WHAT IS IT?
This is a blog that's specific to Rugby Union.
I have set it up mainly as an exercise as required by my MA inMagazine Journalism course at Uclan (University of Central Lancashire).
However, I've been blogging about rugby for some time now, and my posts have ended up on various non-specific websites so I've decided to put all the rugby items together.
So, if you're interested in rugby, this is the place for you!
The central strand of the blog will be the Championship - the second tier of English club rugby.
I do a weekly piece for the Rugby World website, which is a spotlight on that division, with a round-up of matches and club, player and coach profiles. I'll put this on the blog and there'll be a link to the RW website.
WHO AM I TO WRITE ABOUT RUGBY?
Good question!
I joined London Irish back in the mid 70s and started off in the inaugural U21 XV under the wing (pardon the pun - he was a Squadron Leader) - of the late Paddy Forsythe.
I graduated to the senior sides and played several games for the Wild Geese (2nd XV) and the 1st XV before being recruited to study Physical Education at Borough Road (now Brunel University) by John Hunter.
A serious knee injury halted my career in my last year of college and in 1983 I began my coaching career at Old Verulamians RFC. I was in my mid-twenties, and, in an era where most clubs didn't have a coach and the skipper "took" training I was something of rarity. I was also much younger than most of the players.
However, one of the benefits off a Borough Road education was that, in addition to having virtually a first class fixture list, we had regular visits from players such as Irish captain Ken Kennedy and top coaches like New Zealander Earl Kirton.
Following a move to Devon in 1986, I took over as head (well...only) coach at Sidmouth RFC. This was in pre-league days. During the next 21 years, I had several enjoyable spells at Sidmouth of two or more years, and managed to achieve promotion on two occasions.
In 2005, we narrowly missed out on a Twickenham Powergen Vase final when we lost to Sheffield Tigers in the 9th minute of injury time in a 36-36 semi that will live long in the memory of both players and the four thousand spectators who turned up to watch.
After leaving Sidmouth, I spent a year coaching Wessex. Not the happiest year, I'm sorry to say.
At present I'm not coaching, but would love to return to it at some point. I'm now living outside Manchester and try to watch as much local rugby as time allows.
Until then, I'm just writing about rugby, I'm afraid.
