Steve Brown was appointed RFU Chief Executive Officer at the start of this month after an extensive selection process led by a Board Nominations Panel and the approval of the RFU Board. He began his new role on Monday 4 September

Brown was Chief Officer, Business Operations at the RFU, and succeeds Ian Ritchie who announced his retirement earlier this year.

Steve Brown joined the RFU as Chief Financial Officer on June 10, 2011. He also served as Managing Director of England Rugby 2015, responsible for organising the England 2015 Rugby World Cup, widely acclaimed as the most successful Rugby World Cup ever.

The impact of hosting the event saw the highest annual turnover in the RFU’s history and record investment in rugby.

He was subsequently appointed RFU Chief Officer, Business Operations with responsibility for Technology, Finance, Human Resources, Legal & Governance, IPF, International Relations & Public Affairs, Twickenham Stadium and, in addition, the Chief Financial Officer of the RFU.

“Over the past six years, Steve has shown us all exactly what he can deliver,” said RFU Chairman Andy Cosslett.

“He has undertaken a series of important strategic and operational roles for the RFU and I’m delighted to appoint him as CEO.

“His passion for rugby, and his commitment to rugby’s values are obvious to everyone who has worked with him, and he will lead a strong executive team who are committed to making rugby in England the best in the world. ”

Before joining the RFU, Brown was UK Finance Director at the UK operation of Abbott, the global, broad-based health care company, for five years after a decade with the company, covering a number of other senior financial positions, including UK Pharmaceutical manufacturing and at Abbott’s Paris-based Commercial Regional Headquarters.

Prior to joining Abbott, he spent three years as the Business Support Manager and Group Head of Finance for British Energy PLC. He originally trained as an accountant in the National Health Service where he held a number of financial roles.

Brown said: “This is the job of a lifetime for me. I’m thrilled to be given this opportunity to lead a sport I love, in an organisation I have been proud to work for over the last six years, and I look forward to leading the team as we work to grow the game at every level.”

Brown has been a club and international rugby fan for many years, is keen on motorsport and loves music, playing occasionally as a session guitarist. He lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and three daughters.

TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017 1

BROWN BECOMES RFU CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

The Official Newspaper of The RFU

TOUCHLINESeptember 2017 Issue 204

JOANNA MANNING-COOPER

SUZI MURRAYRed Roses captain Sarah Hunter said her team can be “immensely proud” of what they achieved, despite the disappointment of falling 32-41 to New Zealand in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final in Belfast, after leading 17-10 at the break.

Hunter, who played in her third Women’s Rugby World Cup final, said: “It just wasn’t to be our night. We fought for everything and you can’t fault the girls’ effort throughout this competition.

“All credit to New Zealand and congratulations to them, they deserve to be world champions. At the end, we just said that we win together and lose together and we can be immensely proud of what we have achieved this season.

“We set our target at the beginning of the season, which was to win the World Cup and lift it and we’ve just fallen short at the final

hurdle and that is the biggest disappointment – that we didn’t finish the job.”

England fly half Katy Mclean said the squad wanted to thank fans who got in touch through the official England social media channels as well as using #redroses and #WearTheRose throughout the competition.

“All I can say now is a massive thank you for the support we’ve had in this tournament, it’s been immense and we are so grateful. To all those girls and women watching back at home I hope one positive is that if another girl goes out and takes up rugby it’s brilliant.”

Red Roses head coach Simon Middleton praised the resilience of his side in a game of huge quality at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast where the lead changed five times over the course of the match.

“I couldn’t be prouder as the girls gave everything they could and there was no shortage of heart, energy and passion,” he said. “We just couldn’t get enough possession in the second-half to be able to turn the game how we wanted.

“We’ve had a fantastic year with the things we achieved, we’ve pulled up short tonight but we’ve been everywhere and played everyone and until tonight we’ve been successful.

“I thought it was an amazing occasion for the game with the energy in the stadium and it was fantastic match for the spectators to watch.”

England defeated Spain, Italy, USA and France on their way to the final.

The Red Roses campaign inspired thousands of women to take up rugby and attend Warrior Camps in August, with many looking forward to the next set of camps in January 2018. Find one of the hundreds of women’s teams across the country, at findrugby.com. Turn to Page 4 for the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Numbers.

PRIDE OF THE RED ROSES

Continued on page 2

ENGLAND NEW ZEALAND

IN 2018ENGLAND TO PLAY

WORLD CHAMPIONS NEW ZEALAND FOR THE FIRST

TIME SINCE 2014 AS THEIR FIXTURES FOR THE 2018

OLD MUTUAL WEALTH SERIES ARE CONFIRMED

TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 20172

Continued from page 1

OLD MUTUAL WEALTH SERIES 2017 TIME CHANGE Kick off times for England’s three Test matches in the Old Mutual Wealth Series have changed and will kick off at 3pm, 30 mins later than initially announced.

This will allow the matches to be broadcast on Sky Sports’ new Main Event channel dedicated to the biggest live events on Sky Sports and available to all Sky customers with the full Sky Sports package. All three matches will also be shown live on Sky Sports Action.

The RFU has launched England Rugby Hospitality. After last December successfully securing planning permission for the redevelopment of Twickenham Stadium’s East Stand, England Rugby Hospitality will become the exclusive provider of official match day hospitality at Twickenham Stadium from autumn 2018. The new venture will also see Keith Prowse, the RFU’s long-standing official hospitality agent, become exclusive sales agent for England Rugby Hospitality.

The East Stand development will create an additional 11,600 sq.m of space over six levels. The new hospitality areas will be distinctive in design and celebrate the unique aspects of the home of England Rugby and the game. They will not only build on the stadium’s existing high-quality hospitality, but also diversify the hospitality offering to appeal to and attract new audiences.

Fans will be provided with a range of new hospitality options from informal dining experiences at The Gate, a chop house

RFU LAUNCHES ENGLAND RUGBY HOSPITALITY

themed restaurant serving quality meats, paired with premium wines and real ale, to a more upmarket restaurant offering, The Lock, serving classic English food with a contemporary twist. The East Wing will consist of large lounge spaces with bars and a concierge service and have unique dual aspect views of the match pitch and terraces overlooking the London landscape. Finally the Rose Garden will be an authentic roof garden with a vibrant mix of live cooking and live music.

Steve Brown, Chief Executive, RFU said: “We are excited about the prospect of owning, designing and delivering the only official match day hospitality at Twickenham Stadium from autumn 2018. England Rugby Hospitality will not only diversify our hospitality and create more choice, it will also transform fans’ match day hospitality experience. The new upgrade to the East Stand will create a quality, consistent offering to cater for a range of existing and new audiences. Through direct provision of official hospitality

we will better understand our customers and also be in a position to generate additional revenue which will be invested directly back into rugby at all levels.”

England Rugby Hospitality will begin operating immediately alongside Twickenham’s official licensed operators, before becoming the exclusive hospitality provider from autumn 2018.

Following the appointment of Ansell Henry as ERH Sales Director, who joins from IMG as Vice President and Head of Sales and Membership Services for Club Wembley, the RFU is now looking to recruit various roles including sales, finance, marketing and customer relationships management positions.

