Rugby Re-Start!

There’s loads of energy here, players are excited and they’re raring to play rugby.

Ask Wymondham men’s head coach (and former Leicester Tiger) Tom Armes what it’s like rebooting a rugby squad after 18 months in the Covid doldrums, and you’re hit with a blast of enthusiasm and determination.

“We’re in a really good place,” he said.

“I’ve got a fantastic coaching team. When I was appointed back in April we were in the middle of the pandemic and rugby clubs were mothballed. The first thing I did was phone up around a hundred players and we’ve built from there.

“When we had the first session back we had 58 players turn up. That just blew my mind.”

Wymondham’s 1st XV finished the truncated 2019/20 season in March of last year in 4th place in London NE 2 division. They play their first league game at home to Essex side Woodford on 18th September.

Eighteen months off is plenty of time to lose momentum but senior players such as Luke Beales, Josh Wright, Auden Airdrie, Jamie Boggan, Charlie Delaney, Andy McAlister and Tom Masters - are back and joined by returners such as Andy McKay and there’s an injection of new talent with former Colts Oli Reek, Jack Burrill and Callum Sparkes joining the squad.

“It’s really important that we have ambition throughout the players - but it’s got to be based on organic growth,” explained Tom.

Part of that growth is coming from organisation off the pitch. Club chairman Paul Wootton told members that the club had overcome lockdown’s financial challenges and was now in a great place to focus on rugby success for all of Wymondham’s playing squads.

Kevin Ellis has taken over as manager of the 1st XV and the team has invested in video analysis technology giving players individual feedback and coaching points on their performance.

“The senior men are all training as one squad,” said Tom. “We’re aiming at a top four finish for the 1st XV and I want to see the 2nds promoted. Everyone should be competing for places - we need depth of talent across all positions to cope with injuries and survive the season.”

Success at the set piece - scrums and line-out - is once again a focus of training but

Tom is also giving his players licence to play expansive, attacking rugby.

“I’m loving it. We’ve got a group of players who want to be here, who trust each other

and want to play for each other. And that makes it so easy for a coach.”