Rugby's Cornish Pirates coming to Par Beach for Lankelly RFC event

Landlubbers be warned, pirates are due to invade Par Beach later this month in what promises to be a day of excitement, but far from being high seas cutthroats, these pirates are cut from Cornish rugby’s finest.

On August 11, the Cornish Pirates will be appearing at the inaugural Lankelly RFC Beach Tag Rugby event.

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   Lankelly RFC youngsters getting to grips with beach rugby

   
   

Lankelly RFC, dubbed Cornwall’s biggest small rugby club, is holding the event to entertain local sports mad schoolchildren.

All children aged between six and twelve are being invited to come along and participate in a number of rugby based beach activities regardless of prior experience.

 

The day will include coaching sessions under the guidance of Lankelly’s RFU qualified coaches and input from Cornish Pirates community manager, James Coles.

Following the coaching sessions a selection of competitions and mini tournaments will take place.

The budding young rugby stars will also have the opportunity to meet and play a game with Cornish Pirates back row forward, Tom Duncan.

Jon Rolls, Lankelly RFC under 9’s and under 10’s coach said: “It’s not often that junior players get the chance to meet a real rugby professional and play with them so this promises to be very exciting.

“Lankelly RFC boasts one of the strongest junior rugby sections in the county, yet many local residents are unaware that it is on their doorstep.

“The Lankelly team hope that this event will put them on the map and show the local community what rugby has to offer.”

The event on Par Beach gets underway from 10.30am and runs until 3pm on Sunday, August 11.

Registration is from 10am and priced at £5. Children are asked to bring a packed lunch or money for the barbecue.

For more information visit – www.lankellyfoweyrfc.com.

Rugby"s Cornish Pirates coming to Par Beach for Lankelly RFC event

BRIAN McDERMOTT will send his ruthless Rhinos out with orders to destroy ...

But the Leeds boss admits it hurts him badly to see his old club suffering.

Critics are out in force after the Broncos were humiliated 70-0 by Wigan in the Challenge Cup semi-finals.

The anti-London brigade is also fuelled by the bottom club’s pitiful crowds and their failures on and off the pitch.

But McDermott, who coached London for four years, says the club need help, despite ­wanting Leeds to crush them at The Stoop tonight.

He said: “I will not have any emotion towards London during the game because our task is to get as far up the ladder as possible.

“It will not create great headlines, but if we put 40 points against London, I will not feel guilty about doing that.”

But McDermott urged critics not to use any hammering as another stick with which to beat the Broncos.

He said: “If we carry clubs that haemorrhage money and do not create a crowd, then people’s patience runs out and I get that.

“But at the same time, there is a huge picture to be looked at. Our sport could be so much bigger if London was to be cracked.

BRIAN McDERMOTT will send his ruthless Rhinos out with orders to destroy ...

Rugby League - Henderson pens new Catalan deal

The Dragons have announced that the 30-year-old Scotland international will now stay at the Stade Gilbert Brutus until the end of 2015.

Henderson said: “I’m very pleased to have signed a new contract with the club. My family and I are very happy in Perpignan, we love the club, the lifestyle and the people.

“I believe the club is going in the right direction and is getting stronger each year.

“I have belief in the team, belief in the coaches and belief in the club management, and this made my decision easier.”

Henderson was born in Torquay to Scottish parents but raised in Australia and began his professional career with Sydney Roosters before joining Parramatta.

He moved to Bradford in 2005 and helped the Bulls to a Super League title. He joined the Dragons in 2011 after a spell with New Zealand Warriors.

Rugby League - Henderson pens new Catalan deal

Volunteers scrum down for World Cup

Hundreds of people have signed up to play their part in the Rugby League World Cup.

They will be the volunteer “army” to help ensure the smooth running of the tournament, which includes a game at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium.

The volunteers, drawn from across the UK, will work under the name of ‘Team 13’ and all have key roles which will enable RLWC2013 organisers to deliver the best Rugby League World Cup so far.

Some 350 of the 800 total volunteers attended a showcase launch event at Old Trafford, the iconic sporting venue where on November 30 the Rugby League World Cup Final will take place.

The volunteers come from all walks of life, from all age groups and represent almost all of the 25 host venues and training facilities across the UK.

They include London 2012 Games Makers, Rugby League fans and administrators, a contingent from Australia and at least one former Rugby League World Cup player.

Jon Dutton, RLWC2013 Operations Director, said: “Our Team 13 volunteers are an integral part of RLWC2013. They will be the first point of contact at stadiums for many of our fans and will also perform key roles at matches and behind the scenes.

“Both London 2012 and Manchester 2002 proved that volunteers can be the difference between great events and fantastic events. The enthusiasm and expertise we found during the interview process was amazing and we know that with Team 13 we have a great set of volunteers at our disposal.”

The Team 13 task force will begin their work in mid-October when the teams begin to arrive for RLWC2013 ahead of the first game in Cardiff. The opening ceremony takes place at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, October 26 immediately before England take on Australia and Wales play Italy.

Volunteers scrum down for World Cup

Rugby Union: Bedford Blues complete triple swoop from Saracens

Tom Jubb playing for Cambridge. Picture by David Johnson .

Bedford Blues have used their successful link-up with Premiership side Saracens to add another three players ahead of the new season.

