London Welsh Rugby Club
Founded: 1885
Home Ground: Kassam Stadium
Head Coach: Justin Burnell
Last Season: 12th (Relegated
from the Aviva Premiership)
Last season:
It was a baptism of fire for
London Welsh after their protracted summer court battle which resulted in their
promotion into the Aviva Premiership. The rules that stated only clubs who fit
the extensive entrance criteria were allowed to be promoted, initially ruled
out Welsh, and after their play-off final win over the Cornish Pirates there
seemed to be a reprieve for relegated Newcastle and another year in the Championship
for the Exiles. However, with a ground share agreement with Oxford United Football
Club in their Kassam stadium put in place, this decision was overturned in the
courts, therefore allowing promotion. It left Welsh with a race against time to
get ready and sign players to bolster their squad to compete in the top
division. They were then to find out that their first match was against the mighty
Leicester Tigers, followed up by a trip to face champions Harlequins at The
Stoop, where they suffered heavy defeats against the top two from the previous
season.
Despite this they finished September
with two back to back wins over Exeter and Sale and narrow bonus point defeats
to both Gloucester and Saracens. Two more wins followed before the turn of the
year over Bath and London Irish, and their five defeats were mostly tight
affairs, losing narrowly to Northampton and Worcester, where given better
fortune, they may have won them both. This led to Welsh fans believing that
they could actually survive, despite having been written off in the close
season. The turn of the year saw events on and off the pitch take a turn for
the worse. A fine and a five point deduction for falsifying registration
documents and subsequently fielding an illegible player was a huge blow. This
was appealed as it was largely blamed on one man, rather than the club as a
whole, but this time the courts were not to favour Welsh, and the decision was
upheld. Sadly for The Exiles, a terrible run of nine straight league defeats (as
well as three defeats in four cup fixtures) in 2013, meant that it was only a
single season stay in the top flight. They signed off with a fine win over
fellow strugglers Worcester who also only won once in their last eleven
matches.
The season so far:
Rumoured to be in financial
trouble and with a possibility of a mass player exodus, the prognosis for Welsh
didn’t look as rosy as it has turned out to be. Justin Burnell took over as
Head Coach from Lyn Jones, having been coaching at the Cardiff Blues, and they
started the season with a comfortable win over play-off finalists Bedford. They
then scored 40 points in bonus point wins over Nottingham and Plymouth, high
flying Rotherham coming the closest to registering an upset, Welsh winning the
game by only five points. Two defeats in the British and Irish Cup was the
precursor to five straight league wins, where play-off hopefuls Cornish
Pirates, Bristol and Leeds were all put to the sword. Ealing were nilled and
Moseley outplayed before a shock defeat away to a revitalised Bedford. Two more
cup wins followed before a televised match against fellow exiles, London
Scottish, in a first versus third clash. Welsh were to suffer their second straight
defeat and first at home this season in a game where little went right on a day
where the weather provided as stern a test, as an in-form Scottish who
triumphed 13-5.
With 27 different try scorers
this season already, it really is a squad ethos at Welsh as they strive to
regain their place at the top table. Arguably the sternest test of the season
so far for the Islanders, Jersey can take heart from their recent performances,
even if results have not gone their way. With the expectation levels dropping
for this match, there is a chance for the players to turn out with the pressure
reduced. The endeavour and commitment is still evident and with big players
returning from injury to strengthen the squad, there is a chance of an upset
should Welsh fail to reach their high standards of the opening few weeks. Burnell agrees that the Islanders
still hold a big threat despite their league position. ‘Jersey is a very good
side,’ he said. ‘We have done a lot of research on them, they have a massive
scrum, which they rely heavily on, and they are not far off being the best
scrum in the league.’ He added, ‘they have a good set piece which is up there
with the best in the league looking at the statistics, Nicky Griffiths at nine,
one of the best scrum halves and with the experience of Bishop in the centre
they have a good attacking threat. Jersey has a very good all-round game.’
The new man at the helm of London Welsh, Justin Burnell, was rueing the missed opportunities in the defeat to play-off rivals London Scottish last time out. ‘We were bitterly disappointed, we certainly had enough possession, but we just didn’t utilise it to the best of our ability,’ said the head coach. ‘In crucial moments, crucial times, we didn’t turn our pressure into points. Held up twice, TMO (television match official) twice, crooked feed, then it is six-nil, but we’ve got them on the back foot and a wild pass, interception and they go the length of the field to score.’
The former Cardiff Blues head coach had a job on to lift the club after relegation from the Premiership, but he felt that the players and staff coming in have galvanised those who stayed. ‘There were a lot of personal changes off the field as well as on, a complete new coaching system. The players who stayed within the system, come in (to the Championship) with a wealth of experience.’
