities at their clubhouse

in Fengate, which has helped thousands of local young people get into the sport. The money was used to provide a pitched roof over the existing clubhouse together with an extension to create a new entrance, toilet facilities and other upgrading works.

The Inspired Facilities Fund is part of the £138 million Places People Play legacy programme that brought the magic of last year’s home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every sport facility that received funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.

Peterborough President Phil Elmer said: “I am extremely pleased that the club received this funding which will help us to cater for the ever-increasing numbers of youngsters who wish to play rugby at Peterborough Rugby Club and provide a facility that the local community can enjoy”.

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CHALLENGING STEREOTYPESHugh Godwin

In a comprehensive school where football has reigned supreme, two 16 year olds, Cecil MacCarthy and Paul Aguele, practise their rugby a hefty dropkick away from traffic on the busy north London Archway Road.

They are among the advance guard being steered into rugby clubs by Alistair Halsall, head of sport at St Aloysius’ College, a Catholic boys’ comprehensive school in Highgate. Paul plays fly half for Finchley RFC’s A team in his age group, having previously joined Kilburn Cosmos RFC, while Cecil is turning out for Saracens Amateurs RFC and has secured a place in London Wasps’ elite player development group. The young prop has been picked at county level too and scored a try recently for Middlesex Under 16s.

“Rugby is channelling my energies in the right place,” says Cecil, who has shown considerable talent for basketball and field athletics in the shot put, hammer and discus.“I went on a rugby tour with the school to Italy and it was the first time I’d come across a sport where you were expected to eat with the opposition after the match. We learnt what it is like to respect the referee and shake hands with opponents at the end of the game.”

Cecil’s family is from Ghana, and Paul – head boy at St Aloysius’ and goalkeeper in the football team – has a Nigerian background. He sees differences in rugby to when playing for a south London professional football club’s under 14s.

“Rugby is like one big family,” says Paul, who started playing tag rugby at primary school in Hornsey. “Friends say to me rugby is for posh kids. There is no doubt it has been seen as a white boy’s sport but that is changing. You only have to look at me and the other boys at St Aloysius’ who are playing rugby now to see the changes. We have all got to challenge the stereotypes.”

“Cecil has brute strength but he is a very nice, well-mannered guy,” says Alistair Halsall, a Scot who is first team coach at Hampstead RFC and introduced rugby to the school. “He is now in line to receive a scholarship for his sixth-form studies to Mount St Mary’s College in Derbyshire, based on his rugby. His parents have always seen rugby as a good thing but now it has also opened up a different path in his education.

“The rugby culture was very alien to the boys when rugby started here They were more used to just sulking off at the end of the game than shaking hands. Now they are champing at the bit to play rugby and keep fit and keen to get into the social side of the game as well. Boys like Cecil have such a huge presence inside and outside school. The other pupils look up to him and Paul.

“They have friends from all sorts of backgrounds, and like any lads at a London comprehensive school, they face choices that could take them in different directions and possibly into trouble, depending on them, their friends and their family. Cecil has learnt that he’s noticeable and he and Paul are on a similar path, they conduct themselves with class and all they talk about is rugby.”

HARDENED STEALYou might think the average rugby club doesn’t have much in the way of metal that would be attractive to the opportunistic thief but in many instances you’d be wrong. From lead, copper and stainless steel roof coverings, to lightning conductors, water pipes, iron gates, railings, water tanks and even vehicle batteries – all have been stolen from a rugby club at some point.

Driven by the rising value of scrap metal, and coupled with the often isolated and unoccupied nature of a rugby club, makes such a crime an increasing problem. However, there are some simple, low-cost measures you can take to help protect your rugby club and reduce the risk of theft:

• Don’t give a would-be thief easy access to the roof – consider removing water butts, waste bins and overhanging trees.

• Store ladders in a secure place – it seems obvious as a precaution but is easily overlooked, especially if building works are happening.

• Restrict vehicular access to the rugby club – if there is a gated entrance, can it be locked?

• Consider security lighting, an intruder alarm or a CCTV system – it doesn’t always have to be an expensive option with a number of cost effective solutions on the market, plus there are often a wide variety of trades within the membership of a rugby club who can help keep the installation costs low.

Of course the busier the club the more likely thieves are to be deterred but there will inevitably be times when a club sits empty, so it can pay to enlist help from the membership or local community.