Centre Sam Stanley has signed on while prop Nick Auterac and lock Tom Jubb have both been dual registered.

More players are now set to make the journey between the two clubs before the Championship campaign gets under way.

Twenty-one-year old Stanley has been dual registered at Goldington Road in the past, but only featured in last year’s Mobbs Memorial game.

He can also fill in at fly-half and comes from a rich rugby background, being the nephew of All Black legend Joe Stanley.

Stanley has made several appearances for Saracens’ First XV as well as featuring regularly for their Storm team in the ‘A’ league. He also enjoyed a loan stint at Barking.

Meanwhile, Auterac, 20, joined the full time Saracens Academy at the start of the 2011/12 season but has been a regular with the Storm for the past few years.

A graduate of the Oaklands College rugby programme, Auterac started his career at Saracens Amateurs and has also represented England at U16 and U18 levels.

In the past three years since making his debut, he has continued to develop and helped the club reached the semi-finals of the LV=Cup last season and the last four of the Aviva Premiership.

Luton born Jubb, who stands at six feet six inches tall, has a reputation for being a powerhouse second row who has great speed and loves to maraud around the pitch.

Having previously played at number eight, the former Hitchin Boys School student found the second row more to his liking when he moved to Oaklands College.

Time on loan at National One side Cambridge – which included a hat-trick in a win over Stourbridge – helped the youngster progress and a call-up to the England U20 squad soon followed.

“We are delighted to welcome Sam, Nick and Tom to the club and are all looking forward to seeing the impact that they can make at Goldington Road,” said Blues Director of Rugby Mike Rayer.

“Sam has fantastic pedigree and it has been a shame that we weren’t able to utilise him previously. Nick and Tom are two very talented players who will add plenty of punch to the pack and will no doubt benefit from Hynesy’s words of wisdom.

“Our relationship with Saracens continues to flourish and we indeed hope to announce a few more players ahead of the coming season.”

Rugby Union: Bedford Blues complete triple swoop from Saracens

Andrew Hore: Welsh rugby's salary cap could have to rise in future seasons

WELSH rugby’s salary cap may have to rise to help the regions keep pace with their European rivals, believes Andrew Hore.

Each of the four professional sides spends a maximum of £3.5 million on Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge squad members.

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   Andrew Hore

   
   

Ospreys chief executive Hore stresses that it is too soon to change the figure.

But he feels that in the seasons ahead the cap could be adjusted for certain regions.

 

He said: “At the moment the cap is set at the same level for all, but I believe there could come a point when we need to look at it again and decide whether it needs to change. If some businesses can show they can generate more income and manage their books effectively, then it may have to rise.

“That’s the beauty of what we have in place: we can wind it up as well as wind it down. There are companies such as ours who have a lot of Welsh representatives, so our wage bill will be high because we have to contract more players to cover for the ones we lose to the Welsh national cause.

“We wholeheartedly support the salary-cap concept, because if we don’t have a limit in place there is a risk that we will lose one or two entities in the future.

“But my argument would be we might need to start reviewing it on an individual basis in the seasons ahead.”

The regions introduced the cap last summer amid an economic malaise that posed a huge threat to some of the regions.

Hore stresses there will be no going back to the days of the professional sides living beyond their means.

And he also believes the Ospreys, Scarlets, Blues and Dragons can be competitive under the current arrangements.

“There is still the opportunity for a team to do extremely well in Europe on what we are on,” he said.

“The Irish get just about £1 million more than us and they’ve been successful, repeatedly winning the Heineken Cup. They’d argue their £4.5 million per annum is still a hell of a lot less than the French budgets of 22 or 23 million euros.

“But that is where the concept of a team overrides how much you spend on your squad.

“We were spending £3 million more a few years ago. Would people say there is that much difference in our outcomes? People have bought into the fact that these players are giving every thing they can and are often over-achieving.

“They are recognising that these kids are loving the jersey and representing the region fantastically.

“In comparison to Italian, Irish and Scottish teams we are about a £1 million to £1.5 million shy in terms of funding.

“But it isn’t just about money.

“Most of the teams who have been successful in Europe have decent levels of funding but they are also big on the concept of team.

“That is what we have to continue to progress.”

Andrew Hore: Welsh rugby"s salary cap could have to rise in future seasons

Plumtree joins Irish coaching team

Plumtree has been head coach at Super 15 outfit the Natal Sharks since 2008, overseeing triumphant Currie Cup seasons in 2008 and 2010.

The 48-year-old Kiwi also has experience of the Welsh League with Swansea and guided the Wellington Lions to play-off finals in 2003, 2004 and 2006 in New Zealand’s NPC.

“I’m really looking forward to becoming part of the Irish coaching set-up,” said Plumtree, who was named South African coach of the year in 2012.

“Having watched a number of recent Test matches there are some really positive challenges in front of us.

“I’m conscious of the responsibility we have and will be working hard to play my part in driving the team forward.”

Plumtree will arrive in Dublin in early September and will work beneath new Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt, who replaced Declan Kidney in the wake of the RBS 6 Nations.

“It’s great to have John joining us as part of the Irish coaching team,” Schmidt said.

“His proven success and broad experience across a number of competitions along with his ability to provide quality direction will add real value to the team.”

Plumtree joins Irish coaching team