For more information visit englandrugby.comFor more information about England Rugby Hospitality visit

www.englandrugbyhospitality.com

Eddie Jones’ side will play four Test matches in next season’s series at Twickenham Stadium against South Africa (3 November), New Zealand (10 November), Japan (17 November) and Australia (24 November).

All matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports with kick off times to be confirmed at a later date.

England will host South Africa (3 November) in the first match of the series. The Springboks were beaten by England 37-21 the last time the two sides met in 2016. Ahead of the Old Mutual Wealth game at Twickenham, Jones’ team will travel to South Africa in June for a three-Test series.

England will then face the All Blacks (10 November) for the first time in four years. In 2014 England lost four times to the All Blacks including a three-Test series in New Zealand. They last beat New Zealand in 2012, defeating the number one side in the world 38-21 at Twickenham.

England’s Test match against Japan (17 November) will be only the second time in history the two sides have played each other.

The only previous meeting between the two nations was at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 when England secured a comfortable 60-7 victory over the Brave Blossoms in Sydney.

In the fourth Test, England will face Australia (24 November) who have lost their last four matches against Jones’ side. The Wallabies will play England on 18 November in this year’s Old Mutual Wealth Series between England’s matches against Argentina (11 November) and Samoa (25 November).

England Head Coach Eddie Jones said: “The 2018 Old Mutual Wealth Series is incredibly important for England as we build towards the Rugby World Cup in 2019.

“We want to win that series 4-0 and we will need to play extremely well to beat four very good teams over a four-week period.

“The series will give us a really good indicator of where we are as a squad, a year out from the Rugby World Cup, and gives us a real focus on what we have to do over the next 12 months to be ready for that series and win.

“Over the next year we need to continue to develop a bulletproof side, that can find ways to win in matches, and we will have to work hard and be smart in what we do to bridge the gap between us and the All Blacks. Our ambition is to be the number one team in the world going into the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.”

Michelle Andrews, Marketing Director, Old Mutual Wealth said: “The third Old Mutual Wealth Series sees England take on some really exciting opposition. With 2019 being a big year for rugby these fixtures will have added importance for the teams and fans alike.”

Old Mutual Wealth’s support of England Rugby extends from the men’s and women’s elite game to the grassroots through Old Mutual Wealth Kids First. Aimed at U7 to U13 boys and girls, Old Mutual Wealth Kids First puts children first, upskills coaches and creates a great rugby environment, so that everyone stays in the game for longer.

ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND IN 2018 OLD MUTUAL WEALTH SERIES

NICOL McCLELLAND

GARETH MILLS

2017 OLD MUTUAL WEALTH SERIESSATURDAY, 11 NOVEMBER: ENGLAND V ARGENTINA, KO 15.00SATURDAY, 18 NOVEMBER: ENGLAND V AUSTRALIA, KO 15.00SATURDAY, 25 NOVEMBER: ENGLAND V SAMOA, KO 15.00

TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017 3

England U18s ended their summer development tour with a 52-22 victory over South Africa Schools.England had won one against France and later lost to Wales in their previous games of the U19 International Series.

England led 19-0 against South Africa at the break through tries from Ollie Hassell-Collins, Josh Basham and Sam Moore.

South Africa scored second-half tries from Muller du Plessis (2) and Henco Martins as well as seven points from the boot of Qamani Kota.

But tries from Nick Rigby, Tom Willis, Cadan Marley, Sam Spink and Nick David as well as three Kieran Wilkinson conversions sealed victory.

England’s two point loss against Wales, saw the opposition leading 14-0 at the break through converted tries from Tomi Lewis and Kemsley Mathias. Wales narrowly held onto that lead, despite two late tries from England’s Will Capon and a conversion from

Cameron Redpath. England got their summer development tour off to a winning

start with a convincing 24-8 victory over France in Stellenbosch. They led 19-3 at the break through tries from Will Porter, Will Capon and Cadan Murley, along with two Kieran Wilkinson conversions in a clinical first half of rugby. France responded shortly after the break with a try from Mathis Lebel but Murley’s second late on sealed victory.

Russell Earnshaw, England U18 coach said:”This tour is about the players learning, making connections on and off the pitch and improving their skillset. Putting 50 points on South Africa in South Africa is outstanding and the players should be very proud of themselves.”

The squad supported vulnerable youngsters with some beach rugby while on tour, visiting a charity project called Waves for Change in Monwabisi. The charity uses surf

therapy to give vulnerable children the skills to cope with stress, regulate behaviour, build healing relationships and make positive life choices.

The England squad spent time in the charity’s centre learning about the project before putting the children through their paces with some rugby drills on the beach.

The children performed a traditional song for the squad – who then returned the gesture before the youngsters spent time in the sea, being introduced to the ocean with some also learning to body board and surf.

“We hope the playersl come away from today’s visit with a better awareness of the world,” said head coach John Fletcher. “It’s hugely important for rugby players to do things like this as they are role models, or they are going to be role models, and they have the opportunity to affect change as a result. People will look at their behaviour so they have a responsibility to young people.”

The inaugural Tyrrells Premier 15s season launched at Twickenham Stadium with all 10 club captains, coaches and club directors of rugby at the event.

The new women’s 15s domestic competition will see an investment of £2.4million from the RFU over the next three years with clubs benefitting directly. The competition is expected to improve standards of the women’s game, as well as increase the talent pool available for selection for England in the future.

The event previewed the up-coming season of the competition which starts on the 16th September and saw England Women’s captain Sarah Hunter, Wasps Director of Rugby, Giselle Mather and Nigel Melville discuss how the new competition will revolutionise the existing landscape of women’s domestic rugby.

Nigel Melville, RFU Director of Professional Rugby said: “It’s about raising the standard of the game and giving the athletes and clubs the support they need to be better. There was a gap between our club game and our international game so we wanted to put in a place a competition that was aspirational for younger players. We hope to double the number women and girls playing the game over the next four years to 50,000 players and a lot of them will want to participate in this league. This will help create better players.”

England Women captain and newly appointed Loughborough Lightening assistant coach and player Sarah Hunter said “The new Tyrrells Premier 15s is where the game needs to be in terms of

professionalism, high-quality coaching as well as support from strength and conditioning as well as medical teams. The league has been crying out for this for years and for the RFU to come in and transform it is fantastic. It’s great to be involved in it on and off the pitch.”

Wasps Director of Rugby, Giselle Mather said: “I can already see the difference the increase investment is having at my club. The athletes are really excited, there is a huge buzz about the place. We have an strength and conditioning department now, the medical team has improved and everything is there for them because of the sponsorship we have got. The excitement is palpable. We can’t wait until the 16th for the competition to begin”

Alongside the multi-million pound commitment from the RFU, title partner Tyrrells will also invest significantly into the competition bringing the partnership to life as part of on-pack promotions over the next three years.

A new website, Premier15s.com will officially launch ahead of the first weekend of fixtures in September.

In addition, the RFU has committed to live stream a minimum of five games across the season, hosted on the new website along with the new dedicated Twitter handle @Premier15s to promote the competition.

Tyrrells Premier 15s will operate in a league format with home and away fixtures confirmed today. The top four teams will progress to semi-finals played over two legs, culminating in a final on the 29th April.

