Articles
Another year in the BUCS Cup Final for EURFC
Rugby Reflections - A year for the history books for BUCS number one Rugby Club
A year in reflection with Director of Rugby Keith Fleming. His thoughts on how far EURFC have come and the progression of student rugby.
This year saw the first ever BUCS Super Rugby Season take place, combing the top four most consistent rugby institutions from the previous Premier North and South Divisions. The University of Exeter Men's 1st XV finished 2nd in this league with the points difference coming down to one home defeat which could have put Exeter in poll position. EURFC Men's 1st XV then ploughed their way to the BUCS final beating Cardiff Met in the quarter final & hammering Loughborough in the semi final before facing league toppers Hartpury at rugby HQ Twickenham Stadium. Alas, it was not going to be Exeter's year making the back-to-back Cup win as they fell to a deserved Hartpury side. Keith Fleming (Director of Rugby and Match Day Manager for Exeter Chiefs) reflects on yet another overwhelmingly positive season with EURFC:
"The students have worked extremely hard over the season, and fully deserved their place in the final. Competition has remained high throughout the club, which in turn has driven performance; our strength in depth has given the sides real backbone. It has been a real team effort from the players, coaches, strength and conditioning team and the back room staff, which has made this a successful season. The programme is designed so that academic work comes first but is flexible enough to train at a professional level and achieve great results across all sides."
Keith who works hand in hand with both the University and Exeter Chiefs will remember this year for not only the success of EURFC reaching another BUCS final but also the Chiefs winning their first ever Premiership Rugby title. Keith had this to say:
"Winning the Aviva Premiership was a fantastic achievement for the club, it represents many years of hard work by a lot of people on and off the pitch, and it has been great for all involved.
The development over the years is great to see, with the link between the University and the Chiefs getting ever stronger. We currently have six University players on fulltime contracts at the club one of which is still studying for his degree. This demonstrates there is a clear player pathway between the University and the Chiefs.
Pre-season has started at the Chiefs and we have a group of talented young students which have been invited to train with them over the summer, following in the footsteps of their peers being given an opportunity to learn and perform in a professional environment".
With this in mind, the Men's competitive pre-season starts at the end of this month for all university players (returning and new) that want to fully immerse themselves in what it means to be part of the most successful BUCS rugby club in the country.
If you hold an offer for the University of Exeter and want to join the Men's Rugby Union preseason programme please email K.R.C.Fleming@exeter.ac.uk for further details.
Article written by James Fleming
Sport Scholarship and Recruitment Officer
Date: 30 July 2017