Friendly neighbours who keep an eye out for unusual activity can be invaluable in keeping your club’s property safe and hard to steal.

And finally, if the sight of Easter eggs has got you thinking about your impending overseas rugby tour, don’t forget to organise the insurance well in advance. All the information you need for tour planning and insurance can be found at www.rfu.com/ManagingRugby/RugbyTours.

Marsh is the official insurance broker to the RFU. To find out more please call Marsh on 01444 335392.

PRIDE OF ANDOVERShaun Rule – Andover Rugby Football Club’s Executive Chairman – was recognised by his local community as the winner of the Contribution to Sport category at the recent Pride of Andover Awards just as he celebrated 40 years as a club member and received his award from journalist and broadcaster, Esther Rantzen.

Nominated by one of his Executive Committee members – Dickie Staff’s citation read: Shaun was one of the main committee members who designed and built the first clubhouse which was located at Walworth Industrial Estate (now given over to an industrial area). Shaun drew up the plans and, with other willing members sourced

the building materials and spent a year of his personal time constructing the facility. The club was opened in 1981 and Shaun was one of the volunteers who ran the clubhouse facility and bar….

“ Shaun has been Executive Chairman for the past ten years and in February 2013 will have been a member of Andover RFC for 40 years without a break. He still has a very infectious enthusiasm for anything to do with the club, rugby and the community which it affects. Whether Shaun’s skills, advice or help are needed in the club’s Academy, senior or social side, or indeed anyone in need, he will give freely of his time.

Said Shaun, “I am extremely honoured and delighted to accept this award. However, a club is only as strong as its membership. My job is to ‘steer the ship’ and focus on getting everyone thinking and working in the same direction. There are nearly 80 volunteers involved in the Youth Academy as well as the senior side of the club who help with coaching, team managing, committee, and many other supporting roles. These people work for the common good of Andover RFC, which in turn helps the club to grow from strength to strength. This has improved our reputation both in Hampshire as well as with the RFU at Twickenham.”

Photo (left to right) Paul Aguele, Alistair Halsall and Cecil MacCarthy

The RFU is an Introducer Appointed Representative of Marsh Ltd. Marsh Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority for insurance mediation activities only. © Copyright 2013 Marsh Ltd. All rights reserved.

7M A R C H 2013 – Touchline

MALVERN MAKING A DIFFERENCE FOR YOUNG PLAYERS Malvern RFC work hard to keep young players enthused and their U16s have certainly been enjoying securing success in competitive matches. Cheered on by a good crowd at Spring Lane, their 27-10 win over Veseyans U16s recently saw them through to the semi-finals of the North Midlands Plate.

Said coach, Gareth Richards, “It has become a bit of a recurring theme to talk about team efforts from this group but, yet again, it was certainly the case. Missing four regular members of the squad through half-term holidays and illness, they displayed the commitment and togetherness which makes them such a durable unit.

“The team is the future lifeblood of the club and they come as a complete package, plenty of support from their parents, family, friends and coaches. We are blessed at Spring lane with a wealth of similar talent with the under 15s and under 14s, also with

massive support, hot on their heels and producing some great results this season’’.

In September Malvern RFC under 17s will play in the North Midlands Under 17s league, complementing the Malvern Rugby Academy headed by Andy Longley.

Richards continued: ‘’At a time where there are so many distractions at this age, it is essential that we give the young players as much support and structure as possible so that we keep them involved at all levels of the game. The league and coaching will further bridge the gap between

junior and senior rugby. The current senior section coaches, Nick Tisdale, Pete Walton (RFU) and Rob Cook (Gloucester RFC) will make sure that younger players come on leaps and bounds.

“We are looking forward to the Malvern under 16s’ tour of Antwerp in March, a great way to reward their hard work this season. The 16s coaches are grateful for the support of so many parents and for the kit sponsorship so generously donated by County Building Supplies, Beacon Dental. Envex Building Contractors Ltd, Scimitar Clothing and 7 Valley Financial’’.

Rugeley Rugby Club used cutting edge bio technology to complete its changing room refurbishment project. The rooms have been fitted out with NoTile™ Hygienic Panels, donated by Composite Fibreglass Mouldings Ltd (CFM). The NoTile™ Hygienic Panels incorporate Biomaster Protection a silver based antimicrobial additive from Addmaster (UK) Ltd. that protects the panels from the growth of bacteria and reduces the risk of cross-infection.

