Senior Rugby Tour to Munster
The senior squad of 38 players – led by Director of Rugby Paul Burke and accompanied by Alex Thompson, Chris Bates and Fabian Pearce – headed to Galway on the west coast of Ireland, for a week’s intensive training.
The squad stayed and trained at the University of Galway. Despite the inclement weather, the quality and intensity of the sessions was excellent.
Two competitive fixtures were played during the week, providing valuable game time for all. A narrow 19-14 defeat to Connacht U17s was followed by a comprehensive 36-0 defeat of Galway Corinthians.
Away from the pitch, the squad visited the home of Connacht Rugby and observed the senior squad train – it was illuminating to see the skill and intensity required to play at the highest level.
Before returning home, the boys stopped off in Dublin for a tour of The Aviva Stadium, the home of Irish Rugby.
U15s visit Northampton Saints
The U15 squad enjoyed an intensive three-day trip to Northampton Saints. Twenty-four boys received first-class coaching from the Saints Academy, and enjoyed the benefit of early morning runs at Franklin Gardens.
All players responded well, and are proving to be a talented group. Feedback from the Northampton coaches was very positive and there is hopefully much to look forward to from this group of players.
Colts tour to Cardiff
To get their season off to a successful start, the Colts travelled to Cardiff for a three-day intensive training camp.
The players were fortunate to train at the historic Cardiff Arms Park, take a tour of the Principality Stadium and train at the high performance centre at Cardiff Met University.
The boys were put through their paces with a busy schedule of two training sessions a day, plus a gym session covering lineout, scrums and patterns of play.
The squad was accommodated at Cardiff Met University, and it was a delight to hear from members of staff how well-behaved the boys were – they were a credit to themselves and to Epsom.
Many thanks to Simon Whatling and Mike Hobbs to leading the charge.
