Author: Denys Andrianjafy

Recent announcement from the National Clubs Association –

National League Rugby have launched The National League Rugby Review Show which will cover every round of action across our three divisions – National One, National Two North and National Two South.

In conjunction with our recent name change, the review show marks a new era for levels three and four as we look to expand our coverage even further. Rugby is returning and things are happening in our divisions, so get on board!

The National League Rugby Review Show will be a weekly paywall-protected show on ncarugby.com [soon to be nationalleaguerugby.co.uk.] and will be available to watch on Sundays from 6pm after every round throughout the 2021/22 season.

We will bring you the most comprehensive coverage of National One and National Two by analysing three key games with highlights, rounding up the headlines around the leagues and summarising the results.

It will be THE place to watch the best tries and big moments from the weekend’s action while investing back into your club because by subscribing to the show, your team will receive 40 per cent commission (once Paypal admin fees and VAT have been deducted).

The National League Rugby Review Show will be hosted by respected commentator Warren Muggleton and he will be assisted by Talking Rugby Union, who continue to lead the way when it comes to covering the National Leagues.  Warren will travel to grounds throughout the season to host the show and commentate on a key game. He will be joined by guests each week to dissect the action from across the leagues.

Key Points: The National League Rugby Review Show

• Weekly paywall-protected review show during the 2021/22 National One, National Two North and National Two South seasons
• £15 for season access, £12 at Early Adopters rate [VAT Inc] between July 1st and August 15^th
• 40 per cent of your purchase will go back into YOUR club! This will be calculated after Paypal admin fees and VAT are subtracted from the payment
• Fans will be able to buy season-access tickets from July 1st on https://www.ncarugby.com/national-league-rugby-review-show/
• Once purchased, subscribing fans will receive a confirmation email. A link will be included where fans will be able to assign their subscription to a club from a drop-down list on a Google Form
• Host and commentator Warren Muggleton to travel the country, hosting and commentating on key games each week to provide comprehensive coverage and analysis
• The show will be available to watch on https://www.ncarugby.com/national-league-rugby-review-show/ on Sundays from 6pm after every round
• Commitment to increasing the exposure of National League Rugby and use funds generated to build our leagues into a viable brand

Please also see attached some advertising posters for the show which are for immediate release and we will also be releasing a trailer at the end of the week.

National League Rugby Chairman, John Inverdale

“This is a marvellous way for rugby at our level to promote itself to the widest possible audience. For the price of a couple of beers, everyone can have a full season’s supply of National League Rugby every week and the great thing is all the clubs will benefit financially too.

“It’s a huge opportunity for self-help. The more people who subscribe, the more the word will get out about rugby at our level and the more money clubs make, the more people will consider coming to watch your club!

“I’d encourage everyone involved at all our member clubs to do all they can to encourage as many people as possible to subscribe.”

We are looking forward to the first kick of a rugby ball in the 2021/22 season and providing THE place to watch the best tries and big moments from the weekend’s action while investing back into your club!

[button link=”https://www.ncarugby.com/national-league-rugby-review-show/” type=”big” newwindow=”yes”] Subscribe[/button]

For more information, please contact:

Warren Muggleton [Host and Producer] – wmproductions2018@gmail.com

Chris Heal [Editorial Assistant] – chris@talkingrugbyunion.co.uk

Mike Brennand [Commercial Enquiries] – email@mikebrennand.co.uk  

Please see below, a very moving piece from Paul Bushell, long time supporter and sponsor of the club.

Dear CRFC community,

My name is Paul Bushell. I have been coming to CRFC for 16 years, initially as a M&Y coach for my son Toby’s year group and thereafter to watch senior rugby. Until recently I sat on the main club committee, the finance committee and I continue to chair the advisory board.

Two months ago, I went to the doctor complaining of some stomach pains. I was expecting the diagnosis of a stomach ulcer or similar. Instead I received the shock diagnosis of a pancreatic tumour that had spread to other organs in my body. There is no cure for this cancer, it is known as the silent killer, as in over 80% of people it is at stage 4 before it is diagnosed. At the age of 52 this has been a game changer in every sense of the word – I would struggle to ever articulate how much life has been turned upside down.

I am receiving the most brutal chemotherapy regimes every two weeks, so far I have been lucky to be relatively unaffected by the side effects. This will hopefully give me some good quality life extension. I’ve also had some great advice from many people – in particular I’d like to mention Alison Williams who has been an absolute star in teaching me about positivity and the right attitude, even when the odds are stacked against you.

Over the last few weeks I have learnt a huge amount more about this terrible illness. It receives one of the lowest research and development budgets, due to the lack of cure. It is the 10th most common cancer in the UK.

The reason for my writing is to highlight your attention to this, and to ask for your generosity in sponsoring my family to raise funds for research into this worthwhile cause.

Shortly after diagnosis we decided we wanted to raise money for more research into this disease. As a result, we have decided to all undertake a sponsored walk (and a ½ marathon) in different places. Therefore on the 17th July, Justine, Toby and I will be walking 10km near to home in Kent. My daughter Lara will be doing the same in Scotland and my eldest daughter Alice will do this in Mexico. Furthermore Justine and Toby are undertaking the Canterbury ½ marathon on the 30th August as part of this cause.

