Westcountry Rugby

After the frustration of the weather and postponed Super Series things are getting back on track with lots of activity over the last 10 days. Watching Twitter it is obvious that all teams are training pretty hard at the moment and cannot wait to get under way with the first Super Series.  On Friday evening Mike Kerr, Ross Morrison, Dave Anthony, Andrew Flatt  and myself were guests of the Parliamentary Rugby Committee at the House of Commons, an event to raise funds for the British and Irish Lions charity. It was good to be included and another example of how our partnership with the able bodied game is strengthening. For me it also gave a great opportunity to talk to a number of people ab...
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What is it about the weather ?

Whenever I have worked abroad people have always commented that the Brits are obsessed with the weather - well the last few months tell you why! The country has been pretty much flooded out for weeks and now we enter a period of snow and ice which is causing the usual disruption. I am really sorry that we have had to postpone the first of the Super Series but it was a 'no-brainer', we could not guarantee safe travel to and from the tournament and some teams and individuals were already pretty much holed up. I know that clubs and their coaches have worked hard to prepare their teams and this will be a massive disappointment  but we will quickly work with the clubs to see when we can reschedu...
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ACTION PACKED START TO 2013

Happy New Year to all readers and I hope that everyone had a great Christmas and welcomed 2013 in style. Having basked in the good news of our successful funding applications, now comes the hard reality that we have to deliver the plans. There is no short cut here as if we fail to meet the targets we have agreed then our funding will be reviewed and likely reduced. That is not something I even want to contemplate because I believe we have a great opportunity to build something pretty special over the next cycle and I want to hit the ground running. So we have an action packed start to 2013. The domestic season kicks off on Saturday 19th with the first of the Coloplast Super Series tournament...
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With best wishes for Christmas and 2013

The fantastic news which provides the sport with in excess of £3.5M over the next 4 years of lottery and exchequor funding brings to a close an extraordinary year for our sport. At a time when many families and businesses are struggling with the impact of the economic situation, it is a real privilege to have been awarded this funding and it is also a mark of the confidence UK Sport and Sport England have that we are on the right track to really grow the game in this country and to produce medal winning teams. Whilst we are one of the fortunate sports, others have not all been so lucky and you will have seen some of the comments in the social media and in the headlines from individuals who ...
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A Great Few Days

We have had a great few days. Firstly there was the Xmas Tournie at Tipton which went really well and it seems everyone enjoyed the bake off! It was a good social evening and 34 players took part in the powerplay. A big thank you to all who made that happen, especially Lee. Then there was the DMG which had really good representation including reps from the new clubs. The group was able to agree its revised  Terms of Reference and, subject to a final check back at the clubs, there was also agreement over the Competition Rules for the Nationals and the Super Series and the dates for these tournaments in 2013 and 2014, all of which means we can get ahead of the game especially with venues for ...
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Job Opportunities

In my last blog I mentioned that I was trying to get ahead of the game with advertising for new posts and you will now see these appearing. The first jobs out will be for two Regional Development Officers each to cover a different part of the country and for a Head of Officiating position. These will be followed by job opportunities for a Performance Director and a Head Coach. All the details for all jobs will be available on this website and on the RFU, UK Sport and Sport England sites. If you are interested in any of the posts then please read the Job Descriptions carefully to confirm that it really is a role you would like and also to ensure you have all the requirements listed. There...
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