To learn more visit the new website at Premier15s.com

TYRRELLS PREMIER 15S FIRST SEASON TAKES FLIGHT SUZI MURRAY

ENGLAND U18S IN SOUTH AFRICA NABIL HASSAN

JAPAN RECCEGARETH MILLSEngland head coach Eddie Jones was impressed by facilities at Miyazaki as he and his backroom staff made a recce ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Jones and his staff visited Miyazaki which Jones said has a “winning feel” to it.

They then moved on to Tokyo, Yokohama, Miyazaki and Kobe looking at various venues ahead of the tournament.

Jones said: “Miyazaki is a great training venue, a short walk from the hotel, so it’s a perfect training situation. The weather here is hot – perfect preparation for the World Cup so we’ll look in Japan to see where the best training facility is. I’ve obviously had experience of it, so has Steve Borthwick (former Japan assistant coach) so we think this could be a very good training venue for us.”

England will face Argentina, France, United States and Tonga in the pool stages of the competition and Jones added: “We’re possibly looking to come here to Miyazaki for that pre World Cup period where we’re putting the finishing touches on the team.

Jones, Borthwick, as well as strength and conditioning coach Dean Benton, also put local school kids through their paces and the former Japan head coach says it is important for his staff to integrate themselves with the locals.

“When you are coaching young kids you always want to teach them the fundamentals of the game,” said Jones.“If we decide to come back to Miyazaki for a camp it’s important we have a strong relationship with the community and a good way to give back to them is by giving the children of the area some training.”

4 TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

WOMEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUP IN NUMBERSIn just under three weeks of tournament rugby, the Women’s Rugby World Cup in Ireland was billed as the biggest ever Women’s Rugby World Cup.

It was broadcast to more countries worldwide than ever before. In England, there was television coverage across ITV and commentary on BBC Radio The final, broadcast on Saturday night prime time on ITV, had a peak audience of 2,651,000, with an average audience of 1,854,000, which is 11.8% share of viewers.These numbers were also seen in other countries, a reported 3.5m watching in France when they took on England in the semi-final.With all the pool games played at University College Belfast, the pool stages at both UCD Bowl and Billings Park UCD sold out in the build-up, starting, with over 16,000 people at the opening round of fixtures.When the play-off games moved to Northern Ireland, at the stadium at Queen’s University’s Upper Malone facility and Pro 14 side Ulster Rugby’s Kingspan Stadium, they were well attended, with the final at Kingspan Stadium approaching a sell-out in the 18,000-capacity venue.Across 30 matches in Ireland, fans saw 247 tries scored across the tournament, with an average of eight tries per match, with 1,549 points scored – an average of over 50 points at a match. England ran in 33 of those tries and scored 211 points across their five games with 14 players, exactly half of the squad, getting at least one try.The Red Roses’ were particular impressive in their pool games,scoring at least four tries to secure their bonus point by half-time in all three matches.Although at the very heart of rugby is the importance of a team game, individuals who stood out with their numbers included: Alex Matthews led the most carries in the tournament (59) as well as the most tackles (51), Abbie Scott was the most prolific at turnovers won with her five.For a second Women’s Rugby World Cup in a row Emily Scaratt was England’s top points scorer with 56 points, the third highest in the tournament Lydia Thompson’s two scores in the final made her England’s top try scorer with five.Scarratt topped the clean break list (11) and the metres made (289) Megan Jones made the most offloads with four.A number of players hit significant moments in their career in Ireland Both Marlie Packer and Harriet Millar-Mills reached 50 caps in the semi-final win over FranceFly half Katy Mclean hit 90 caps during the same game.Scarratt became the Red Roses leading points scorer, overtaking team mate Mclean, in that match and sits on 434 points in 73 Tests.England’s record cap holder Rochelle ‘Rocky’ Clark reached 129 appearances for her country when she came on in the final and is now joint sixth on the all-time capped list with former Ireland fly half Ronan O’Gara.

GREENE KING IPA CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF The ninth season of the Greene King IPA Championship launched with all 12 club captains and coaches at Twickenham Stadium.

The 2017/18 season kicked off on 2 September and saw Bristol Rugby return to the competition following relegation from Aviva Premiership Rugby and Hartpury RFC make their tier two debut.

Hosted by former Greene King IPA Championship player Tom May, the event saw John Barnes, Geoff Irvine, Pat Lam and Nigel Melville discuss the excitement of the new season.

Bristol Head Coach Pat Lam said: “It’s great to be involved in the Greene King IPA Championship, I look at the teams we are going to be facing and the venues we are going to be playing at and it’s very exciting.

“We have a clear vision at Bristol Rugby of where we want to go. We have three main objectives: to be a Champions Cup team, players playing for England and a lot of young Bristolians coming through and playing for Bristol. For that to happen it’s all about the quality of our rugby programme as well as coaching staff and if we get that right we’ll go a long way to achieving what we want to achieve.”

Hartpury RFC Director of Rugby John Barnes added: “Last year was a fantastic year, we never thought we’d go the season unbeaten and win promotion but when we got to that promotion stage it was sheer elation. To then finish the season unbeaten was a fantastic achievement and we look forward to the step up and the challenge in the Greene King IPA Championship.”

GREEN KING IPA SIGN UP FOR A FURTHER THREE SEASONSThe RFU has renewed its partnership with Greene King IPA for a further three seasons.

The extension will see Greene King IPA retain its title partnership of the Greene King IPA Championship, cementing its position as a key supporter of rugby at all levels of the game.

RFU Chief Commercial Officer, Simon Massie-Taylor said: “Extending our relationship with Greene King IPA is another strong step forward on our mission to continue improving the league, and to have such an established brand invest in the competition is a real credit to the clubs and their continued efforts to drive this competition forward.”

The news of Greene King IPA’s partnership extension was supported with the announcement that the RFU has invested in two significant marketing initiatives that will help to further promote the competition; a bespoke Greene King IPA Championship website and a redesign of the competition’s brand identity.

ChampionshipRugby.co.uk has been rolled out across all Greene King IPA Championship assets and collateral. In addition, the RFU has committed to live stream up to ten games this season which will be hosted on the new website along with the England Rugby social media channels and will be led by a commentary team of Tom May, Rob Vickerman and Nick Heath. This is in addition to the 11 games that Sky Sports – the official broadcaster of the Greene King IPA Championship – will air throughout the season.

For more information visit championship rugby

5TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

5,429 POINTS SCORED IN SEVENS WORLD RECORD ATTEMPTThe Horus 7s and Witney Barbarians rugby teams recently took on the challenge of playing the longest rugby 7s match in history, in a bid to become world record holders and earn a place in the Guinness World Records.

The RAF Brize Norton based Horus 7s rugby team was set up in 2016 to raise money for an injured Parachute Jumping Instructor from Airborne Delivery Wing, Corporal Rob Bugden. Rob was involved in a parachuting accident in January 2016 and sustained life changing injuries, for which he is currently undertaking an intense rehabilitation programme at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre Headley Court.