I appreciate fully that the club regularly looks for sponsorship and help for both itself and also for other genuinely great charities. I truly hope that you can sponsor my family for this cause, and assist in funding research into early diagnosis of this cruel cancer.

The link for sponsorship is below. Some of you may wish to make an anonymous online donation, but we do like to see who has given money so we can thank them when we next see each other.

https://www.thebigstepforward.org.uk/fundraisers/TeamBushell
Target of £20,000

Thank you so much for your kind support. I continue to fight the fight and fully intend to be around to watch CRFC go from strength to strength in the next season! I hope to see you there.

With my best wishes

The Bushells
(Paul, Justine, Alice, Lara and Toby)

A message to our friends Canterbury Hockey Club, sending condolences for the death of CHC Legend Dick Laslett who was regularly seen too at The Marine Travel Ground as a friend to many of us.

The club released the statement below.

We are devastated to record the death of Dick Laslett on the 29th June 2021. Dick has shown incredible leadership in developing sports and community facilities over a period of 50 years. He has been a man of vision and foresight, an innovative, inspiring leader and an ambassador for many sporting and social enterprises.

Dick joined Canterbury Hockey Club at the age of 17, becoming 1st XI captain in 1962 until 1969. He progressed rapidly through club administration becoming Vice Chairman in 1972, Chairman for 10 years from 1977 and was made a Life Member in 1988. He served on the Kent Committee from 1977 for over 20 years. It was a great source of pride for club members that he was elected President of Kent County Hockey Club.

Throughout the 1970’s he led the development of Canterbury Hockey Club from a converted rubbish tip on land rented by the council, eventually identifying the present site at Polo Farm. He helped to fund its purchase and successfully sought grants and loans all the way through to project completion. He was a man of vision, instrumental in setting up one of the finest centres of mens, ladies and youth hockey in the country.

As well as this focus on hockey, Dick has been a leader in the development of Polo Farm Sports Club. He was a founder member and initiated the development of a local sports venue into one of the premier centres of sport in South East England, playing men’s, ladies and youth hockey, tennis, cricket, football and croquet. Throughout all this time he has attracted a large number of voluntary workers who have been inspired by his leadership. However challenging the job he showed persistence and determination to see the job through, however menial the task.

Dick has also demonstrated enormous service beyond the sports field. He established the Eastry Young Peoples Club, providing a social outlet for the growing number of young people in this community. He secured funding and was project manager throughout the building stage and continued as Chairman and youth club leader. He also obtained funding to establish a private nursery (Bubbles) in the village, to provide a much needed facility in a growing village which was attracting many young people.

The culmination of Dick’s contribution to so many of our lives was the well-deserved award of MBE in November 2009, for outstanding achievement and service to the community. It is an award which sums up Dick’s lifetime contribution perfectly.

Richard Goodenough

There is no mistaking the unparalleled focus and commitment Giles Hilton displays when talking about subjects and causes close to his heart. It is clear this approach, let us call it the ‘Hilton Method’ has guided him personally and professionally through his life. Testament to this is the number of people from all walks of life who volunteered a singular voice of approval and support for his nomination for inclusion in the Queen’s Honours List.

To understand the man behind the award we need to focus on a part of his life that can be regarded as a microcosm of the wider word in which he inhabits. So, Giles Hilton Chairman of Canterbury RFC it is. Not one to sit in an air-conditioned office issuing edicts to subordinates, Giles is often found weeding and watering the 1^st XV pitch, working the bar, supporting club staff, raising prizes and eyebrows when giving pre and post-match speeches. There is hardly a day of the year you will not see Giles at the club. His energy and charisma pervades all, and his kindness of spirit sets the bar for other around him.

Giles leads from the front. He motivates and inspires in equal measure bringing people along with him and focuses them on the common goal of making the club not only a club that plays competitive rugby, but also one that has a very clear place and purpose in the community. His vision for the club is clear and one that he has articulated numerous times over the last 16 years. The principles established then still ring true now, to become a top club in Kent, to enable every player to reach their full potential, at whatever level and to reach out into the community to support everyone into sport. Diversity and inclusivity are central tenants to achieving his and the club’s ambitions. This has allowed Giles to introduce many forms of the game to the club including Wheelchair and Touch, both having players that have represented GB and England at the highest level.

Giles has always put people at the centre and goes out of his way to ensure all, from current players, ex-players, staff, and club members are supported and never have to feel alone in times of hardship or difficulties in their lives.

Giles’ tenure has always been one of striving for continual development whether it is getting the club to the 3^rd tier of English Rugby, or improving the facilities the club offers its players, staff, members, and visitors.

Giles takes pride in the club’s standing on the local community and puts huge effort into fundraising for those less fortunate and very much embodies Canterbury RFC’s One Club ethos.

