Vunipola replaces Kvesic in England Under 20 squad

Posted on May 10, 2012 in England U20

London Wasps back row Billy Vunipola will replace injured Worcester Warriors flanker Matt Kvesic in the England Under 20 squad for the IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa next month.

Former Under 18 international Billy, brother of Mako who played in last year’s competition, is in line to make his Under 20 debut after impressing for Wasps in the latter stages of the season.

Aviva Premiership Discovery of the Season nominee Kvesic misses out after having surgery on a shoulder injury, meaning the 20-year-old Warrior won’t add to his 14 Under 20 caps.

Vunipola said: “This is a really exciting opportunity and one I’m looking forward to. Matt’s a quality player and he’ll be missed, but having trained with the squad earlier in the season I know that there’s some real talent in there.”

Kvesic added: “I’m obviously gutted to miss the tournament. After losing in last year’s final against New Zealand I was looking forward to giving it another crack, but it’s not meant to be. I’ve loved every minute representing the Under 20s and I wish the guys the best of luck in South Africa – I’ve got every confidence they’ll give it their all.”

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Matt Cairns Retires on Medical Advice

Posted on Feb 14, 2012 in English Rugby, Harlequins, Premiership

Harlequins and Matt Cairns announced today (14th February) that the former England hooker has had to retire from the game on medical advice with immediate effect.

Cairns (34) has suffered from an ankle injury which despite surgery and the best of medical attention, has been confirmed as a long term problem.

Since joining Harlequins in 2009, Matt has made 30 appearances for the club.  He was capped by England in 2007 against South Africa.

Announcing his decision, Matt Cairns said, “Rugby has been such a massive part of my life so the fact that my career has ended sooner than expected has been difficult to accept. While I will miss the camaraderie of the great players that I’ve played with, I have lots of happy memories.  I would like to thank everyone that has helped me throughout my career especially Conor O’Shea and all the players and staff at Harlequins.  The fact that my playing career is over is still sinking in and I’m still deciding what’s best for my family and myself.”

Harlequins Director of Rugby, Conor O’Shea said, “Matt has been a great servant not just to the club but also to the game of rugby.  He has achieved so much during his playing career and will be missed both on and off the pitch.  Retirement on medical grounds is difficult to come to terms with especially when it is unexpected.

“All of our players, staff and supporters wish Matt well,” O’Shea continued, “we will support him during this transition from playing to whatever his new career will be.  We wish him and his family well in the future.”

Matt Smith signs for Pirates

Posted on May 25, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

A young Yorkshireman, lock forward Matt Smith, has signed for the Cornish Pirates. A graduate from UWIC, Cardiff, he has represented England Students this past season.

Cornish Pirates forwards coach Ian Davies watched Matt play for the Students when they opposed their French counterparts at Richmond, and was impressed. Ian comments:-

"Matt is a gifted forward who shows great potential. Paul Westgate who coaches England Students  has spoken highly of him, as has Chris Davey, the head coach UWIC.

"After meeting with Matt we were left with the impression that he also has the right attitude and should blend in well with our developing squad".

Pirates: joiners and leavers

With the 2010-11 season just finished, it is an opportune time to provide further information in relation to the Cornish Pirates squad for next season. For general information the position to date is as follows:-

23 players in contract or having finalised a new contracts with the Cornish Pirates are:-

Paul Andrew – Jonny Bentley – Sam Betty – Rudi Brits – Phil Burgess – Gavin Cattle – Rob Cook – Blair Cowan – Wes Davies – James Doherty – Rob Elloway – Drew Locke – Kyle Marriott – Rhodri McAtee – Laurie McGlone – Chris Morgan – Mike Myerscough – Ian Nimmo – Grant Pointer – Alan Paver – Carl Rimmer – Ryan Storer – Dave Ward

7 players who have completed their contracts or are being released from contracts are:-

James Currie – Ben Gulliver (to Worcester) – Tyrone Holmes – Matt Hopper (to Harlequins) – Nick Jackson – Tom Luke – Steve Winn

New players joining are:-

Darren Daniel – David Doherty – Tom Cooper – Tom Kessell – Ben Maidment – Matt Smith – Andrew Suniula – Ceiron Thomas – Ryan Westren

It is likely that the names of a small number of players to be dual registered with Exeter Chiefs will also be confirmed in the near future.

Commenting on the squad for next season and expressing appreciation for the efforts of those that are leaving, Cornish Pirates CEO Rod Coward said:

"Our recruitment for next season is now completed and the coaches are confident that the squad we’ve assembled will be capable of producing quality performances and hopefully improving on the achievements of the season just finished.

We wish all players leaving the Pirates every success in their future careers and thank them for the contributions they have made during their time at the Club and especially for their efforts during last season."

Ref Carley gets the call for Championship playoffs

Posted on Apr 15, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

The RFU Championship is bearing fruit with Matt Carley refereeing his first match on Saturday.

Carley, one of the first recruits into the RFU National Referee Academy, will take charge of Esher v Birmingham & Solihull in the final round of the play-off stages.

RFU National Panel Development Manager Steve Leyshon said: “Matt has only been on the panel for a season but he has already taken charge of three British & Irish Cup games and three Aviva Premiership A matches so he has made great progress.”

The RFU National Referee Academy is a new initiative set up this season under the management of Chris White, offering specialist coaching through a programme which aims to identify and develop Referees deemed to have the potential to reach the Aviva Premiership.

Carley, along with Greg Macdonald, are the first two entrants who have been working with Chris since January in conjunction with their own coaches and the existing development structure.  In particular, they have worked on refereeing the contest areas of the game – mainly tackle and scrum-, as well as communication, effective review skills and learning best practice through interaction with referees from the Elite Referee group.

They will shortly begin a specific strength and conditioning programme and have attended specialist scrum input sessions as well as bespoke training days at Twickenham.

RFU National Referee Academy Manager Chris White commented,

“Matt has been refereeing very well this season. His attitude to learning has been very impressive as has his work rate and commitment. He has earned his appointments through his performance – winning praise from clubs and referee observers alike. In terms of the RFU National Referee Academy, Matt is one of the first two entrants and we are very pleased with his progress."

"This appointment is a significant step for the RFU Referee Academy, which is expected to expand both in numbers and programme and we are all looking forward to further developments. “

Bath “thrilled” at Carraro extending his stay

Posted on Mar 17, 2011 in Latest Rugby News

Bath Rugby has announced Matt Carraro has extended his stay with the Club for a further two seasons and a spokesman for the club has declared they are “thrilled”.

Australian Matt joined Bath in time for the 2009 season, after helping the NSW Waratahs reach the 2008 Super 14 final. Equally comfortable on the wing and in the centre, Matt has gone on to make 40 appearances for Bath, scoring 50 points in that time.   

Talking about the decision, Matt said “I came to Bath with a bit of a point to prove with my rugby and I don’t feel like I’ve done that yet, but with the way our play is progressing and the ambition at the Club, there is a lot more to come at Bath, and I’m really looking forward to being part of it. My partner and I are very excited to continue our stay in Bath. We know how lucky we are to have come to a place as beautiful as this, and with the direction the Club is going, we knew that there is nowhere we would rather be.”

Director of Rugby, Sir Ian McGeechan, said “Matt is a great asset to the squad, and we are delighted he has agreed to extend his contract with us. The fact he is as comfortable on the wing as he is in the centre is a great strength to have, and is incredibly beneficial to us here at Bath.”

Head Coach, Steve Meehan, added “Matt is very strong, quick, and offloads well in the tackle, all skills that are very handy to have in a backline player. He has a great work ethic, and is a very hard tackler, providing a great example for the rest of the players.”