Addmaster Director Paul Morris played for Rugeley for over 15 year and decided to help when he heard of the refurbishment project. Paul said “If ever there was a place to test the antimicrobial abilities of Biomaster this is the one. The lads down at Rugeley rugby club now have no excuse to be dirty.”

David Beadsworth of CFM added ““Having seen the previous state of the lad’s shower rooms it was a pleasure to donate our NoTile™ Hygienic Panels! We were delighted to help out Paul’s old club”

Said Martin de Ridder club Secretary stated, “It is great when a former player supports the club. Clubs like outs are indebted to companies like Addmaster and CFM who are prepared to lend a hand. I understand that this is the first time the tiles have been used in a sports changing room so it is always great to be first.”

Martin de Ridder, Barrie Newton and Kevin Birt in the new shower room

RUGELEY’SA CLEAN MACHINE

GREENE KING SPONSORS POLISH RUGBY FESTIVALGreene King IPA, Official Beer of England Rugby, is sponsoring a ground breaking event in Silesia, Poland this August. The Piotrowice Nyskie International Rugby Festival, now in its third year, caused a minor sensation last November when it was shortlisted for the Rugby Event of the Year category alongside the Las Vegas Sevens and the English Premiership Final at the prestigious Rugby Expo Awards at Twickenham.

Greene King join fellow RFU Official Suppliers Rhino Rugby as tournament sponsors alongside

Jones Lang LaSalle, Rule Financial and Move One. Jim Parton, a rugby mad expatriate Englishman who together with his Polish wife Anna hosts the Festival in the grounds of their historic estate on the Polish/Czech border, commented “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Greene King IPA as a sponsor - being able to serve Greene King IPA to the players

and supporters will add a nice touch to an already international occasion which attracts teams from all over Europe”.

8 Touchline – M A R C H 2 01 3

When Hammersmith & Fulham RFC Veterans decide to do something they really pull out all the stops.

They travelled to Ireland to play the curtain raiser before the Ireland v England Legends International at Donnybrook and beat Bective Rangers Vets 39 -24, scoring seven tries in a great game of competitive vets rugby. Try scorers included: Phil Cheevers (team sponsor), Ian Smith, James Barton, Alex Neilson, Carl Jones, Stephen Murphy and an 80 meter run at pace from Felix Whitechapel.

The match was played in memory of Stuart Mangan, who was tragically injured playing for Hammersmith & Fulham in 2008 and who with Matt Hampson came up with the original idea for the Legends Match. The visiting Vets fielded

Stuart Mangan’s three brothers: Keith, an IRFU Committee Member, Barry and John, all togged out in Stuart’s old colours. John, at scrum half, was made man of the match, which was refereed by Eamonn Sayers an Irish Society Referee and Stuart’s cousin.

The Hammersmith & Fulham Vets also raised an incredible £46,000 in just three weeks for the RFU Injured Players Foundation and the IRFU Charitable Trust and their captain, Chris Hunt was called up to the England Leggends bench for last five minutes of the main match, earning his first cap at 49, on the right wing!

He said “It was both daunting and awe inspiring to be playing with such legends as Martin Corry and Shane

Byrne, but luckily I didn’t drop the ball and made a tackle that counted, much to the dismay of my Hammersmith & Fulham team mates!”

The Vets then cheered on England in their win over Ireland at Lansdowne Road. Their match endeavours were generously sponsored by Orchard Grove Consulting Limited and the match balls by Pharma Letter and Byte9. Generous donations also came from Total and Grosvenor Securities. At the RBS 6 Nations England v Italy match, the squad were handing over a cheque for the IPF to Jason Leonard.

It is still possible to sponsor at www.justgiving.com/Fulham-Rugby-Vets

ENGLAND U18s’GOOD INTENTPAYS DIVIDENDSStefan Curtis

England Under 18 kicked off their season with an impressive nine-try win against Scotland in front of over 1,600 fans in Darlington.Tries from wing Tom Fowlie (2), centre Brett Herron, flanker Andrew Hughes, scrum half Stuart Townsend (2), centre Nick Tompkins (2) and fly half Josh Sharp set up the victory while Herron added six conversions.England’s 57 – 13 victory had, said captain James Chisholm said: “delighted the squad.” He added, “To get the win and score nine-tries is a credit to the guys and I think we deserved it for the way we played. Scotland never let up though and it was a tough Test match. You can’t single out any individuals, the whole squad played their part and we’re really looking forward to competing in France in the FIRA/AER European Championship next month (April).”Coach John Fletcher was extremely pleased with his young squad, saying, “In the first half they were excellent and although the second half was bit stop-start they scored some great tries and played with good intent throughout.”

