Rugby

Rugby is the main sport for boys in the Michaelmas term, with sixteen School sides competing regularly on Saturdays. Cranleigh has a fine tradition for the quality of its Rugby, with the 1st XV widely recognized as one of the strongest on the circuit and which includes many players who are part of the Harlequins’ Academy and who represent Surrey.
The picture is similar throughout the club, with players from all age groups involved in the development programmes of Premiership clubs, whilst recent leavers include Seb Stegmann, Sam Smith and Will Collier, all of whom represented England U18 and have gone on to professional contracts with Harlequins.  In the last ten years the School has produced seven players who have represented their country at U16, U18 or U20 level.

In 2010/11 Henry Taylor was selected for the England U18 side, even though he was a year young, while another seven players from the 1st XV represented their county.

The ethos of the club is that every pupil, no matter his standard, will have the opportunity to reach his full potential. Each player will get the highest standard of coaching available and no matter what team he represents on a Saturday, he will be given an equal opportunity to achieve his individual goals. It is a testament to the enthusiasm of the boys that we regularly put out 16-18 teams on a Saturday and every pupil will be involved in a team on a Saturday. After a demanding season the boys always look forward to the climax: the inter-House rugby competition, where the players are split into teams depending on their age, weight and ability. Whichever of the four competitions the boys represent their House in, the matches are always fiercely competitive, but a great emphasis is put on playing within the spirit of the game.

For every squad there are three weekly practices. The very top players will also be given one-on-one session skills and weight sessions throughout the season to further their development. To complement this, the School also has the support of professional sports injury and physiotherapy teams on hand at the School’s Medical Centre. The coaching staff includes coaches who as players represented national division clubs, student international sides, Oxbridge and England. Further coach development continues with sessions run for the Cranleigh staff by Harlequins coaches.
In the Lent Term Rugby’s focus changes to sevens, with the U18 and U16 teams entering four tournaments, including the Rosslyn Park and Surrey County competitions. In recent years the U18 side has reached the final stages in a number of tournaments, highlighting the talent that the School has.

Senior Coaches:

In September 2010 Andy Houston was appointed Director of Rugby.  Having played for England at U16 and U18 level, he represented England Students and British Universities at U21 level.  At Loughborough he was a Rugby Scholar and played for London Wasps in 2000/01. He has coached at a number of elite and community clubs both in England and overseas.

We are also lucky to have many extremely experienced coaches, who between them have played at many levels and, in the case of Neil Bennett, both Club and National level. At Club level he played for Bedford (including when they won the John Player Cup in 1975) and also for London Welsh. At National level he achieved seven caps with England – the first against Scotland in 1975. He also toured Australia (1975) and Japan, Tonga and Fiji (1979) as a member of the National team, and represented the Barbarians in a match celebrating Ireland’s Centenary.

 

For any queries, please contact either the Director of Rugby, Andrew Houston: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Please click here to go to Cranleigh Community/Rugby