The team take part in many competitions around the UK and raise money through donations at the events, as well as selling team merchandise. This year they have raised just under £4,000 to support Rob, The RAF Benevolent Fund and the main beneficiary from the world record attempt, Cakes 4 Casualties.

Prior to the accident, Rob was an endurance runner, with a great passion for rugby, so the team wanted to come up with a challenge that combined the two. Months of planning went into the event and two teams made up of 12 men per squad (as stipulated in the Guinness World Record rules) took to the field. At 17:00 the game kicked off. Each period of play lasted for an hour before the players had a five minute pause; this continued for the full 24 and a half hours.

Both teams received great support from friends, family and locals throughout the marathon game. The first two hours saw play at a very rapid pace and players had really taken on board the competitive nature of the game required for the world record attempt.

As the game moved on into the night, morale was decreasing; it was dark, cold and very wet. The players needed a lot of encouragement and through supporters on the sidelines, and a few characters on the pitch, the teams got through the night in what was still a highly competitive game.

As the sun came up, the players got their 10th wind as once again the pace of the game increased. As the day went on, more and more supporters turned up and the £2,100 fundraising mark was also reached for Cakes 4 Casualties. At the 24 hour point there were many broken and fatigued rugby players, but the end was in sight.

As the final whistle blew, both teams came together to congratulate each other on the amazing feat of endurance; there were lots of cheers from both the players and supporters, and fireworks were let off to end the event.

An incredible amount of money had been raised for charity and hopefully a world record achieved. The teams are now waiting hear from Guinness World Records to discover if the world record has been verified and awarded, once the officials have painstakingly gone through the video footage and logs from the event.

Between the two teams a total of 5,429 points were scored, with Horus 7s scoring 3,035 and Witney Barbarians finishing on 2,394 points.

The organising committee, led by Sergeant Phil Thomas, thanked all of the players and all those involved behind the scenes who helped to make the event possible; You can follow @Horus7s on Twitter for news of the record

1000 RUGBY GROUNDSMEN CONNECTEDRugby Groundsmen Connected reached a major milestone in August with the 1000th member signing up.

The initiative, launched in 2015, provides an easy access, two-way communication channel between the RFU and rugby union groundsmen. It is the main way that the RFU provides information and advice to groundsmen across the country, also offering special deals and exclusive benefits for members.

Keith Kent is the programme’s ambassador and was delighted to know that he’s now connected with 1,000 people who care about pitches as deeply as he does.

“We never thought the scheme would have such an incredible reaction when we first had the idea and to achieve one thousand members so quickly is a credit to all those involved. We’re simply here to help groundsmen in whatever way we possibly can so that the playing surfaces they tend week in week out satisfy players’ needs. Groundsmen are often the unsung heroes of the game and it has been fantastic meeting so many of them.”

Ted Mitchell who co-ordinates the scheme on behalf of the RFU is keen to keep the momentum going. “What’s great for me is that not only are groundsmen signing up, but an increasing number are also taking full advantage of the benefits on offer. We’ve ordered more discounted machinery this month than ever before and the knowledge bank of our responses to member questions is growing week on week. Keith has been out and about offering advice over the summer and it all bodes well for the new season.”

It’s never too late to join Groundsmen Connected and anyone who is interested should just drop an email to groundsmenconnected@rfu.com or follow them on twitter via @rugbygroundsmen

There was a fantastic turnout on a warm and sunny day at Banbury RUFC’s Bodicote Park for their first Just For Girls rugby camp. Led by Matt Goode with support from RFU Community Rugby Coach Gary Morris, Tim Wheeler and Owen Perkins, the girls were taken through core rugby skills, passing drills, positioning, space awareness, supporting the player with the ball, keeping the ball live etc..

After lunch and some ice lollies to cool down, the girls enjoyed a general knowledge quiz and can now tell you all what the biggest carnivore in the UK is, who is the captain of the England Women’s team and some quick rugby maths! Another game followed before trophies were handed out to four girls who showed the positive attributes playing as part of a team requires. Everyone agreed that all of the girls were the epitome of the This Girl Can campaign and all were given brand new kit bags, rugby balls, gym vouchers and other rugby goodies.

For more information on the Banbury RUFC Junior Belles contact Karen Wheeler at karen1tim2002@yahoo.com

JUST FOR GIRLS AT BANBURY

6 TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

A PARTY OF 36 BOYS AND FIVE STAFF FROM AKS LYTHAM RECENTLY RETURNED FROM AN EIGHT MATCH TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA AND SWAZILANDDuring the 17 day tour, they were involved in a variety of cultural and community based experiences, a significant part of the Lancashire based school’s ethos and as Robbie Jones (Director of PE) pointed out, “We are always keen to go off the beaten track”.

After two days at a training camp and matches in Pretoria and Cape Town to look forward to, the four days they spent in Swaziland working alongside the Skrum charity was extremely rewarding for all concerned.

Skrum, an organisation set up to help increase HIV awareness uses the slogan “Pass the ball, not the virus”, is run by ex-pat

Michael Collinson, a regular visitor to the Rosslyn Park National Schools 7s, as well as being the President of the Swaziland Rugby Union and World Rugby Council member.

With a day spent coaching some of the young children and four games during the Swazi leg of the tour, the AKS party were greeted by the match officials wearing old Arnold School shirts, taken out by the now merged school on a previous tour in 2014.

Ahead of the second round of matches versus Swaziland U17 and U18 sides, AKS staff member and Manchester Society referee Joe Matthews gave a presentation to the young Swazi officials

before refereeing the U18 game himself and giving feedback following the U17 match refereed by the Skrum coaching staff.

After the matches, AKS were delighted to be able to hand over more playing kit from both the school and through SOS Kit Aid, as well some referees shirts provided by Andy Thompson from SOS Kit Aid and Manchester & District Referee Society.

For more information on the charities visit www.skrum.org and www.soskitaid.com

AKS LYTHAM BOYS IN SWAZILAND

This season sees the final recommendations from the four-year Age Grade Competition Review implemented, building on the successes of last season in developing Age Grade Rugby in England.

The Age Grade Codes of Practice are now available on englandrugby.com/agegraderugby providing practical support to all delivering the Age Grade game. The Codes provide advice on how to adopt a player-centred and holistic approach to rugby. The aim is for them to be used by everyone involved in Age Grade Rugby.

Clubs and schools who have committed to the Old Mutual Wealth Kids First pledge will also benefit from increased support in making the rugby experience for our younger players even more fun. The Old Mutual Wealth Kids First Community will share successes and challenges online as well as local opportunities to get together. A series of funded Old Mutual Wealth Kids First training courses for coaches and teachers will also be staged across the country.

Said Mark Saltmarsh “We have been really pleased with this first full year of implementing the changes to Age Grade Rugby. We have seen numerous positive examples of the impact up and down the country. We are really grateful to the CBs and CSUs who have taken a lead in this work and to those across the Age Grade game in clubs, schools, colleges and academies who have really brought into it. There are still some areas to work on this season to further address over and under playing as well as enhancing the dialogue between club and schools. The Codes of Practice and expansion of Old Mutual Wealth Kids First support are a great starting point for all involved to do this and truly place players of every level at the centre of all we do in our Age Grade game.”