VETS ON A MISSION FOR STUART

9M A R C H 2013 – Touchline

RWC SEVENS 2013 DRAWEngland Sevens teams have learned the identity of their pool stage opponents for this summer’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in Moscow. The sixth RWC Sevens tournament takes place on June 28-30 with 24 men’s teams competing for the Melrose Cup and 16 women’s teams playing for the Women’s Rugby World Cup crown.

England Women’s victory in round two of the World Series in Houston earlier this month, which secured their position as number-one seeds for the RWC, has served them well - they have been drawn against Russia, France and Japan in the pool stages.

Hosts Russia have been regular protagonists over the series and currently sit fourth in the table but England will be pleased to have missed out on Pool A which is already being labelled as the pool of death. World Series leaders New Zealand are joined in Pool A by the Netherlands, Canada and Tunisia.

HAILEYBURY RUGBY NEW ERAHaileybury has appointed former Wales and British Lions Captain Michael Owen as Director of Rugby from September, marking the start of a new era for Haileybury Rugby.

In addition to a new second all-weather surface, two new rugby pitches are being developed and will be ready for the 2014 season, making a total of eight pitches including the Ist XV pitch, in front of the main college building and Chapel. Last year, Old Haileyburians RFC sponsored Haileybury Rugby to the tune of £25,000 and are offering more support for next season.

Haileybury’s sevens term will reach its climax at the Rosslyn Park National Sevens Festival. Preparations have gone well, helped by the visit of a British Army Physical Training Instructor earlier in the term.

Haileybury and Imperial Service College – to give its full name - opened in 1862 and celebrated its 150th anniversary last year. Rugby has been played since the very early days and is played by students from 11 to 18, the school fielding a total of 16 sides. Many boys continue playing at university and clubs, some playing professionally, like Chris Wyles (Saracens & USA), Jamie George(Saracens) and Ian Nimmo (Newport Gwent Dragons).

Said Michael Owen, “Rugby is a brilliant part of a rounded education extolling the virtues of teamwork, hard work, courage and, in the right rugby environment, respect and taking responsibility. It also allows students to develop a good attitude towards self-improvement and striving for excellence. I see my role at Haileybury as trying to create an environment where pupils are given the opportunity to benefit from these aims and values.”

CHRIS AND A REMARKABLE 55 YEARSChris Munton, a Twickenham debenture holder, was in his customary seat yelling for England at this season’s home RBS 6 Nations matches, which makes it 55 years without missing a home international - some achievement!

Chris, who originally “stood on the south terrace for donkeys’ years” secured a seat as a debenture holder at the earliest opportunity. He says

Nicol McClelland

Last month (February) LV= launched the Young Reporter Competition, to recognise the talents of burgeoning young rugby writers up and down the country.

Playing a crucial role in the development of professional players, the LV= Cup continues to identify up and coming young talent but has now extended this to encouraging skills off the pitch. The LV= Young Reporter Competition saw U16s were invited to submit a 200 word review of any LV= Round 4 fixture, the winner receiving four VIP tickets to the LV= Cup Final and an opportunity to interview LV= Ambassador and former England captain, Lewis Moody.

The panel of representatives from the RFU, LV=, Premiership Rugby, and a professional rugby journalist, reviewed all the entries and chose the overall winner, and two runners-up. Taking home the inaugural title of 2012-13 LV= Young Reporter was 15-year-old Sam Durham from Gloucester. Sam chose to report on the West Country derby between Gloucester Rugby v Bath Rugby, which saw the visitors record a 32-5 win over the Cherry & Whites, their first win at Kingsholm since 2006.

The panel was unanimous in selecting Sam as overall winner, commenting on his accurate and descriptive portrayal of the LV= Round 4 game. The Gloucester Rugby supporter, who lists Freddie Burns amongst his favourite players, will now have the chance to further hone his reporting skills interviewing LV= Ambassador Lewis Moody at the LV= Cup final on March 17 at Sixways Stadium.

