Rugby
Rob Clarke
Term: Autumn
Teams: 1st, 2nd, U16A&B, U15A&B, U14A&B, U13A&B, U12A&B XVs
Caterham has an excellent reputation in school's rugby and is renowned for producing skillful, fast paced teams, that play fluid and entertaining rugby. Caterham rugby continues to flourish under Head of Rugby, Rob Clarke (Great Britain RL, Surrey RFU, and Dorking RFC) and his team of superb coaches which include Richard Smith, Henry Jones (Surrey RFU) and James Burnside (Barnes RFC). The coaching staff have a wealth of experience, ranging from mini rugby through to National League rugby. The pupils at Caterham are given high class sessions that develop skills in all areas of the game. With excellent staff numbers on games sessions, coaches are free to work on positional specific skills and video analysis is used to identify and address weaknesses in pupil performances.
Guest coaches visit the school regularly with Paul Hodgson (London Irish and England scrum-half) being a regular visitor to the school. Caterham has a close link with London Irish RFC, which involves coaching by the Irish players and being invited pitch side at London Irish matches. Caterham also has a close link with Esher Rugby Club. A recent visit to Esher involved the Caterham pupils being coached by the head of rugby there, Mike Schmid, and his backs coach, former England and Gloucester scrum-half, Peter Richards. An Esher 1st XV player visits the school each week to deliver specialist forwards coaching. While pupils are encouraged and pushed to reach their potential, the main goal of fun and enjoyment is always at the forefront. The coaching team are committed to giving all players a positive experience of rugby and introducing pupils to the sportsmanship and camaraderie that are so prevalent in the game.
Rugby players are becoming more and more athletic and speed, power and strength are becoming important pre-requisites for success. With this in mind Caterham pupils benefit from early morning fitness sessions as well as access to a new free-weights gym. Under the watchful eye of the schools specialist strength and conditioning coach, Henry Jones, detailed fitness programmes are given to the pupils and regular fitness testing occurs for the older pupils.
Caterham rugby players are fortunate to play on some of the finest school boy pitches in the country. There surely can't be a finer surface than Home Field and the stunning surroundings of the Caterham Valley make it an unbeatable setting for rugby.
There is a long tradition of rugby tours at Caterham. The recent tour to Hong Kong, New Zealand and Los Angeles was a huge success. The school were fortunate to play against Wesley College whose alumni include Jonah Lomu and Sitiveni Sivivatu. The rugby was tough but the Caterham boys managed to produce the best haka that Wesley had ever seen (from an English team). More details on the recent tour can be found at www.catsworldsportstour2011.blogspot.com
In recent months, Caterham have set up a close partnership with the first class rugby clothing and equipment supplier, Gilbert, who will provide all playing kits, balls and training equipment to the Caterham rugby teams at a significant discount.
With all that is needed to help players develop to their potential, it is little wonder that many Caterham rugby players represent their county and go on to have successful rugby careers at university and beyond.
The school always performs well in the Daily Mail Cup, the most recent cup run seeing the 1st XV to the last 16 in 2009. Caterham has a strong reputation in 7's rugby, having been previous winners of the National Tournament at Rosslyn Park.
Further information on Caterham rugby can be found at the schools page at www.schoolsrugby.co.uk
News
U15 Rugby - Pre Season Coaching in Normandy 2012
Junior Rugby - Awards Evening on 13 December 2011
Rugby Fixtures - Changes to Saturday 12 Nov 2011
England Rugby International Coaches Pupils at Caterham School 11 10 19
Fourth Year Rugby Players - tour to Somerset in October 2011
Caterham School Student Selected for Surrey U15 Rugby Squad
Caterham School Student Selected for Surrey U16 Rugby Squad
Fixture List
Rugby Fixtures Spring Term 2012
Rugby Fixtures Autumn Term 2011
Past Results