AS the warmth of August draws to a close, rugby is drawing ever closer.
Jersey RFC have an exciting campaign ahead of them after both the men’s and women’s sides produced outstanding league campaigns in 2023/24.
Kicking off their season tomorrow, the RFC men’s 1st and 2nd XV are set to play home friendly fixtures, offering their players a first run-out of the new season.
JRFC Men’s 2nd XV welcome their Siam Cup rivals, Guernsey Raiders II’s, and are set for a 12.45pm start, while the 1st XV host the West Midlands-based Silhillians at 3pm, both games taking place on pitch one at CoinShares Park.
Ahead of his sides’ first run-out of pre-season, men’s head coach Myles Landick said: “We’re really looking forward to getting back out there.
“It’s been exciting building up towards this new campaign, especially with our promotion into the new league.
“It’s going to be great to see the lads get some minutes in their legs again.
“We have a few unavailable for this weekend, but it’s excellent we’re still able to get two strong sides out.
“We’re only able to have this one pre-season fixture, whereas we know many teams in our league now have had at least three.
“We want to make sure we really make the most of these games, both the first and second teams.
“This is going to be a full-on season so it’s important we have a strong squad available to cover for the inevitability of injuries and unavailabilities.
“That being said, it’ll be a great day against two good sides.
“We’ll assess the footage post-match and see where we can improve ahead of that first league match and I’m ready to see how excited all the lads are.”
Jersey RFC’s first league fixture of the new London & SE Division is an away tussle against Tunbridge Wells on Saturday 7 September.
JRFC Men’s 1st XV: [1-9] Joe Ridgway, Gene Syminton, Tom Wilson, Euan Spencer, Cameron Keys, Jack Macfarlane, Evan Whitson, Ethan Rault, Max Harrington, [10-15] Scott Van Breda, Sam Harvey, Dan Barnes, Nathan Rogers, Bevan Biggs, Eryk Swiech. Replacements: Jake Bates, George Thomas, Sam Gott, Nathan Thomas, Billy Mullins, Callum Cuthbert
JRFC Men’s 2nd XV: [1-9] Morgan Brady, Rowan Dixon-Smith, George Thomas, Lewis Ham-Howes, Harvey Evans, Steve O’Brien, Andrew Pitcher, Talite Violeti, Anushan Elanco [10-15] Charlie Best, Aidan Dobney, Jenson Holmes, Sam Hunter, Tom pinel, Ethan Huish. Replacements: Wayne Andriex, James Courtness, Ben Pearson, Pierce Maloney, Corne Visage