Sam said: “I can’t wait to interview Lewis Moody on the day of the final. It will be great to get his thoughts on the competition. He has so much experience and knowledge so I’m sure it won’t be hard thinking of some questions to put to him. I’ve followed rugby closely over the past four years or so, and sports journalism is definitely something I’m interested in. This award will look great on my CV and hopefully help me in the future.”

Also receiving tickets to the LV= Final are runners-up 14-year-old Tim Rutland and 13-year-old Issy Ronald.

LV= Head of Sponsorship Claire Jeromson said: “This award embraces the spirit of the LV= Cup as it is all about celebrating young talent and it’s great to see how much the tournament means to so many young rugby fans. The standard of entries was incredibly high but in the end the judges were unanimous in their decision. Congratulations to Sam for his insightful post match report which perfectly summed up the drama and excitement of the LV= Cup derby between Gloucester and Bath.”

The LV= Cup. Watch the next generation break through. For tickets and info, visit www.lv.com/rugby

England Women’s Head Coach Barry Maddocks said: “This is a tough pool as we face some strong European opposition in Russia and France whilst Japan are a quick and talented footballing side, but certainly I think Pool A will be an interesting pool to watch.

“The bar is being raised at every tournament we go to now and games are only won by the smallest margins. Our priority will be to get through the pool stages as efficiently as we can.”

England’s men, who lifted the inaugural Melrose Cup in 1993, were ranked in the top band of six teams following their performances in recent seasons. They will face familiar rivals in Argentina, Portugal and Hong Kong in Pool F.

Injuries to key men contributed to a slow start to the current campaign but they beat New Zealand, the USA, Spain, Scotland, Samoa and Kenya to lift last month’s Wellington Sevens title.

England Men’s Sevens Head Coach Ben Ryan said: “The draw looks pretty balanced for all the pools and it is exciting to know who our opponents are going to be now. We know all our Pool opponents well and it will certainly add a little spice when we play Portugal at the Hong Sevens next month.”

that over the years the tightly fought games won at the death have been most memorable but puts the QBE International England victory over the All Blacks right up there.

“That particular result was evidence of a changed England under Stuart Lancaster and really symbolic of a real high among all the highs and lows,” he says.

Chris, still working as a business development coach at 72, is very noticeable at matches and also dresses up for his other love Harlequins. “I’m a fruitcake among all the black and grey,” he says. His future hope is “to get a few beers in for my 6oth year.

LV= NURTURING THE FUTURE OF RUGBY

10 Touchline – M A R C H 2 01 3

CLUBS STEP UP AT TWICKENHAM

Emma Kennedy

The Home of England Rugby recognised its loyal rugby family when 176 grassroots clubs countrywide became part of the backdrop against which England recorded their emphatic win over France.

Each club’s name featured on a step in the seating bowl as a reward for signing up for NatWest RugbyForce in 2013 visible to millions of rugby fans on the TV and in the stadium.

Sophie Morris from Millwall RFC said: “The England team have the support of all grassroots clubs so it was great to see that represented by the names on the steps in front of them as they ran out. We were always planning to sign up to NatWest RugbyForce, so having our club name honoured at Twickenham for such a big game was an added bonus.“

Phil Vickery, former England prop and World Cup winner is a supporter of the NatWest RugbyForce programme and said: “Coming from a very small club, Bude RFC in Cornwall, I know how important the rugby club is within the local community, and how much support they need. NatWest RugbyForce is all about improving club facilities to help safeguard their future. Seeing the NatWest RugbyForce club steps at Twickenham was a reminder of where rugby began for many of our international players – at grassroots clubs.”

The additional clubs who signed up for Natwest RugbyForce in the final week of February will also have their names on the steps in time for England v Italy, taking the total to 380 clubs.

NatWest RugbyForce helps rugby clubs to improve their facilities to become more financially viable businesses. The programme offers support materials, access to workshops and funding to help make improvements. The NatWest RugbyForce Weekend on 15th & 16th June gives clubs the opportunity to encourage members and the local community to come together for a weekend of DIY.

Clubs can continue to sign up for Natwest RugbyForce and can access online resources to help them make the most out of their weekend by visiting www.rfu.com/natwestrugbyforce.

