• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

Rugby in England.

janispodins

Academy Player
Joined
Nov 28, 2009
Messages
10
HI. I'm 17 and from Latvia. I'm 1,94m and 102 kg. 100m 12.8 s. Usually I play second row or nr. 8. I'm the captain of the u 18 national side. And also playing for the national champions 1st team in the adult level. Planning to go to England next year, to study but mainly to play rugby and I'm hoping to turn pro. So i don't know were to start so thought maybe someone has some suggestions.:):)
 
Go to a University with strong sporting links (Loughborough and, I think, Bath both do - Hartpury do too, as do Oxford/Cambridge/Durham - though L'Boro is arguably the best sports uni in Britain/Europe, a lot of pro athletes come through their ranks, and a lot of athletes use their facilities for training, their team pretty much always wins the University Championship, and their team that plays not in the university leagues does fairly well too) - join their team and hope for the best
 
Yeah trying to find a university with a good team. do you know if its possible to be spotted by a good club playing for the university?
 
I think so, especially if it's a good team,
Loughborough has links to Leicester Tigers, with a few of their players coming from there, and I think Durham is linked to Newcastle Falcons

I think any of the teams in the "Premier" division will occasionally have scouts at their games, as they're the top rugby universities,
This season the teams in Premier North and Premier South are:
Durham
Leeds Met
Leeds Uni
Loughborough
Nottingham
Northumbria
Newcastle

Exeter
UWIC
Surrey
Bath
Bucks Chilterns
Cardiff
 
I had loughborough in mind, but it's definitely hard to get in there. I think that without going to university it would be extremely hard to get somewhere near the pro level.
 
Yeah,
If you go to University you might be picked up by a scout if you're playing well in a good team, but most players will come through academies after being spotted at a young ago,
Being spotted playing for your local team is pretty much unheard of, so through University is the best option
 
I'll try my best to get in good university. Then put in the hard work to get to the first team. maybe you have some suggestions about what to focus on to get there, about rugby. don't know the style of rugby that is played in England.
 
a lot of my mates who've signed for wasps went to Royal Holloway Uni as well... not sure if they ever played for the rugby team tho..
 
I'll try my best to get in good university. Then put in the hard work to get to the first team. maybe you have some suggestions about what to focus on to get there, about rugby. don't know the style of rugby that is played in England.

Well you certainly have the size but if you're aiming to go pro in england at second row you must have a comprehensive understanding of set pieces and excel in that specific phase of the game.
If you're also looking to be an option in the back row and and get noticed quickly however, you'll need to become a dominant tackler. I'm not talking about a guy who usually makes the tackle, I'm talking about a guy who always makes the tackle and wreaks havoc in the process...the sort of guy who takes pride in defense and who can singlehandedly disrupt an attack. These kinds of guys are in short supply and are invaluable in the modern game.

Bottom line...you'll have to master set pieces just to get on the second row/back row map but if you're goal is to get noticed and turn pro without the benefits of going through the academy system you'll need that "wow" factor. Trust me, take pride in your defense and the rest will take care of itself.
 
about the set pieces, I have the understanding about the set pieces, always trying to remember each type of set piece and that's no problem for me. about the tackling i think I'm improving in tackling, still got some things to work on. but always love to work hard. love a good hard game. nothing is better to know that I have done good for my team and myself.
 
about the set pieces, I have the understanding about the set pieces, always trying to remember each type of set piece and that's no problem for me. about the tackling i think I'm improving in tackling, still got some things to work on. but always love to work hard. love a good hard game. nothing is better to know that I have done good for my team and myself.

Excellent! Attitude is everything! Remember...to get noticed, you'll need that "wow" factor. Your size will make you a more attractive prospect than someone else with comparable skills but size alone isn't enough...especially with the level of professionalism seen in modern rugby union.

A few tips...

1) Live clean. Don't drink or party. Eat right and get plenty of sleep. Just stay disciplined and keep your eye on the prize. Trust me, this is much easier said than done but nobody said it would be easy...right?

2) Become a student of the game. Approach rugby as a professional would and really try to study and master the fundamentals of positions 4-8 (tactical responsibilities, etc). Obviously, you'll want to focus on scrummaging technique and line-out technique for the 4 and 5 and defense, defense, defense for 6, 7 and 8. The more versatile you are, the more valuable you are!

3) Get strong and get fit! I don't know how strong/fit you are right now but strength is a requirement for any professional level rugger playing 4-8. Join a gym, establich a routine and don't miss workouts. Focus on anaerobic conditioning for your fitness.

Go for it!
 
trying to live clean, sometimes go for 1 or 2 beers with the mates, but nothing more. Trying to eat right, only the good stuff. sleep is the one thing that I don't get a lot now, because of school projects. Also love to watch a good game on the TV or PC. Looking at my preferred positions and go though what they do, were the are in the attack , defense and in the set plays. Also going to the gym and doing a lot of running to get the fitness up. doing the heavy weights right now, because it's off season for me till April, when I will captain my national u 18 squad in the Euro champs. got to get the fitness going until then.
I think that going to the university in England is the only way to become a pro. how do you think ?
?
 
I recommend Bath Uni, it has fantastic sports facilities and a great rugby team. Plus it obviously has links to Bath rugby club, one of the top rugby clubs in the country. Good luck! I'd also recommend what Barbarian horde said about tackling - this is important and will get you noticed!
 
leeds met is an aewsome uni for sport and pretty decent all round. loughborough also is very good
 

Latest posts

Top