BUCS Preview - What Does This Season Have In Store?

With the summer drawing to a close and a lot of pre-season rugby now in full swing, it is little over a month until the 2013 BUCS Rugby Competition begins.

Who will dominate the competition this year? Is there anyone to challenge Durham for the BUCS Rugby crown?

The 2012/13 BUCS season saw a ‘purple reign’ for Durham University. The North East side emphatically won the Premier North A division without losing a single game, with Leeds Met Carnegie in second and Loughborough third. In the parallel, Southern Premiership, Cardiff Met won the league, only one point clear of Exeter in second, and ten points clear of Hartpury in third.

The two league winners met at Twickenham to fight out for the BUCS Championship. Snow and sub-zero temperatures did not stop both teams from providing a fantastic showcase of student rugby. The game was a very close affair, with both teams dominating different periods of the match. But it was Durham who reigned supreme, with a final score of 26-17.

Durham’s win was their second of the last three years. Can they do it again?

Unlike other competitions, University rugby provides its own challenges – most notably, the sheer turnaround of players each year. Players arrive as freshers, leave as finalists, take a year out on placement, return from placement or arrive as mature students, to name but a few. As a result, the complete shape of a team can change from year to year.

As university places are accepted and the latest batch of freshers prepare to arrive, Talking Rugby Union caught up with Durham head coach Alex Keay on his newest recruits and the club’s ambitions for the season.   

Durham’s pre-season is less than two weeks away, commencing on the 9th of September, for a full month before their first game at home to Nottingham.  

Coach Keay explained that "the plans for pre-season are always the same: get the squad into the best shape possible by being fitter than anyone else, integrate new players into the team and make them feel at home.

"Our main aim is to create a great work ethic and attitude within the team; it was this, combined with a really good bunch of players that resulted in our success last season."

When asked about the difficulties of losing a large amount of players – seven first team forwards and both half backs – from last year’s team, he confessed that "it’s obviously difficult, but that’s the nature of university rugby.

"We had a very strong second team last year, who won their league, and a lot of those players are knocking on the door with a point to prove this season. Also, there are always a large number of good freshers who join the University each year and fit right into the team."

One of the most notable losses is former captain and second row Josh Beaumont, son of ex England and British Lions captain Bill Beaumont, who has completed his three years at the University, reaching the BUCS final at the end of each season. Josh is now a fully contracted player at Sale Sharks.

Another of last year’s standout players was full-back Simon Hammersley, who is the new captain for the coming season. Simon, a recently signed Newcastle Falcon and Red Panda player, is certainly a figure to watch out for in the BUCS Championship.

Alex Keay described that "Simon is an exceptional player and leader on the field; he combines strength and pace and is a very clever player. He was man of the match in this year’s final at Twickenham; it’s no surprise that Newcastle have signed him for two years."

One of Durham’s most important and exciting new arrivals, however, is not an on-field addition, but a coaching one. Ex-Wasps and England fly half Dave Walder, and also Durham alumni, has returned to help with coaching at his former University.

Head Coach Keay emphasised how "we’re thrilled to welcome Dave back and have him on board with us. He will act as a specialist attacking and kicking coach for the team. The University matters a lot to him and it means a lot to have him back."

When asked about the coming season and their competition, Coach Keay said how "we never worry about any other teams; we just want to get ourselves in the best shape possible in pre-season, so we can play our best. We have a great bunch of mentally focussed, bright guys who always want to win."

Durham will have stiff opposition this year from always strong Leeds Met Carnegie and sporting experts Loughborough.

In the Southern half of the competition, it was UWIC last year that came out on top, with their second trip to Twickenham in the last three years. It was a slightly disappointing season for former southern giants, Bath, who won only five of their matches.

Bath start pre-season training next week, for almost a month’s solid training before the season begins in October. The team has a relentless pre-season schedule, with a number of difficult fixtures, as Bath play Championship side Cornish Pirates, Bristol Rugby Academy, Cambridge University and National 1 side Blackheath, within the space of three weeks.

Talking Rugby Union also spoke to Bath head coach Aaron James, who described that the main things the club would be working on in pre-season are "firstly, the transition into University rugby for the club’s new players. With a large amount of personnel changes, we want to integrate them into the side and build a team that plays for each other.

"In the first few weeks of pre-season there will be lots of running and lots of skills, so we can really get to know who’s who and build a pecking order for the season. In pre-season we want to give as many guys a game as we can, with about sixty to seventy players to cover.

"No teams are ever weak in the BUCS Premiership; Exeter, Bristol, UWIC and Hartpury are always particularly strong. We will have to be at our very best to compete and execute our aim of being a top four side."

Bath’s recently named captain for the season, hooker, Michael Perks, will have the all-important role of leading the team from the front and bringing the side together over pre-season.

After a disappointing 2012/13 campaign, Bath will be keen to put their hard work over pre-season into action as when they open their BUCS season at home to Bristol on the 2nd of October.

Aaron James is also a key member of the England Students set-up, which is an important part of every BUCS rugby season. James, an assistant coach to the team, said that "the England Students coaching team are currently reviewing ways to strengthen their selection process and acquisition of players from all over the country.

"Our aim is to find the best student rugby players in England, and help them towards, hopefully, a transition into both Championship and Premiership rugby."

James maintained that the Students team "is a vital part of BUCS rugby", and that the "sheer volume of players who have now gone to play professionally or semi-professionally this season alone, is a real testament to that."

The England Students calendar begins with an away fixture to Portugal in February, followed by the daunting prospect of an away trip to France. Followed by Wales at home in April, and finally, a new addition to the 2013/14 campaign, a development match against Scotland.

Coach James told Talking Rugby Union that "a completely new squad will be selected for the game, combining a second team with a number of younger University rugby players, in preparation for the following season."

The BUCS Premiership South begins on Wednesday the 2nd of October and the Northern Premiership the following week. With the new season only a few weeks away, a number of questions begin to form over BUCS rugby.

How will personnel changes affect the University sides? Which teams will gel together the quickest and make the fastest start to the season?

Which new players this year will stand up and lead their teams from the front? Will anyone be able to knock Durham off their perch at the top of University rugby? Only time will tell…