Cardiff Blues hold on to Alex Cuthbert

Posted on May 16, 2012 in Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues have held on to their Welsh international winger Alex Cuthbert,  with the young star deciding to sign a new contract extension with the region.

Cuthbert underlined his credentials during the Blues Heineken Cup campaign in November scoring a brace of tries against Racing Metro in Paris and was picked for Wales soon after, making his debut against Australia in December 2011.

It has been a meteoric rise from UWIC, Cardiff RFC, and Cardiff Blues to Wales Grand Slam winner for the young Gloucester man who extends his contract with the Cardiff Blues this week.

Speaking of his decision to stay with the region, Cuthbert, said:

“I am very pleased to be re signing for another year with The Blues and I can now look forward to the summer tour with Wales and next season with the region”

“I had a few offers outside of Wales and having gone through all the options thoroughly with family and friends, I came to the conclusion that the best option was to stay at the Blues, showing my loyalty to the region, coaches and the fans”

“Playing for Wales was a huge part of my decision to stay with the Blues and playing for the region regularly will hopefully strengthen my chances of keeping my place in the Wales team.”

“Obviously with Phil taking over as Head Coach it’s exciting times for the region as well. I know Phil from my time with the Wales Sevens where he was involved. He’s a great coach, I’ve heard he’s very well organized and puts good structures in place which I know will benefit the club next season.”

“I’m also very excited that the Blues are moving back to the Arms Park, I’m yet to play there in front of a full crowd so hopefully we can do that next season. I’ve watched a few games down there and the atmosphere is unbelievable and if we maintain good crowds that will help us no end on the pitch.”

(more…)

Alex Gray signs for LI

Posted on Aug 10, 2011 in English Rugby, London Irish

London Irish has fought off considerable competition to sign England U20’s number 8, Alex Gray, on a two-year-contract from Newcastle Falcons.

Alex is a product of the Newcastle Falcons Academy, the club he joined after he finished his studies at Barnard Castle School. He made 13 appearances for Newcastle, scoring a try on his Aviva Premiership Rugby debut against Harlequins at Kingston Park in March of last season.

Standing 6”5’ and weighing 16 and a half stone, Alex has captained England to Grand Slams at Under 16’s, Under 18’s and Under 20’s level. Most recently Alex led England U20’s to second place in the Junior World Championships where they lost narrowly in the final to New Zealand 33-22. Overall, he started nine of the ten matches last season for England U20’s, coming off the bench in the other game, scoring seven tries.

Number 8 is Alex’s primary position but he can also play openside flanker. He is the second back row signing to join London Irish in a matter of weeks following Canadian international Jebb Sinclair’s signature.

Commenting on his decision to join London Irish, Alex Gray said: “I am very pleased to be joining London Irish. They play an exciting brand of rugby that I look forward to becoming a part of. Playing age grade rugby with Jonathan Joseph, Kieran Low and Guy Armitage they have always spoken very highly of the set up at Irish so with that in mind I’m very much looking forward to joining up with the rest of the squad ahead of the 2011/12 season. I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Newcastle Falcons and wish the club all the best for the future.”

London Irish head coach Toby Booth said: “Alex is a player that we have kept a close eye on for a couple of years now. He is an exceptional athlete and has an impressive array of skills for a back row forward. He is continuously striving to improve as a player and has leadership skills beyond his years. He will be a great asset to London Irish.

Captaincy is a ‘Rae’ of sunshine for Alex

Posted on Jul 21, 2011 in Championship

Bedford Blues lock Alex Rae has been confirmed as captain for the start of the 2011/12 season while usual skipper James Pritchard is with Canada at the World Cup in New Zealand.

Rae, 25, who can also play in the back row, has been an impressive signing since joining the Blues in 2009 from near neighbours Northampton Saints and has recently signed a new contract to keep him at Goldington Road.

During the Saints tenure in the then National Division One in 2007/8, Rae was instrumental in the Northampton scrum and started 31 times – a record only bettered by Bruce Reihana – scooping a league and cup medal along the way.

The Coventry born player, who stands at an imposing six foot five inches tall, has continued this impressive run of appearances and has already pulled on a Blues jersey more than 50 times in his two year stint with the club.

Speaking about the appointment, Blues director of rugby Mike Rayer said: “Alex has been a very consistent player for us since signing two years ago and he is mature beyond his years. He has a great rugby brain and is a very good communicator within the group. He is well respected by the players and coaches and we have no doubt he will do a great job. He’ll also have some able lieutenants alongside him to lean on, most notably Sacha Harding, Paul Tupai and Brendan Burke.

