Loughborough Sport Men’s Rugby Programme 11th March 2023

RUGBY

RHYS EDWARDS DIRECTOR OF RUGBY

Welcome all to Loughborough University, where today we host Bournville in another Round of National 2 West. We welcome all players and officials from the club, in what we hope will be another great game of National League Rugby.

This is only the 2nd time we have hosted Bournville following our first fixture last season. We welcome them to a campus on what has been a very white week with all the snow. We have been lucky that the weather has changed overnight and the pitch is clear to play.

The away game last week against Old Redcliffians was another tough battle, and we are really pleased with the performance, coming away with another away win for the club was great, to back up the BSR win earlier in the week vs Cardiff University. The top half of the table is looking tight, but we focused on chipping away over the next few games.

Today’s opposition, Bourneville have had tougher season this year but have had a lot of close results, and will be, I’m sure looking to pick up some wins going into the last few games of the season. They sit a few places behind us in the league, but will be full of confidence having drawn with us last time out.

Finally, good luck to the BSR squad going into next week. Final league game of the regular season, and bonus point win would give us the title. However a win is the most

important, to maintain the momentum going into the knockout stages.

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 OLD REDCLIFFIANS MATCH

REPORT

MATCH DAY:SATURDAY 04/03/2023

FULL TIME: LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS

RFC 36-32 OLD REDS

HOME TEAM (OLD REDS)

TRIES: Pursall 25, Cook 55, Harvey 60, Ford 62

CONVERSIONS: Groves (PEN) 12, (PEN) 35, Groves 55, 60, 62

AWAY TEAM (LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC)

TRIES: Patten 12, Wainwright 48, Agbongbon

52, Doyle 75, Cadogan 80

CONVERSIONS: Wainwright 12, (PEN) 40, 48, Smith 52, 80

HALFTIME: LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC 10-11 OLD REDS

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS: Doyle, Barber, Kean, Tusler, Cadogan, Wainwright, Mason, Patten, Bell, Crane, Jenkins, Jennings, Pill, Fahy, Agbongbon

REPLACEMENTS: Miell, Rees, Parkins, Naylor, Smith

OLD REDS: Kelly, Farmer, Cook, Sprague, Rees, Groves, Butler, Gaynor, Ford, Halliwell, Pursall, Pursall, Curry, Taylor, Harvey

REPLACEMENTS: McMullin, Doyle, Souto, Luxford, Halpin

Loughborough gain monumental win on the road

After their earlier encounter in the midlands saw 87 points between the two sides, expectation was for another high scoring affair on a clear day at Scotland Lane, where Old Redcliffians hosted Loughborough Students. Old Red's, chasing a top half finish, knew today was an opportunity to close the gap on a handful of sides, including Loughborough themselves, who are closing in on a top 5 finish. And so, much was on the line.

This was reflected in the opening exchanges, with both sides uncharacteristically taking 3 points when on offer in a tense first half with no quarter given from either side. A score from George Patten gave Loughborough a slender advantage before the hosts hit-back, and headed to the sheds with an 11-10 lead over the students.

The second 40 resembled rugby more aligned to

their first encounter this season, with 47 points scored within the half. The first of these went to Old Red's who opened up a strong looking 8 point lead with half an hour to go. The students then began to let their expansive game show, with two quick fire scores with some excellent running rugby seeing them take the lead for only the second time this afternoon as the always athletic Tomiwa Agbongbon crossed the line to open a 6 point lead. The final 10 minutes soon arrived and with a quick fire double courtesy of strong maul attacks, Old Reds again re-gained the lead in an arm wrestle which neither side looked comfortable putting to bed. Yet, with 4 minutes left on the clock and a 32-24 deficit to overturn, Loughborough closed the gap again with an unconverted score form Fin Doyle, setting up another exciting finish.

With the stage set, Tomiwa Agbongbon again broke free, finding one of the league's top try scorers in Charlie Cadogen who dotted down to seal a monumental win for Loughborough in a game that both sides will feel was there for the taking.

By Marta Gomez

MAN OF THE MATCH- OLI CRANE

MEET THE TEAM

SILAS PILL

RUGBY HERO: DANNY CIPRIANI

DOB: 28/06/2000

NATIONALITY: BRITISH

HOBBIES: GOLF

STUDYING: SPORTS MANAGEMENT

POSITION: LOOSEHEAD PROP/FLANKER

INTERESTING FACT: USED TO PLAY THE VIOLIN

PROUDLY SPONSORED BY

SIS PITCHES

TODAYS OPPOSITION BOURNVILLE

The rugby section of the Bournville Athletic Club was established on 17th August 1909, when 22 members showed a strong interest in taking up the game. So it was that worker from Cadburys in Bournville village founded Bournville RFC. Donning the chocolate colours and captained by Mr J Paddison, the team won more games than they lost in the first year, playing 23 matches, 20 were won, 2 lost and 1 drawn, with 319 points for and 70 against. By the second season the team lost only 4 matches.

The original Bournville RFC sides consisted entirely of Cadbury employees and the company would traditionally award caps to players. Gradually through the years other players from outside the Cadbury family joined the club, whose seasons consisted of friendly matches against local rivals such as Five Ways Old Edwardian, Selly Oak and most notably, Kings Norton.

Founding members of Worcestershire and Herefordshire and affiliated to the North Midlands Rugby Football Union, Bournville has gone from strength to strength, particularly during the 21st century, where the Club has achieved unprecedented success, gaining promotion in four consecutive seasons. The Club has transcended from Level 10 to the current Level 6 of the massive league pyramid of Rugby Union that begins with a broad, solid base and rises to the pinnacle of an England cap awarded to the gifted few.

In the 2019/20 season Bournville finished top of the Midlands Premier Division and gaining promotion to the National 2 for the first time in their history. The side finished 13th in the 2021/22 season in National League 2 North, and currently sit at 12th in the newly formed National League 2 West.

LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING FIXTURES 2022/23

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC 1XV FIXTURES 2022/23

LOUGHBOROUGH STUDENTS RFC VBOURNVILLE

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.