This season at Richard Huish College has seen the rugby partnership with Bristol Bears go from strength to strength, starting with the opening of a brand new 4G training facility and a restructuring of the Coaching Staff.
Bears Academy Coach, Keith Leaker took over the programme as Head Coach, supported by fellow Bears Staff, Jake Ellis (Forwards Coach) and Adam Turner (Athletic Development). The Men’s Programme also welcomed Mike Ryan as Skills Coach.
The Autumn term was used to assess the potential of the new cohort and develop both a performance and enrichment squad to fulfil competitive fixture programmes. Numbers have continued to grow, and the College are proud to say that so far this season 55 players have represented Huish.
The Huish 2nd team has grown and they compete well as a spirited squad with several players putting their hands up for 1st team development this new year.
The Huish 1st team had a very impressive first half of the season. Playing 10 fixtures with a winning streak stretching from early September. The squad have progressed to the Semi-Final of the National Schools Bowl Competition and will represent the Southwest in the AOC National Sevens Finals after winning the AOC Regional Tournament.
Keith Leaker shared “We are very pleased with how both squads have developed this year. Our training programme has moved up to a new level and we are very impressed with how much work and improvement all the players have achieved.
The attitude of the squad, allied with our new coaching structure and improved facilities, has allowed us to develop the Huish way of playing the game.
Both squads have bought into the exciting brand of rugby that we promote and continually push each other to improve. The fixture list post Christmas will be challenging but very exciting. We look forward to seeing how far both squads can progress.”
Upcoming fixtures:
- AOC League and Cup
- Continental Tyres U18s National Bowl
- West Country, ECRFU & Rosslyn Park Sevens
- AOC National Sevens Finals
If you are interested in finding out more about our Huish Rugby, please contact our Sports Development Officer, Mike Ryan – mikery@richuish.ac.uk.