Regulation 15 changes which came in from August 1st can be accessed on englandrugby.com/regulations. These include clarity on when our youngest players start competitive rugby and when girls can start playing adult rugby. There are also updates to out of season activities at the various age groups. The new Code of Practice makes the full regulations easier to read and apply.

For more information on Age Grade Rugby, please visit englandrugby.com/agegraderugby and to sign up to Old Mutual Wealth Kids First, go to englandrugby.com/kidsfirst

MILESTONE SEASON FOR AGE GRADE RUGBY

7TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

Work is underway on five new Rugby 365 England Rugby Artificial Grass Pitches(AGPs) set for completion by next season in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Durham, West Midlands and Yorkshire.

The AGPs are at host clubs Billingham RUFC, Derby RFC, Keighley RUFC, Shelford RFC and Stourbridge RFC and follow the completion of the first three AGPs in Buckinghamshire, Somerset and Lancashire at the end of last year.

England Rugby’s investment in AGPs is part of their Rugby World Cup 2015 legacy of delivering over £50m over four years into the development of 100 AGPs across England.

In four months of on-season usage since the first three Rugby 365 pitches opened in January, they have hosted over 250 matches and more than 30 festivals of rugby with a combined footfall of 20,000 players enjoying the experience.

Paul Milham, Chairman of Aylesbury RFC, host club for Buckinghamshire’s AGP, said, “Aylesbury RFC was one of the first three clubs to host an RFU Rugby 365 floodlit artificial grass pitch and, since launch, the community has utilised it to the fullest. In the first four months of 2017 we hosted over 70 matches and the pitch involving over 9,500 players from men’s under 18 players to junior players to women and girls who made up a third of all of bookings.”

Paul adds “One of the biggest benefits to us as a club has been the ability to restructure our youth section training hours on a Sunday to allow all age groups to continue to train when our grass pitches have been unusable.“

The pitches are a community facility for all clubs, players and teams from across the area to benefit from and enjoy. Testament to the growth of the women’s game, a third of all bookings have involved women and girls and a third of bookings are by non-senior teams, showing great appetite from youth players.

“We are building AGPs in locations where an over-capacity pitch is limiting a club’s ability to grow or fulfil existing training or match demand, where there is high potential to grow the game and where pitches are suffering from overuse,” said Steve Grainger, RFU Rugby Development Director.

He adds, “traditionally a club’s best pitch is often reserved for their first team due to fear of damaging the ground through overuse ahead of matches. Yet, the durability of the new AGPs, coupled with their all-weather surface and floodlights, enable players of all ages and abilities to experience playing on a high quality pitch year-round.”

The installation of the pitches will create over 50,000 more playing hours for clubs across the country, ensuring more matches and training sessions can occur. The additional games and training sessions created will allow more participation at flexible times to suit the changing playing demands currently seen.

Billingham launched their AGP with rugby royalty in the form of England’s most capped men’s player, Jason Leonard OBE, in front of a crowd of spectators.

Chairman of Billingham AGP, Mark Armstrong, said “We’re honoured to be selected as the host for the community’s first Rugby 365 AGP. This will enable us to ensure both Billingham RUFC, the local community and the entire county can play year round rugby, irrespective of the weather, while enabling us to continue to develop the amount of rugby being played. Today’s launch saw us host a Colts 7s tournament, a ladies representative game and a senior first team fixture, all on the same pitch, one after the other, which has been absolutely brilliant to see.”

The RFU expects the creation of additional AGPs will generate over 16,000 participants playing at least once every two weeks, with 58,000 players introduced to rugby for the first time each year.

Alongside the Rugby 365 programme, the RFU is investing £10m over four years into partner organisations to part-fund 40 Rugby Share pitches on community sites. The University of Hull and University of Gloucester are due for completion by next season and will offer even greater access to rugby across their respective communities through multi-sport AGP playing surfaces.

For more information on the RFU’s Rugby 365 AGP programme please go to englandrugby.com/rugby365

ARTIFICIAL GRASS PITCHES GEMMA COBB

8 TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

England Rugby and Comic Relief recently announced the first set of Try for Change small grant recipients in England Rugby’s first initiative in partnership with Sport Relief. Aimed at supporting smaller charities, community groups and grassroots rugby clubs in England, the grants offer projects up to £10,000 to support the valuable work they are doing to improve lives through rugby.

Over 40 organisations, including 17 rugby clubs, applied for a small grant, with 11 projects awarded funding. The successful projects are located across England and use rugby and its core values as a tool to greatly improve and support the lives of marginalised and disadvantaged people.

Dominic Proctor, RFU Chair for Try for Change and RFU Board Member said “It’s great to see such deserving projects being awarded grants in our first round of funding. The projects selected each demonstrate how rugby has the ability to improve the lives of millions of people from all walks of life and I’m excited to see how they each of them utilise their grants to make a real difference over the coming months.”

Sue Wicks, Strategic Lead, Sport for Change at Comic Relief said: “The small grant recipients have each shown their commitment to making positive change through rugby, with many already demonstrating just how important such initiatives are to individuals in need. There’s a great spectrum of projects covering numerous disadvantaged and socially isolated groups across England and I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow their fantastic programmes over the coming year to provide positive change within their communities.”

Mike Crofts, CEO of 3 Pillars, said, “We have already successfully piloted our rugby academy course with young men in HMP Wormwood Scrubs in North East London and the Try for Change grant will enable us to deliver new courses in further prisons. Our project emphasises the value of teamwork and sportsmanship through rugby, helping people achieve their full potewntial.

“One prison officer remarked that she had seen a young man’s behaviour become unrecognisable over the course, while a prisoner remarked that learning to play rugby ‘allowed him to feel

part of a team and be more positive in prison’.”Following the successful Try for Change small grants round,

Comic Relief and England Rugby have launched a large grants round which is open for submissions from Monday 4 September.

The projects awarded small grants during this round of funding are: Liverpool Tritons RUFC, Derby RUFC & Sporting Futures, Manchester Village Spartans RUFC, Moseley Rugby Community Foundation, White Gold Cornwall, Plymouth Sports Charity, Northumbria Sport Foundation, Newcastle, Roots Project CIC, Bridlington, 3 Pillars Project, London Sporting Memories Foundation, Brighton (and across England) and Centre Spot CIC, North Birmingham.

England Rugby is a partner of Sport Relief and fundraise for the Try for Change Fund which is a fully managed fund by Comic Relief. Sport Relief is an initiative of Comic Relief, registered charity 326568 (England/Wales); SC039730 (Scotland)

TRY FOR CHANGE SMALL GRANTS PROJECTS ANNOUNCED GEMMA COBB

9TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

Alex Marsh, a 22-year old match official, flew to the other side of the world in June to tell the KYBO! community about the exciting refereeing opportunities that exist if you are willing to pack your boots and travel. The Roaming Referee is with Gloucester & District Referees Society and recently graduated from Gloucester University.

He has spent the summer getting to know the referee communities in New Zealand, Australia and latterly Anchorage, where he discovered Pack Your Boots! In Alaska, also means run for your life when your neighbour is a local grizzly bear. Alaskan referees take this kind of thing in their stride – where else do you get wayward Moose walking onto the pitch during a game?