INSPIRED FACILITIES FUND NEXT ROUNDPaul Bolton

RUGBY clubs across England have another chance to benefit from funding from the Sport England Inspired Facilities Fund.

Applications will open on March 11 for round four of the Inspired Facilities Funding after 26 rugby clubs achieved awards of £1.16 million in the last round of awards.

Clubs can apply to Sport England for grants of up to £50,000 for projects ranging from refurbishing and modernising clubhouses, changing rooms and floodlights at: http://inspiredfacilities.sportengland.org/

Inspired Facilities is part of Places People Play Sport England’s programme to deliver a London 2012 legacy of increased mass participation in sport with £50 million of National Lottery funding to be invested in up to 1,000 community sports projects between 2011 and 2014.

Among the rugby clubs to have benefited from Inspired Facilities funding is Solihull-based Camp Hill who were awarded £49,000 towards the £57,000 costs of improving facilities at their Haslucks Green Road headquarters to enhance the experience for members and visitors.

Camp Hill, who run 20 teams at various levels, have used the Inspired Facilities funding to instal a disabled toilet, new toilet facilities in the changing rooms and self-contained changing rooms for match officials.

“These improved facilities have made a major contribution in terms of sustainability, increased membership – playing, social and community involvement – and the ability to provide a fully inclusive venue for all,” said Camp Hill spokesman Brian Freeman.

“These improvements have had an immediate and welcome response from members and visitors alike.

“I think it is fair to say that our application to Sport England was considerably improved as a result of input and hands-on assistance from our local RFU representatives.”

Help and support for rugby clubs is available from their local RFU Area Facilities Manager:

Area 1 (Cornwall, Somerset, Devon, Dorset & Wilts Gloucestershire) Jon Bendle on 0753 881 272 or JonBendle@RFU.com

Area 2 (Middlesex, Hamsphire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire) Jason Bowers on 07703 466 773 or JasonBowers@RFU.com

Area 3 (Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Essex) Rick Bruin on 07738 029 211 or RickBruin@RFU.com

Area 4 (Notts, Lincs & Derbyshire, Eastern Counties, Leicestershire, East Midlands, Warwickshire) Peter Shaw on 07734 070 674 or PeterShaw@RFU.com

Area 5 (Lancashire, Cheshire, Staffordshire, North Midlands) Tom Bartram on 07734 070 674 or TomBartram@RFU.com

Area 6 (Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Cumbria) Alex Bowden on 07764 336 701 or AlexBowden@RFU.com

The Daily Mail RBS Real Rugby Heroes has recognised 106 volunteers in three years, including teachers, parents, coaches, a police officer and a nurse all of whom have played a crucial role in helping to deliver rugby up and down the country. From establishing rugby clubs for girls, washing muddy kit, driving mini-vans the length and breadth of the UK or giving up spare time to coach come rain or shine, each of the RBS Real Rugby Heroes nominated over the past three years have sacrificed their own time to support the benefits of taking part in rugby union.

The 2012-13 Heroes each received two match tickets to England vs. Italy in the RSB 6 Nations, as well as VIP invitations to the Daily Mail RBS School Final Day on Saturday March 23 at Twickenham Stadium.

INSPIRATIONAL DAILY MAIL RBS REAL RUGBY HEROES

2013 Daily Mail RBS Real Rugby Heroes are:

Barry BroadThe Friary School, Lichfield

Richard ByromDukeries Academy, Newark

Tony HendersonSt George’s School, Harpenden

Mike NicholsonWolfreton School

Clive PointonBedale High School

Rory SnowballSt George’s College, Weybridge

Tony StricklandSouth Molton Community College

Dus SotiriouWallington C.G.S.

Rosemary TugwellPeter Symonds College

Casey Hollis Springwood High School

11M A R C H 2013 – Touchline

REFEREES CLIMB LADDER TO RFU CHAMPIONSHIPNicol McCLelland

As the RFU Championship continues to establish itself as a fully professional second tier of rugby union, three former National Panel match officials spoke about their promotion to the league.

Having climbed the ranks from SSE National League 2 into National 1 as an assistant referee, Dino Maddern credits the support of the Professional Rugby Unit (PRU) assistant referee coaches for his progression into the second tier of English rugby.