“The World Cup is going to have a big impact on the Championship this year and although we will be without James for a number of weeks I am delighted to have such a suitable deputy in Alex to call on.”

Rae added: “Getting a call from the director of rugby telling you that he needs a private word can be a bit of a worry, but this is the sort of news that is great to receive.

“It is a great honour to be offered the captaincy of the club even if it is only for a short period of time while Pritch is at the World Cup. I hope to lead the club forward as the new campaign gets underway and leave things in great shape for when he returns.”

Rae is set to get his captaincy underway when Bedford Blues take on Premiership champions Saracens at Goldington Road on Friday 19 August. Not only will Sarries be bringing a formidable squad, but they will also be showing off the Premiership trophy that they picked up after beating Leicester Tigers 22-18 back in May.

The match is taking place in aid of the floodlight appeal and £5 from every ticket purchased will go directly into the fund needed to pay for the new Goldington Road lights which will be receiving their official opening on the night. Bedford Blues fans will also have the opportunity to see and purchase the brand new kit, supplied by Zoo Sports, for the first time.

Tickets for the match are now on sale with reserved seat in Eagle Stand costing £15 for adults and £8 for students and under 18s. Ground entry is £10 for adults, £5 for students and £2 for under 18s with children under four getting free entry. You can purchase your ticket online at www.bedfordrugby.co.uk or by calling 0871 871 1886.

Brown given green light to Knights

Posted on May 24, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Brett Davey continues his march towards a full squad for the RFU Championship 2011-12 season with the signing of Saracen’s Alex Brown. The Knights’ Director of rugby has his squad target in sight now after working constantly since the end of season to bring a team together.

22 year old Prop brown joins a formidable looking Knights front row from the Aviva Premiership club , a club that he has been at since July 2009.

The 5’11” 18 stone 4 Prop made his debut for the Saracens against Rovigo in October 2009, an Amlin Cup victory at Vicarage road after several impressive appearances for Saracens Storm in the A League.

The England U16, U18 and former Blackheath front rower, came on as a second half replacement after earning his chance with a number of good performances for the Saracens Storm.

Brett Davey gave us this comment “Alex is another player I have a lot of belief in, belief in his attitude not just his ability on the pitch. You look at what Alex can bring to a game and balance it with the likes of Stuart Corsar, Andy Brown and Royce Burke Flynn and you have options during a game. While Stuart and Royce have a higher level of experience Alex and Andy Brown bring an enthusiasm and determination that gives you a confidence in them”.

Dusted down Blues all set for Warrior showdown

Posted on Jan 7, 2011 in Rugby News

After suffering their first defeat in ten games last weekend, things get no easy for Bedford Blues as they head off to Worcester this weekend for a top-of-the-table clash with the Warriors.

The Blues were second best at the Mennaye Field on Sunday afternoon as the Cornish Pirates took the spoils with a 23-13 win, but Bedford have gone back to the drawing board in preparation for the game against team relegated from the Premiership last season.

Bedford go into the game with only one fresh injury problem after Dan Seal picked up a shoulder knock in the game against his former employers. Darryl Veenendaal remains on the sidelines after breaking his thumb and won’t feature until the end of the month.

Speaking after the team’s final training session on Thursday night, director of rugby Mike Rayer said: “This is probably our biggest challenge of the regular season without a shadow of doubt and that is more so following the result last week.

“We know that we really have to step up a gear if we are going to compete with Worcester and we’ve shown that by making some changes to the starting line-up.

“We had an excellent run of wins, but that is now in the past. The lads know where things went wrong on Sunday and they have had the opportunity to put that out of their minds earlier this week and concentrate on the task ahead.

“I hope to see a very positive reaction from the entire 22 on Saturday and if we can look after the ball we want to try and play some football. It’s a big stage for the lads to showcase their talents"

Rayer makes three changes to the starting line-up with Phil Boulton coming in for the injured Dan Seal while Sean Tomes and Jackson Wray start in place of Alex Rae and Paul Tupai who take a seat on the bench.

Starting line-up:

15. James Pritchard (c)
14. Handre Schmidt
13. Brendan Burke
12. Ian Vass
11. Duncan Taylor
10. Myles Dorrian
9. Will Chudley

1. Sam Walsh
2. Dan Richmond
3. Phil Boulton
4. Mike Howard
5. Sean Tomes
6. Gregor Gillanders
7. Sacha Harding
8. Jackson Wray

Replacements: 16. Joe Clark, 17. Laurence Ovens, 18. Alex Rae, 19. Paul Tupai, 20. Nick Walshe, 21. Tom Bedford, 22. Edd Thrower.