This month (September), Alex is in Alaska as refereeing intern at the Alaska Mountain Range Grounds. Nestled at the foot of the mountain, this is probably the most spectacular rugby playing pitch in the world. Living in a log cabin, overlooking the main pitch, Alex is sharing his refereeing,

coaching and training knowledge with a passionate and growing rugby community in north east America.

During his travels Alex met and interviewed members of Referee Associations in New Zealand, bumped into Wayne Barnes and Matthew Carley in a hotel in Sydney and tested his skills as a Referee Coach at the State School Championships in New South Wales. Jamie McGregor, ARU Match Official Development Officer, told him why referees need to understand the importance of earning players’ respect and Amy Perrett, an international role-model for women and girls, shared how she started officiating and her most memorable moment. Alex’s boots had a run around when he took charge of a local match between Newport v Epping in New South Wales.

Alex’s video diaries have been watched by more than 24,000 members of the KYBO! community. To watch the series, visit the ‘Pack Your Boots’ playlist on the KYBO! Facebook Channel

IT’S A GRIZZLY EXPERIENCE WHEN ALEX PACKS HIS BOOTS

Comic Relief and England Rugby are inviting proposals for large grants to help fund projects using rugby union and its community to tackle a number of social challenges and aiming to have a significant and measurable impact on people’s lives.

England Rugby and Comic Relief joined forces last year to launch the Try for Change Fund using rugby union and the rugby community to deliver social change in England and across the world.

Over four years, £4 million will be raised and distributed by Comic Relief and England Rugby to support rugby for change projects.

The inaugural large grants programme open for proposals from 4th September to 2nd October 2017 (midday).follows the success of the small grants programme, which launched in February 2017 and whose first awards have just been announced.

These large grants will be awarded to projects likely to make a big difference.

Proposals to the Try for Change large grants programme will need to demonstrate wider social outcomes and not just focus on increasing participation in rugby. Proposals which target the most vulnerable and marginalised groups will be prioritised and they must work towards at least one of the following outcomes:Increase community cohesion/ social integrationImprove educational attainmentIncrease employabilityReduce involvement in gangs and reduce the risk of re-offendingImprove mental and physical health

The fund is open to charities, not-for-profit organisations and rugby clubs across England. Organisations will be able to apply for a grant of up to £100,000 for work delivered over 2-3 years. As well as existing rugby for change programmes, we are looking to fund new and innovative approaches. Due to the nature of the funding agreement, projects must be delivered in England.

The application process will be will a one stage process and we will be open for proposals from 4th September to 2nd October 2017 (midday). Shortlisted organisations will be informed by the end of October and assessed in November. Final decisions will be made by late January 2018.

To apply for funding visit comic relief

TRY FOR CHANGE LARGE GRANTS PROGRAMME OPEN FOR PROPOSALS

CHECK OUT THE CLUB BENEFITS GUIDEWith this Touchline your club should have received an updated copy of the Club Benefits Guide for the 2017/18 season.In it you will find current details of all the resources, services and advantages that you can get thanks to being an RFU member club.Don’t miss out because you don’t know what you may be entitled to. Just check out the Club Benefits Guide.Also available online

GEMMA COBB

10 TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

According to Thomas Edison genius is one percent inspiration, ninety nine percent perspiration and 15-year-old Jack Tombs from Haberdasher Askes Knights Academy in the London Borough of Lewisham has certainly experienced both.

Jack joined the England Rugby local rugby delivery team in Kent for two weeks of action-packed work experience. He shadowed community rugby coaches Chris Spedding, Keith Forward and James Bloxham and assisted in improving the skills of young leaders at CBRE All School Bacons College, before helping them to deliver a mega-fest to local primary schoolchildren in Southwark. He also helped referee and run a transition festival with Bacons College for year 7 students to help recruit young players for Southwark Tigers RFC.

More inspiration came when he was lucky enough to spend a few hours at the Lensbury observing the young England 7s talent coming through the ranks. He learned a lot about their game based approach to developing as players in a coaching masterclass led by Warren Abrahams.

Said Community Rugby Coach Chris Spedding: “It’s been great to see Jack’s confidence grow and see his ambition to take up coaching flourish. From speaking with his mum, this has given him a new focus in what he wants to achieve after school. He’s a great young man and his enthusiasm is great to see.”

Jack’s coaching journey has certainly begun. He said: ‘‘Work experience with the RFU gave me a lot of confidence to go on and coach others, as well as improve my game. It has opened up opportunities that I wouldn’t have known about before and I’ve now completed several coaching courses, including the Rugby Ready course to help me in my future as a coach.’’

Jack also put his work experience and new coaching knowledge into practice by helping coach at his local club Beckenham RFC’s summer camp. Jack plays for Beckenham U16s where he will be using all he has learned in his own game.

Blackpool RUFC has been missing fun and candy floss over recent years, in fact for almost a decade they have been struggling to survive. But the 2017-18 season is set to bring the enjoyment back to Blackpool.

Chris Parlour the newly appointed captain at the Blackpool club, having moved back to the area, has teamed up with Sean O’Brien, a former player and now club chairman, director of rugby, George Hunt, and they have been busy recruiting over the summer and so far have more than 30 new club members on their books.

Chris, the son of the late Ed Parlour, who coached the team, says they are “gearing up to take huge strides forward” having operated as a one team club in Division 5N and last season reaching an all-time low, finishing bottom of the table, with just five regular players and facing having to fold. Financial restraints and competition for players from bigger, rival clubs had been a real challenge but now, with 60 years of history, a new era has hopefully arrived.

“We have been actively seeking the support of local businesses and some discussions have been very positive, so far we have sponsorship from iwaswronglyaccused.co.uk and EDC Blackpool Ltd, and Business Energy Plus Limited as well as some positive media coverage from the Blackpool Gazette. And with a new influx of keen players we are pushing forward with our ambitions. This club is too important to us to let it die and it’s a real part of the community.”

With more than 20 players turning up to train and socialise each week, the atmosphere is more boom than gloom and says newly recruited fly half, Adam Glover: “New players have been made so welcome that I’m sure we’ll get a decent squad out for the season and, who knows, move from the basement to the top level of the league!”

A series of pre-season friendlies and a family barbecue kicked off the season, with new players welcome at weekly training. For more information visit the club’s Facebook page

JACK THINKS OUTSIDE THE BOX

BLACKPOOL’S TOWERING AMBITION

Activate is an evidence-based injury prevention intervention that has been developed following a number of research studies. The training and pre-match exercise programme focuses on balance, strength and agility to better prepare players for the physical demands of exercise and aims to mitigate injury risks.

Each phase includes exercises which improve movement control and functional conditioning, and pre-activate the muscles in readiness for activity. The specific neck exercises aid activation of stabilising muscles around the head and neck which is thought to reduce the potential whiplash effect that can cause concussion.

Activate can be integrated as part of the warm up element of any session before training or matches.Developed by a research team at University of Bath the schoolboy study involved 40 schools

and nearly 2,500 players aged 14 – 18. The researchers found that when players completed the exercises three times a week injuries fell overall by 72%, this included concussion injuries which were reduced by 59%. Comparable results were also found in a similar study carried out with adult male players in 40 community clubs.