“The coaching I received from the PRU assistant referee coaches focused my game and personal development into the areas required, and has enabled me to become a Championship assistant referee, which is the defining moment of my RFU career so far. There is no doubt that the speed, professionalism and intensity of the Championship games is at another level to what I have experienced before and personally I can’t wait to be tested in that environment.”

Equally proud of his promotion to the RFU Championship squad is Simon Harding, who started his refereeing career while playing rugby at Durham University in 2001 before travelling to countries including Dubai, South Africa and Croatia.

“Promotion to the Championship Squad is another significant step in my refereeing career and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be involved in our sport at the professional level. Getting to this level is testament to all the hard work put in along the way, especially by the many people who have helped my development and shows that we have a good structure, both within the RFU National Panel and in local Societies, for developing our referees - long may it continue.”

Finally, Tom Foley progresses into the squad six years after he first began referring at Bristol University in 2007. Like Simon, Tom’s career has taken him to a wide variety of places including Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Dubai, and Sri Lanka and Tom is relishing this next opportunity.

“I’m delighted to have progressed to the Championship squad, and look forward to the challenges that being a member of the professional end will inevitably bring. The Championship has progressed significantly over the past three years and I look forward to being part of its bright future”

RFU Championship Referee Manager Steve Leyshon commented: “It’s testament to the hard work and dedication of Simon, Tom and Dino that they have reached this significant moment in their careers. The support and commitment from those involved with National Panel has enabled them to progress to the Championship squad and I’m extremely grateful for the input they all received. I have absolute confidence that each will meet the challenge.”

ENGLAND COUNTIES REVERSE FORTUNESEmma Kennedy

Mixed February fortunes for the England Counties saw them lose 30-20 to the Ireland Club XV before recording an impressive 27-7 win over France Fédérale.

The Counties are yet to win on Irish soil but came close, reducing a 20-8 half time deficit to three points before Ireland extended their lead in the final play.

Disappointed by their performance, the Counties came back stronger against France and regained the inaugural Jean Claude Baque trophy which has been in French possession since 2009.

Captain Rory Teague (Blackheath) led from the front kicking 17 points in a bruising encounter at Ealing Trailfinders. Tries, either side of the half, came from wingers Ollie Marchon (Old Albanian) and Nev

Edwards (Rosslyn Park) but man of the match went to Blaydon prop Robbie Kalbraier - reflective of a strong performance by the forwards.

Head Coach Jan Bonney said: ‘It was a fantastic win and our defence in the second half was outstanding. Everyone played their part and it was the camaraderie that saw us through – the players worked hard and really put their bodies on the line for each other.”

TOBY ONE OF THE BEST AT 17 Toby Holroyd, one of the Warwickshire Society of Referees recruits from their highly successful Young Whistlers initiative, is testimony to the success of the scheme, now in its second year.

The 17-year-old schoolboy who has this season progressed to the senior game, has received well deserved praise for the way he handled the Warwickshire 3rd division match between Pinley 2nds and Old Laurentians 3rds, at Wyken Croft and clearly has a good future in the game.

The OLs 3rd team skipper, Tim Chambers was so impressed he wrote to the Society’s chairman, Steve Challis:

“ It was quite evident from before kick off that Toby was very young to be taking charge of a game at this level. I felt compelled to write to you as Toby did a first class job of refereeing this game which, at times, had the potential to get “lively”. He was assured, quietly assertive, kept up well with play and made the correct decisions adding to our enjoyment of the afternoon immensely.

“All of our players made comments to that effect and I know that this view was shared by many of the Pinley players. Certainly one of the best referees that we have had over the past couple of seasons and a credit to his Society. Please pass on our thanks and wish him all the best for his future with the whistle.”

TOUCHLINEEditorial input with pictures to: Touchline Editor, Patricia MowbrayEmail: patriciamowbray@rfu.com Direct Line: 0208 831 6514

Correspondence to:Patricia Mowbray, Touchline Editor, Rugby Football Union, Rugby House, Twickenham Stadium, 200 Whitton Road, Twickenham TW2 7BA.