Burnell has not been fazed by the standard of the division this season, when asked about the tightness of the battle for the top four, ‘There are so many good sides so it’s not surprising at all to be honest.’ He went on to say after Welsh were made to work very hard to beat struggling Ealing and Moseley in recent weeks, ‘There are some very good sides across the board, I don’t think the standing in the league is a measure, it more so highlights the fact just how strong the teams in the top half of the league actually are, the teams down the bottom of the league are fantastic teams.’ The GKIPA Championship is getting stronger and more intense year on year. Burnell concurs with this, ‘People constantly talk about the standards in the Championship and I have to agree they are very high.’
Burnell has assembled a very strong squad, backed up by their own internal statistics, with 27 separate try scorers. ‘What that highlights, and it’s something we are very proud of, we don’t just have a strong 15,’ Burnell stated. He added, ‘The team that plays in Jersey will be completely different to the team that played against London Scottish and Bristol, the trust and the confidence we have in the whole squad, maintaining our strength in depth to overcome any injuries. We have already used between 35 and 40 players this season, identifying our own strength and weaknesses.’ Burnell continued, ‘You will see it this week, there will be players who were outstanding last week against Scottish, irrelevant to the loss, who will not be involved this week on the basis of other people who have worked just as hard and are deserving of a place.’ A formidable challenge awaits the Island side at St Peter.
Ones to watch
Tom May
Position:
Centre/Fly half
DOB: 5.2.1979
Height: 5ft
10in
Weight: 15st
1lb
May
joined Welsh after two seasons at Northampton in which he made 53 appearances,
scoring eight tries. The centre, equally at home at outside half and wing, made
his debut for Newcastle Falcons 1999 and went onto make 267 appearances,
including 66 tries, in a 10-year spell at Kingston Park. In that time he helped
the club win two domestic cups. He scored twice in a narrow win over Harlequins
in the 2001 Tetley's Bitter Cup final, and three years later helped the club to
a Powergen Cup final victory over Sale, before he moved to Toulon in France. May
was capped twice for England in the summer of 2009 against Argentina. He has
also represented England Saxons and England Sevens. This season, having been
made captain, he has been in fine form for Welsh, winning player of the month
for November.
Seb Stegmann:
Position: Wing/Centre
DoB: 12/04/1989
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 14st 9lb
Stegmann
joined the Exiles in February 2013 and made a huge impact on his arrival,
scoring a fantastic solo try on his debut against Saracens. The winger also
showed his ability at outside centre in defeat to London Irish, crossing for
his second try in Welsh colours. Coming through the Academy at Harlequins, he
made his first-team debut against Newcastle Falcons in 2007 in the Premiership.
He scored three tries in eight appearances during the club's Aviva Premiership
winning campaign of 2011/12, and went on to score 11 tries in 35 appearances
for Harlequins. Representing England at U16, U18 and U20 levels, he won a Grand
Slam with England U20s in 2008, scoring three tries as well as featuring at the
U20s Junior World Championships.
Top
scorer this season with five tries in 13 league and cup matches, and with seven
in 19 overall for Welsh.
Peter Browne:
Position: Second Row
DoB: 25/10/1987
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 18st 4lb
Browne
also joined Welsh from Harlequins having made 31 appearances during three seasons
at the Twickenham Stoop. He moved to Quins in 2010 from Newcastle Falcons, for
whom he made 27 appearances after joining them during the 2007/08 campaign,
making his debut for Quins in the London Double Header against Wasps. At over
two meters tall, the Bristolian second row is also equally adept at number
eight. Browne has also represented England Students, and as a devout Christian
he completed a theology degree at Durham University whilst he was playing for
the Falcons. Browne’s fine early season form was a big influence in the
unbeaten opening to the 2013/14 season for Welsh.
Carl Kirwan:
Position: Flanker
DoB: 21/03/1991
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 17st
Kirwan
came through the Academy at Newcastle Falcons before plying his trade with his
hometown club Middlesbrough in tier six, National Three North. Powerful and
pacy, despite his size, the flanker represented North of England U18, Yorkshire
U16, U17 and U20, Durham U18, and England Counties U20. It was while playing
for Yorkshire that he was spotted by former Titans coach Andre Bester, who took
him to Rotherham in the summer of 2011, having been a scaffolder in the North
Sea. Kirwan made his Championship debut against Moseley in October 2012 putting
in an inspirational man of the match performance, scoring twice, capping his
first season at the club by being named Rotherham’s Young Player of the Season.
He has four tries in ten league appearances this season only having joined this
summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment