Caterham School senior rugby squad have benefitted from a training session at Esher RFC. The club is in the Championship league and their Head of Rugby, Mike Schmid, and his backs coach, former England and Gloucester fly-half, Peter Richards delivered the session. The squad then stayed on to watch the Esher 1st XV train. The School is forging a close link with this Championship side and this is the first stage of the partnership.
Teacher Neil Evans, who coaches the Caterham 1st XV, said: ’The training session was absolutely first class and the squad learnt a lot. I know that they also took note of the intensity at which Esher train and I am sure that they will be aware of that in the training we do at Caterham’.
The Caterham School senior rugby squad have had an enjoyable pre-season. After a week of training at School, they were put through their paces at a teambuilding day which required them to overcome various challenges. Director of Sport, Rob Clarke, said: ‘It was a very productive exercise. By the end of the day all of the boys were communicating effectively with each other and working as a team, not as individuals, to overcome the challenges they faced – key skills in becoming a good rugby team.’
Early morning fitness sessions are in full swing and, with a new free weights area in use, this squad are sure to be very fit. A new injury rehabilitation clinic has also been set up to help the boys recover from the bumps and bruises they will pick up over the season.
The pre-season training clearly worked well as the 1st and 2nd XVs were victorious at St Dunstan’s. In fact, all the Caterham School rugby teams beat their St Dunstan’s counterparts, scoring 280 points and conceding just 18.