Mailing and Distribution: Enquiries or updates Email: gameinvestment@therfu.com Tel: 0208 831 6762

Touchline is published by PPL Group, on behalf of the Rugby Football Union, the national governing body of the game in England. Also available on the RFU website: rfu.com

Photography courtesy of Getty and Touchline contributors.Thanks to all individuals, clubs, schools and CBs for contributions.No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the RFU. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the RFU or PPL Group. While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of editorial content, no responsibility can be taken for errors and/or omissions. All trademarks are acknowledged as the property of their respective owners.

The England rose is an official registered trade mark of the Rugby Football Union and is the subject of extensive trade mark registrations worldwide.

12 Touchline – M A R C H 2 01 3

Thames Valley Invitation League membership is open to any rugby club within reasonable travelling distance and wanting to enter a team or teams in any of the league’s divisions.

It operates in the true spirit of rugby, having been set up in 1999 to provide competitive rugby to players from local clubs not playing in their first XVs giving them more competitive fun and recognition. It was set up in pioneer spirit, as one of the first such leagues, not being confined to one particular county or group of counties.

While the Thames Valley Invitation League is affiliated to Berkshire RU and part of the RFU, the county is content to allow it to run its own affairs. RFU Junior Vice President Jonathan Dance, former Berkshire RFU Council representative, has been a constant supporter.

Although the original idea was to provide competition for third and fourth team

players, soon second teams wanted to join and in 2003/04 TVIL peaked at six divisions with 56 teams from 25 clubs covering six counties (Berks, Bucks, Oxon, Hants, Surrey & Middlesex). In 2006 an application from Barcelona was reluctantly turned down!

As the counties began to see that most players welcomed league competition, more and more set up their own leagues meaning that Thames Valley saw an inevitable decline in numbers although the league still consists of two divisions totalling 13 teams from 12 clubs spread across three counties.

All major decisions of the League are made democratically by representatives of the member clubs and over the years the rules have been amended to try to solve problems including those arising from the scrum. The league was a pioneer in obtaining permission from the RFU to introduce rolling subs.

Each team in the division plays all of the others home and away, the dates

of fixtures being arranged by the clubs themselves for maximum flexibility and to fit in with divisional and county league fixtures. There is no player registration but clubs are expected to field only players of a standard compatible with the particular division and the results and tables are on the RFU website within minutes of the matches being reported and a weekly digest is emailed to all clubs on a Saturday night.

The league plays an important part in preserving the grass roots of the game. Says one skipper, “Thames Valley Invitation League represents the true spirit of rugby. Its ethos is in the best traditions of a game in which playing is as important as winning and sportsmanship is all.”

Clubs within reasonable travelling distance of the Thames Valley with an interest in the league should contact First Eleven Sports at www.firsteleven.co.uk/tvil for information.

GALLAGHER JUNIOR JOINS ENGLAND U16sPaul Matt Gallagher, the son of former New Zealand international John, has been included in the England Under 16s squad for their forthcoming international against Italy Under 17s at Lichfield on April 1 and Wales Under 16s at Oxford University on April 6.

Gallagher plays at full back, as did his father in the 1987 Rugby World Cup final, is a pupil at Colfe’s School where his father taught until recently. Gallagher was among 72 players involved in a training camp at Hartpury College in Gloucestershire recently after which the England selectors named three squads.

England South and England North will compete in the annual Wellington International Festival in Berkshire from March 30 to April 5. England Under 16s will have a training weekend at St Edward’s School in Oxford from March 9 to 10 where they will play Northampton Under 17s on the final day at 11am. England South and England North will train at Cokethorpe School in Oxfordshire from from March 9 to 10 where England South will play Leicester Under 17s and England South will play Wasps Under 17s. Both matches will be played on March 10 with 11am kick-offs.

At the Wellington Festival England South will play France Under 16 A on March 31 (2.30pm), Scotland Under 16s on April 3 (2.30pm) and USA Under 17s on April 5 (1.30pm). England North will play France Under 16s A on March 31 (12.15pm), Netherlands Under 17s on April 2 (11am) and Belgium Under 17s on April 5 (11am).

The England South squad includes Cheshire’s Christian Taylor who is part of a hooking dynasty as his grandfather played in that position for Cheshire and his father, Ian, for Orrell. Taylor’s cousin Tommy Taylor is an England Counties XV hooker who now plays for Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership.

Paul Gallagher

EVERYONE’S INVITED IN THAMES VALLEY

The Rugby Football Union wishes to express its gratitude to the following who generously support the game in England