Leeds sign International Scrum Half Shaw

Posted on Sep 5, 2011 in Championship, Leeds Carnegie

Leeds Carnegie have signed USA international scrum half Robbie Shaw for the 2011-12 Championship season.

Shaw was at Headingley Carnegie on Sunday as his new side lost out to London Welsh in their opening game in the Championship. He has been part of the USA squad this summer but missed out on selection for the World Cup in the final selection. He played for Bristol last season in the Championship and has been training with Welsh regional side Scarlets this summer.

Commenting on signing for Leeds Carnegie, the 28 year old said, “I am really pleased to be joining Leeds Carnegie. Having met with Diccon Edwards and seen first hand the style that Leeds want to play this year, it is exciting to be coming into the squad. The Championship is a very tough competition but Leeds have got a squad that is looking to compete at the top of the division. I will start training this week but I will have to prove my worth to the squad. We have got two good young scrum halves in Dan White and Craig Hampson and I was impressed by both of them in the London Welsh game."

Head Coach Diccon Edwards commented, “We are delighted to have signed Robbie. He was one of the stand out players for Bristol last year and he will give us strength in depth in the scrum half position.”

• Height:
  5’10
• Weight:
  192
• Position:
  Scrumhalf
• Caps:
  2 (debut v Ireland A June 2008)
• International Scoring:
  no international scoring record
• Current Club:
  Bristol
• Birthdate:
  July 24, 1983
• Born:
  Berkshire, England
• Hometown:
  Maidenhead, England
• Residence:
  Bristol, England
• Highlights:
  Robbie first started playing rugby at the age of 12. Since then he has played for the London Wasps (2000-2004), the London Welsh (2004-07) and most recently the Connacht and Galwegians. He also played for the U-21 Ireland side at the World Championships. Robbie plays for Bristol in England and is a consistent presence at scrumhalf.

Leeds promote thirteen academy players to the first team squad

Posted on Jul 15, 2011 in Championship, Leeds Carnegie

Thirteen players have been promoted from the Leeds Carnegie Academy into the first team squad for the new 2011-12 Championship season and Academy Manager Mark Luffman is promising Leeds fans some exciting times ahead for these young stars.

The players have been training with the first team squad since the start of pre-season and producing some impressive performances in the gym and out on the training field.

The 13 players are Dominic Barrow, Joe Barker, Tom Barrett, Richard Beck, Christian Georgiou, Craig Hampson, Pete Lucock, Toby Quarrandon, Ollie Richards, Alex Rieder, Mark Tampin, Curtis Wilson and Cameron Zeiss.

Commenting on the rising stars Luffman said, “These are players that our new Head Coach Diccon Edwards knows very well from his time as head of our Academy and they are guys who have played a lot of senior rugby whilst out on loan last season in the National Leagues.

“They have been impressing the senior guys with their performances during pre-season and I have no doubt that a couple of them will be pushing for selection in the first team come the start of the season. However, the main priority with this group of players is to get them into the first team, full time environment to continue their development and I think we will have some exciting times in the next five years with this group of players.

“In addition to these 13 players there are also guys like Phil Swainston, Gareth Denman, Tom Denton, Dan White, Scott Freer, Chris Walker and Jacob Rowan who were already in the first team squad having been promoted up over the last few years. The players who come through our Academy are brought up in the ‘Leeds’ way and are passionate about their club and they know that through their own hard work they can achieve their goals with Leeds Carnegie,” added Luffman.

Sale Sharks and Leeds Carnegie announce closer ties on Player Development

Posted on Jul 12, 2011 in Leeds Carnegie, Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks and Leeds Carnegie today unveiled a partnership that will see a number of emerging Sharks players spend time at Headingley Carnegie next season. As part of the agreement that saw England International Hendre Fourie move across the Pennines to Edgeley Park, Leeds will benefit from the services of several Sale Sharks players for part or all of the season via Dual Registration.

The first player to be announced under the dual registration agreement between the two clubs will be centre Iain Thornley. The 19 year old former Wigan Warriors rugby league player joined the Sharks last October. He went on to make five appearances in the Aviva Premiership and a further four in the LV= Cup, scoring one try, and was a regular in the Sale Jets team that was narrowly defeated by Leicester in the ‘A’ League Final. More players will be announced in the coming weeks and months as dual registered or on loan between Leeds and Sale.

Commenting on the arrangement, Sharks Executive Director of Sport Steve Diamond said, “We are really pleased to be announcing this tie up with Leeds. We now have a superb partner club where our young players can develop in a quality environment during the 2011-12 season. Players like Iain Thornley are the future of Sale Sharks but with a shortened ‘A’ League programme of only five games this year, he might not have got as much game time as he needed this season. Iain is training very well but needs to play games regularly now to learn the sport.

The quality of rugby offered in The Championship is ideal for young players like Iain Thornley and several others we currently have. The dual registration rules mean we can call the players back to Sale as required but the important factor is that they get to play week in week out rugby at a high level which will accelerate their development.

