HRUFC veterans Gavin Rhodes and Tony Stringwell are planning on making the Falcons –Huddersfield’s second team, a force to be reckoned with next season.
Along with Captain Darren Neilly and Vice Captain Harry Granger they are actively recruiting players new and old who see themselves with first team aspirations or who simply want to play a good standard of rugby surrounded by quality players.
With the first team having had a top six finish in National Two and the Third team finishing third in their regional league there is a real drive from within the club to make a successful second team.
With over 20 years of first team rugby between them Gavin and Tony bring a wealth of experience to compliment the drive and youth of Darren and Harry.
Says Gavin of their plans..
‘’We are hoping to really push on and develop this team now with our current leadership group. For too long second team rugby has been caught between the semi-pro status of first team rugby and purely social third team rugby.”
“Understandably those with first team aspirations have become disillusioned and left to seek first team rugby elsewhere and the player who doesn’t want to commit to the intensity of first team has been left in the lurch. We are looking to cater for both needs. We now have a core of senior experienced players who like myself, Tony and Darren have played in all three teams at HRUFC in recent years. We understand how the club works. We have good relationships with the coaches and management. Everyone is very supportive to make the Falcons an environment where people can develop and push into the first team but also simply enjoy quality rugby with quality players.”
“I really want to see players returning to the club who have left for the reasons mentioned and also for us to retain players who aren’t quite ready for first team but need that competitive quality environment. With Darren in charge of social activites and Harry providing a link to Huddersfield university there are all the ingredients to make a good go of things this year and onwards.’’
If you are a player considering returning to the club or see yourself fitting into this environment please call or email the Chairman of Rugby Paul Sharrock at chairrugbyhrufc@gmail.com