The articles for both the adult male and schoolboy injury prevention studies have been published in the Bristish Journal of Sports Medicine. For details on how to access these articles and other relevant research please go to englandrugby.com

More information and access to the free Activate online resources can be found at englandrugby.com

A free two-hour practical session has been developed to equip coaches and teachers with the key components of the exercise programme so that they can deliver it as part of their existing rugby and PE sessions. Our research suggests that coaches and teachers who attended the face to face session were more competent and confident in delivering the programme effectively. Therefore, it is highly recommended that coaches and teachers attend this session prior to accessing the online resources.

To organise a free face to face session at your club or school please contact your local Rugby Development Officer/Community Rugby Coach – contact details are available at englandrugby.com

SAFEGUARDING CHILDRENAt the start of the 2017/18 season rugby clubs are reminded that all those who have mini and junior players must appoint a Club Safeguarding Officer (CSO), as the first point of contact for safeguarding and welfare concerns

This Officer should be a member of, or attend, the appropriate club committees, making safeguarding issues a priority at the proper level. Clubs should also ensure that they develop a safeguarding training plan, ensuring that as a minimum their CSO attends an In Touch Workshop within six months of taking up the post.

In addition , each mini and youth age group should have at least one person who has attended the Play It Safe course.

Promoting best practice throughout the club includes notifying all members, parents and children when a new CSO is appointed and publishing and making accessible to all members the club’s own safeguarding policy, reinforcing the RFU Safeguarding Policy and procedures and reflecting the unique local circumstances for that club.

All club officers and committee members should be aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure that at any youth disciplinary panel, the CSO supports the child and ensures that the panel considers the child’s emotional wellbeing throughout, following the RFU Guidance available for achieving best evidence for child witnesses.

All those in a club’s children’s workforce should have up-to-date DBS checks . And everyone involved in the game should, if they suspect any harm to a young player or have concerns, report them in line with procedures contained in the RFU Safeguarding Policy englandrugby

In Touch Workshops and Play It Safe courses can be accessed at englandrugby.com

The RFU Safeguarding Team’s YouTube channel has a great deal of informative content to help everyone in safeguarding children youtube.com

ORGANISE AN ACTIVATE EXERCISE PROGRAMME SESSION AND HELP PREVENT INJURIES GEMMA COBB

18 REFEREE SOCIETIES NOW RFU MEMBERSFollowing a successful application process for RFU membership, ratified by the Governance Standing Committee, nine referee societies gained full voting membership this month (September). They join the nine Societies who are already members.

They were: Staffordshire Rugby Union Society of Referees Limited, Warwickshire Society of Referees, London Society of Rugby Football Union Referees, Suffolk and North Essex Rugby Referees Society, Somerset County RFU Referees Society Ltd, Plymouth Rugby Referees Society, Bristol Rugby Referees Society, Buckinghamshire Referees Society and Gloucester and District Referees Society Ltd.

Said Michael Patz RFU Match Official Development Manager “This now affords the nine Societies all the privileges of membership of the RFU. It is part of implementing the recommendations of the Match Officials Blueprint and follows the Rugby Referees Union attaining CB status last year. I know that our match officials are delighted with this new status and I’m sure everyone will want to congratulate them and wish them all the best for the future.”

11TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

University rugby is thriving and has become bigger and better than ever before, giving undergraduates a real enthusiasm for the game.

One of England Rugby’s aims is to keep as many of these male and female students as possible playing at local clubs after graduation. Maybe they are heading to your club’s territory and you could be snapping them up and welcoming them on board.

Peter Macaulay University Development Manager says: “We want to help clubs get the benefit of recruiting or retaining more graduates. There is now a set of resources specifically designed to help which can be found at englandrugby.com. Perhaps the biggest opportunity for all clubs is FindRugby.com – all clubs have the opportunity to explain what they offer to players trying to find a club, and an easy guide has been produced to help.” You

can also contact samstrickson@rfu.com or petermacaulay@rfu.com.Research led by IPSOS Mori and Liverpool John Moores University has shown that roughly 38%

of graduates head to London which represents a great opportunity for London and south east clubs to recruit new young players. However, that also means there are around 2,000 other players leaving university each year and settling elsewhere, ready to be recruited by clubs across the country.

Phil de Glanville former England Captain and Students RFU Representative said: “There has been fantastic growth in students playing rugby at university or at nearby clubs in the past few years, but nearly one in two currently stops playing after graduation. We want universities to help ensure players find their next rugby home and which could also really help them out in the workplace.”

Some London clubs are already on the front foot with this. Chris Calloway from Southwark RFC explains: “We are working with England Rugby to reach out to recent graduates who could really benefit from joining a rugby club. Joining a rugby club like ours is a great way to both make new friends and build a network of business contacts – and attracting recent graduates will make a real difference to our player membership. So we all win.”

It is an opportunity that universities are also increasingly recognising. Two of the biggest rugby playing universities, Durham and Exeter, are playing a fixture on Friday night 13th October at Rosslyn Park RFC to help them to re-connect with their own graduates at eventbrite.co.uk

And it’s not just the traditional rugby playing universities getting involved. Paul Newton from the University of Bolton says: “While we have great links with local clubs, we want to keep all our graduates playing wherever they end up!”

ENGLISH SIDES AT INTERNATIONAL MIXED ABILITY TOURNAMENTMixed ability rugby teams from around the world gathered in Spain last month (August) for the International Mixed Ability Rugby Tournament.

The competition, designed to showcase and promote mixed ability rugby, saw 12 teams, including three from England, compete over three days of the tournament.

Bradford Bumbles, Letchworth Braveherts and Shropshire Stags all took part, with the Bumbles finishing on a high having been awarded the Spirit of Rugby prize, for the side that best showcased rugby’s values. Bumbles player Lee Hainsworth was also named Player of the Tournament

Mixed ability rugby allows able-bodied and disabled athletes to participate together in full contact rugby, regardless of their disability. The game is played in line with all the rules of a regular match aside from scrums which are uncontested and able-bodied players act as facilitators or helpers to guide players on the pitch.

The format, first started in Wales 20 years ago, has grown significantly in England since life-long rugby fan Anthony Brooke in 2009 founded the Bumbles – England’s first mixed ability rugby side.

The inaugural tournament was held in 2015 which saw over 400 players take part and this year’s tournament was won by Argentina.

WHY NOT GRAB RECENT GRADUATES FOR YOUR CLUB TEAMS?

DUSTY HOME TO HELP NEWARK CELEBRATE UPGRADEDusty Hare returned to his home club to help open Newark’s new impressive dressing room block.

The former England full back, who was part of the 1980 Grand Slam team, started his career in senior rugby at the club before moving on to Nottingham and then Leicester.

Hare, who is a life member at the Midlands Two East North club, handed the honour of opening the new facility to another former player in David Pick who has been a volunteer project manager.

“David deserved the honour of cutting the ribbon because he’s done so much in guiding the dressing room project from start to finish,” Hare explained.

Hare, who attended Magnus School in the town, remembers making his debut for the club in a second XV match at the start of the 1969-70 season before a first team debut the following week at Norwich.