Giles is widely respected across the board at a club that he has dedicated a large portion of his life to. Supported by his wife Phillipa, their two sons, family and innumerable friends, Giles has applied the Hilton Method, and it has worked.

On a closing note, if you do bump into Giles, I will wager he will tell you that the honour bestowed on him is fantastic for the clubs he represents, before acknowledging it is his name in front of the prestigious letters.

Congratulations Giles Hilton MBE.

Canterbury RFC would like to congratulate our Chairman, Giles Hilton, for his inclusion in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, and the award of an MBE for services to Rugby Union Football in Kent.

On receiving the news, Giles said

I feel honoured and privileged to have this award bestowed upon me, but I am also deeply thankful to my wife Phillipa, my sons, my family for their unwavering support, and that of Canterbury RFC players, members, supporters, sponsors, and volunteers that have allowed the club to grow in the astonishing way it has in the last 20 years. Without them none of this would have been possible.

Gile has been involved with the club for over forty years, first representing the Colts at an away game in Ashford in 1976. He remembers his debut distinctly along with the broken arm he suffered in the second half. 1978 saw him run out for the 1^st XV, as 2^nd row, in 1978 at home to Maidstone. Since then, he has worked his way around the club performing various tasks from Junior Rep, Social Committee, bar to even unblocking the drains when they got clogged up. There is no denying the commitment and industry he has shown to the club.

His proudest moments at the club have been seeing us win the Kent Cup and progression from level six through to level three of English Rugby Union.

We look forward to seeing how the club will develop over the next few years, especially with the impact of the pandemic and how under Giles’ tenure as Chairman we can navigate through to future successes.

Dear all,

As the 2020-2021 season has been completed and our financial year ended on the 31 May, I guess it’s only right to now look ahead to a brighter uninterrupted 2021-2022 season.

We are hoping to hold a fundraising lunch on Monday 21 June with Simon Shaw as our guest.

In the evening after the event there will be music from 6pm Dune Accoustic, with Barney the Pizza on site, lets turn this into a #oneclub event.

There are pre-season warm up games planned for 14, 21 & 28 August all at home further details will follow.

As we lost our annual May Ball again this year, we are planning a Summer Ball on Friday 27 August , I very much hope that with your support, we can make this a sell out event.

Fixtures for Lunches
We are taking bookings for pre-match lunches,
please email us by clicking on button below to book you table of 10
or individual places

2021
Saturday 18 September – Worthing
Saturday 2 October – Dings Crusaders
Saturday 16 October – Leicester Lions
Saturday 30 October – Henley
Saturday 20 November – Redruth
Saturday 4 December – Westcliff
Saturday 18 December – Guernsey
2022
Saturday 8 January – Old Albanians
Saturday 22 January – Rochford
Saturday 12 February – Barnstaple
Saturday  26 February – Barnes
Saturday 12 March – Hinckley
Saturday 2 April – Clifton
Saturday 16 April – Esher

[button link=”mailto:prematchlunches@cantrugby.co.uk?subject=Lunch Booking &body=Please can I book for lunch Saturday” type=”big” color=”orange” newwindow=”yes”] Book your lunch[/button]

Season(s) with Canterbury RFC

2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18

Position(s) played

Wing

I think at any club I’ve been at culture has always been so important to me, playing rugby at Canterbury, there was always that sense of togetherness, everyone worked hard for each other. That’s when a club thrives, when everyone is on the same page

Harry played a number of seasons with us before moving to Hong Kong to become a full time professional. He currently plays for Societe Generale Valley RFC in the Hong Kong Premiership and South China Tigers in the Rapid Rugby League. Harry’s highlights include playing in the HSBC World 7s Series and lifting the Asian World Championship with the Hong Kong National team.

Season(s) with Canterbury RFC

1992/93 and 1993/94

Position(s) played

Wing and Full-back

Superb fun on and off the pitch with a great mix of people and personalities.

After the 1993/94 season Doug moved to Denmark to follow his now wife (Mette) who he met whilst studying at Loughborough. Doug taught PE at high schools in Denmark for about 10 years in the Aalborg area of North Jutland. At this time, he coached and played for Aalborg Rugby Club and eventually played for Denmark against the Netherlands. Immediately after this match he was appointed as Denmark National Coach for XV’s & 7s from about 1997, he then went on to be the Technical Director of the Danish Rugby Union until working for the then IRB (now World Rugby) as the Regional Development Manager – Europe.

In 2015, he changed roles with World Rugby, and is now the Competitions Operations Manager – Sevens. With this role, he manages events such as the HSBC World Sevens Series as the Series Director, RWC Sevens as Tournament Director and Olympic / Commonwealth Games as IF Technical Delegate. He also had the fortune to have done some XV’s Match Commissioner work on behalf of World Rugby and at RWC 2019 had the honour of this role at the Bronze Medal match between New Zealand and Wales and also Match Commissioned the Final of the RWC 2017 for women, England v New Zealand.

Doug still lives in Denmark,  but commutes (pre-Covid) for some periods of work at World Rugby’s HQ in Dublin and is still happily married and has 2 children Lawrence (19) and Sophia (18).