Once the Rugby World Cup is over, we will be looking to place more players at Leeds on loan or via dual registration as our squad will be boosted by the return of a number of Internationals. That’s when I see this arrangement with Leeds really bearing fruit for both clubs but particularly for the players involved.”

Gary Hetherington, Chief Executive of Leeds Carnegie added, “This is an exciting partnership for both ourselves and Sale Sharks. We have certain requirements within our squad for this season and this arrangement allows us to bring in quality individuals who will fit in with our ethos. Obviously having been part of the Sharks set up, we know they will be of the required standard and the Leeds Carnegie coaching staff will have the option to draw upon other resources as the season progresses. As well as this partnership, ourselves, Sale Sharks and Newcastle Falcons, as share holders in Premiership Rugby, are looking to work together over the coming years to strengthen Rugby Union in the North of England and work with the authorities to nurture and develop the base of talent and support for the game

Leeds announce fifth new addition, with prop David Young signing

Posted on Jul 1, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Leeds Carnegie have announced their fifth new signing for the 2011-12 season with the capture of tight head prop David Young, 26, from Edinburgh.

The prop, who originally was part of the Leicester Academy before a spell at Gloucester, moves back to England after two seasons in the Scottish capital.

Young, who was born in Belfast while his father was serving in Northern Ireland, made his Scotland A debut in the Churchill Cup in June 2008.

Commenting on signing for Leeds Carnegie, he said, “I am really pleased to be here. I have been speaking to Andy Titterrell, who I know from my time at Gloucester, for a couple of weeks and he was very persuasive about what Leeds has to offer. Leeds are clearly an ambitious club who want to get back into the Premiership and I want to be part of that.

“The Championship is going to be a tough competition for us, especially in the front five. There are a lot of experienced guys playing in this division and we know we are going to have to be at our best each week. However, we are looking forward to that challenge and putting in the hard work now in pre-season to make sure we are ready.

“The atmosphere within the group is really good and I have felt right at home straight away. Pre-season is always a tough time of year but you have to get on with your job and get through it however here everyone is driving each other on and there is a great team ethos,” added Young.

Assistant Coach Mark Luffman commented, “We are pleased to have captured David from Edinburgh. He is someone who comes highly recommended to us and who Andy Titterrell knows from first hand experience from his time at Gloucester. David has all the right attributes both on and off the field to fit into our organisation and adds greatly to our options in the front row for next season.”

The signing of Young follows the capture of Joe Ford (Northampton), Dan Hemingway (Leicester), Ryan Burrows (Rotherham) and Stevie McColl (Doncaster).

Ford has drive to succeed at Leeds Carnegie

Posted on Jun 8, 2011 in Championship

Leeds Carnegie have announced the signing of fly half Joe Ford, 21, on a two year contract from Heineken Cup finalists Northampton Saints.

Ford returns to Headingley Carnegie after a year at Franklin’s Gardens and says that he feels he is a better player from his time at Saints. The youngster, who turned 21 last weekend, commented, "I am really happy to be coming back to Leeds Carnegie. Whilst things have not gone to plan for me at Northampton, I would like to thank all the coaches, players and supporters at Northampton who have been. It has good for me to see a different environment and work with new coaches. However, I was happy at Leeds originally and I was really pleased when I found out that they wanted me back."

Ford was in the crowd at Franklin’s Gardens on the final day of the Aviva Premiership as his former club were relegated on points difference. He commented, "It was a tough afternoon. Obviously as a Northampton player, I wanted us to win but all Leeds needed was a try to get the all important bonus point in the last minute and that would have been the dream result for me."

The fly half admitted he is excited about working with his former mentor Diccon Edwards again, after he was appointed as the club’s new Head Coach last week. He added, "I am really excited to be working with Diccon again. When I agreed to sign with Leeds, I did not know who would be Head Coach but when I found out it was Diccon, that was a massive bonus for me. He is a brilliant coach and knows me very well."

Despite only making five appearances in his season at Franklin’s Gardens, he says he is an improved player from the experience. He added, "I have put on some weight, which I needed to do, and I have taken apart my kicking game and done a lot of work with Dave Alred and Paul Grayson to improve that side of my game. I feel I am a better player and kicker and I have more experience now.

"The main thing for me now is about playing some rugby. I kept in touch with a lot of the Leeds boys so whilst I am rejoining the club with a new coaching team and some new faces, I still know a lot of people and they know me. Being part of successful team at Northampton has whetted my appetite for more success and hopefully we can do that at Leeds.

"I can’t wait to play in the Championship next year. It is getting tougher every year and playing away will be a big leveller. However, if we can come through that experience and get back in the Aviva Premiership we will be in a great position to build for the future," added Ford.

Head Coach Diccon Edwards is equally happy with his first signing, he added, "I am very excited to be bringing Joe back to Leeds Carnegie. I was disappointed when he left a couple of seasons ago and it is pleasing to have him back. He will be instrumental in the way we play next season with his tactical awareness and excellent kicking game. He is an ambitious young English player, exactly the type of player that we will be looking to build our team around."