“It was a baptism in men’s rugby,” he explained. “I left school to be a professional cricketer with Nottinghamshire and was only playing rugby for enjoyment when I joined Newark.”

Hare coached at the club when his two sons were growing up and he added that clubs like Newark had become very important in giving boys and girls the opportunity to play the game.

“In my day the local schools played a very big part but now mini and youth sections like Newark are very important.

“I know how important the club is for grassroots rugby – Newark is important to me. I am a Newark person through and through.”

Another leading volunteer in the project is president Alan Swain who has masterminded the club’s fund raising campaign which has seen members and supporters raise over £200,000 in the last two years.

The club has been further helped by a £295,000 grant from Sport England while the Rugby Football Foundation have loaned around £100,000. Grants from Tarmac (£40,000) and Wren (£49,500), the landfill tax organisation, have also been received. Among the guests was Peter Grace who was representing the RFF.

The new dressing rooms, including a large physio treatment room, are the first phase in a project which will cost £1.2 million in all.

Newark are aiming to complete the second phase (club office, shop and meeting rooms) by the New Year followed by a new club bar and dining facility next summer before the centenary season of 2019.

In all, it is estimated over 400 Newark players, of all ages, will use the new facility this season.

JOE OGDEN

TOUCHLINEEditorial input with pictures to: Touchline Editor, Patricia Mowbray

Email: patriciamowbray@rfu.com Direct Line: 0208 831 6514Correspondence 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: englandrugby.comPhotography 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 RFU Rose and the words ‘England Rugby’ are official registered trade marks of the Rugby Football

Union and are subject to extensive trade mark registration worldwide.

12 TOUCHLINE – SEPTEMBER 2017

THE RUGBY FOOTBALL UNION WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING WHO GENEROUSLY SUPPORT THE GAME

The AASE League has for nine years been developing the next generation of stars and recently saw the rise of a new style of rugby. PJ Butler, a Newcastle-based coach and the AASE Scheme Manager at Gosforth Academy for five seasons, set a target at the start of last season of 300 offloads in the campaign and the side turned heads with their style of play

Butler himself played at Academy level, playing for Bath’s age-grade team before becoming a coach in 2007. He was head coach of Linlithgow RFC in Scotland before taking up the job at Gosforth.

“We tried to get our players thinking differently about how the game should be played,” said Butler. “It was pretty experimental but the players led it and enjoyed it and that’s crucial.”

Most teams Gosforth played last season attempted around 10 offloads a match, while for Gosforth that figure was closer to 50 and the approach certainly worked. The secondary school, linked to Newcastle Falcons, had not made the AASE Championship play-offs since entering the tournament in 2013, but stormed to the final with a string of superb performances, including an impressive 40-0 semi-final victory over Worcester College (Worcester Warriors AASE) to advance to the final, where they were defeated 19-53 by Exeter College.

“We made sure the focus was on how we played rather than the results,” says Butler but even he was surprised by the stats that his coaching team saw after the first few games. “It was amazing. We were up to around 60 offloads a game and you could see on that the team were focusing on attacking space and keeping the ball in play.”

Butler says the approach wouldn’t have worked without an emphasis on the CARDS skills: creativity, awareness, resilience, decision-making and self-organisation pioneered by England’s age grade sides.

“Focusing on CARDS allowed the players to take control of the way we approached a game and it was massively successful. We didn’t want to constrict them and if they tried things which didn’t work we would never say ‘you shouldn’t have done that.’”

This year’s AASE League will see the 14 teams battle it out in separate north and south pools to try and make the play-off stages. The league, originally named the Academic and Sporting Excellence League, was set up in 2008 to provide a competition structure for institutions offering an outstanding rugby programmes alongside academic education for students aged 16-18.

All teams are linked to the Academy of a professional side and AASE has become a successful breeding ground for some of England’s household names, the likes of Jack Nowell and his Exeter Chiefs teammate Luke Cowan-Dickie. Last season 18 of Gosforth’s 26 players were also part of Newcastle’s Academy side and Butler knows this season will be even tougher.

“I think we caught some teams by surprise last season but they will be more prepared this time. Our focus will remain on our own game we’ll see how far that takes us.”

You can follow all the fixtures and results from the AASE League here.

RUGBY REMEMBERING DANIt is two years since 25-year-old Dan Hickey was killed in a hit and run incident in his home town of Bristol. But many people’s hearts were touched by Dan, a keen rugby player, who represented Leicester University for four years and when back in Bristol returned to play for his home team, the Bristol Saracens.

To honour and remember a beloved son and friend, the Dan Hickey Fund was set up last year in his memory, by Dan’s brother Joe, sister Elizabeth and seven of his close friends. The fund raises money for small, local Bristol charities making a difference to the lives of people of 25 or younger who have an interest in sport or drama, Dan’s two main interests.

Four main events have already raised £55,000. Last year saw a fundraising rugby match between Dan’s clubs the Bristol Saracens and the Leicester Alumni and this summer the second Dan Hickey memorial rugby match was played at the Saracen’s ground in Bristol. More than 40 Leicester alumni played Bristol Saracens, including players dusting off their boots for the first time in four years to play in Dan’s name. Former students who graduated up to seven years ago were playing alongside current university rugby club members, in a game which was closely fought and a fitting tribute to Dan.

The Sarries had a squad of 48, mostly Dan’s old teammates, with a few close friends from other clubs and last season’s successful Colts side. The side was organised by club captain, Will Harding, and John Howell.

Leicester looked much sharper in the backs with an outstanding offloading game seeing them race into an early lead. However, the Sarries pack held the upper hand in the tight encounters and this saw a number of penalties at scrum time and a few tries from pick and gos and driving lineouts. Five tries were scored in the last 20 minutes to (in the Sarrie’s opinion) win the game – the referee stopped counting but the Sarries had it at 44-42.

Afterwards Sam Daniels who organised the University of Leicester RUFC team said, “We would like to thank the Hickey family and Bristol Saracens RUFC for making us welcome and enjoying a few drinks with us after the game. This event epitomises why rugby union is a truly special and unique sport.”

To discover more about the Dan Hickey Fund click here

GOSFORTH ACADEMY GO FAR WITH BUTLER’S OFFLOADING GAME

CELEBRATION OF A LIFE IN RUGBYGuests at the glittering charity event held to celebrate the career of former rugby international John Spencer, current President of the RFU, raised a magnificent £30,000 for Cardiac Risk in the Young and Wharfedale RUFC. John started his rugby career with the club in 1964, making his England debut in 1969, before playing another 14 times for them throughout the 1970s. He was also selected to play for the 1971 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, returning as manager of this year’s very successful Lions tour.

The event, in a beautiful marquee in the club’s scenic grounds. brought together a stellar sporting line up including; Sir Ian McGeechan, Bill Beaumont, Ian Robertson, Andy Irvine, Derek Quinnell, David Duckham, Simon Halliday and sports broadcaster John Inverdale – who entertained the assembled 400 guests with their rugby anecdotes and stories. Main sponsors for the event were Skipton Building Society and Pitchero, with audio visuals donated by Simply Better Events.

JOE OGDEN