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05
Sept
Preview: Local rugby union clubs set for new season
The rugby union season begins again this weekend for teams across the district.
The Stray Ferret has spoken to the top teams in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough about their preparation and aims for the season ahead.
Harrogate RUFC
After relegation from National League 2 North last season, Harrogate will compete in the Regional 1 North East this year.
But new director of rugby Jake Brady appears to have instilled a positive culture.
Brady told the Stray Ferret the club's aim is simple — promotion back to National League 2 North.
Signings
The Aces have bolstered their squad over summer.
Dom Dalby, Owen Harrison, Toby Ademakin and Jack Gilmartin have been brought in from teams such as Leeds Tykes and Ripon to strengthen the forwards. Scrum-half Dan Wilson and fullback Ollie Rossillo have also joined the club.
Preparation
When Brady first met his new squad, they told him they didn’t feel fit enough last season so he has recruited strength and conditioning coach Charlie Parkin.
He has also pulled together a new coaching team of Pete Taylor, Dan Scarborough, Charlie Parkin, Rob Rollinson and Ollie Toomey.
Brady said “95% of the team are on board” and that in six weeks pre-season, the squad has improved significantly and surpassed the fitness goals he wanted.
However, the team hasn’t had as much match fitness as Brady would have liked during pre-season. He said they weren't the finished article but they are “in a position to win games”.
Ambitions
So what are the goals, besides promotion?
I’d be most disappointed if I hadn’t created something that people want to be a part of, whether that be players or spectators. But the signs are looking good at the moment.
Harrogate RUFC kick off their season at home to Middlesbrough at 2pm today.
Harrogate Pythons
The Pythons finished eighth of 12 in Counties 1 Yorkshire last season, in what was their second season in the division after promotion in 2023.
The club now wants to firmly establish itself at this level.
The Stray Ferret spoke to chairman Julian Tatlow to find out more.
Signings
As with many local clubs, player availability was an issue last year, says Tatlow.
Several signings joined the club over summer.
Natsuki Barclay, Harry Jackson, Jack Whiting, Thomas Roberts and Freddie Abrahams strengthen the back line. Luke Korba and Harry Butler have also joined.
Jack Whiting.
Preparation
Harrogate Pythons started pre-season two months ago and Tatlow says “fitness isn’t an issue”.
The chairman said they've been focusing on speed at the breakdown – how quickly the ball is played after a ruck.
Despite losing two pre-season games to Ossett and Moortown, Tatlow said he was happy with some of the play and was feeling confident going into the new season.
He said:
“We were better last season than we were the year before. We’d just been promoted into the league and probably weren’t quite ready. It took a while for us to get used to the pace of play, but now I think we’re there.”
Ambitions
Tatlow said:
We used a lot of players in the first team last year and want to reduce that. I think we’d also be happy with mid-table this year. We want to really establish ourselves in this league.
Harrogate Pythons kick off their season at home to Leodiensian at 3pm today.
Ripon RUFC
Ripon finished third in Counties 2 Yorkshire last season, narrowly missing promotion.
They have been in the top five for three consecutive seasons, having finished fifth and then fourth in the two previous seasons.
The Stray Ferret spoke to Peter Fletcher, director of rugby, who says they should be challenging for promotion again this year.
A new stand has been built at the ground, and pitch-side fencing is being erected.
Signings
Like Harrogate Pythons, player availability was a problem last year, as highlighted by the fact that 54 players represented the first team.
The club has brought in Alex Riley, Elliott Davies-Taylor, and player-coach Alan Hudson to strengthen.
But Ripon have also lost a few notable players. Dom Dalby, has joined Harrogate RUFC and Jacob Buttle has departed for Darlington Mowden Park.
Despite this, Fletcher said he was relatively confident:
We’re doing as much as we can as an amateur club to make Ripon rugby club an attractive proposition for players to come to.
We don’t pay players – I don’t think it’s a positive thing for a grassroots club to do. We focus on our youth squad a lot instead. From a squad of 18, 60-70% is home-grown talent.
Preparation
Ripon started pre-season in early July, training twice a week. Fletcher said sessions have been a mix of skills, structure and fitness. He added he is convinced the squad is fit enough to compete.
However, match sharpness might be a problem for Ripon in their opening fixture. Having only played one pre-season friendly, a 21-17 win against Roundhegians, Fletcher conceded the side might be “a little bit undercooked”.
Ambitions
Ripon won the Papa John’s Counties 2 North plate final in 2024, beating Ashbourne 31-14. It was the club’s first silverware in over 40 years.
But what is this season's aim?
The next step for us is promotion – there would be a degree of disappointment if we don’t get there this season.
Ripon Rugby Club kick off their season away at Bradford and Bingley at 3pm today.
Knaresborough RUFC
Under new manager Jed Gowland, Knaresborough are looking to improve on their fourth-place finish last year.
The club also made it to the semi-finals of the Papa John’s Counties 3 Shield last year.
Gowland said the club aimed to finish in the top three this season.
Signings
Knaresborough have made one signing so far, with Gowland saying others were “in the pipeline”.
Charlie Merritt has joined from Corinthians to strengthen the centre, with the manager saying Knaresborough now has real strength in depth there.
Most of last season's squad returns. Gowland said his core 25 players had all decided to stay.
Last season's captain's player of the season, Ben Haase, has stayed at the club.
Preparation
Gowland joined Knaresborough in December, and briefly managed them and Harrogate Hawks, the district’s only rugby league team.
With his previous experience solely in rugby league, the manager said that he will be looking to play a more “rugby league-style” of rugby. He wants to be more expansive and use the wingers, stating that “union can be guilty of just playing down the middle and using forwards”.
As a result, Knaresborough’s pre-season has been intense. Gowland has incorporated tyre-flipping, speed ladders, laps of the ground’s perimeter into an intense fitness programmes.
The manager said he will not accept fitness as an excuse for losing matches.
Knaresborough have not played any pre-season friendlies this summer. Despite this, Gowland is confident it won’t affect the team’s match sharpness, because they work through plays extensively in training.
Ambitions
Gowland said he wanted to retain players:
I hope that we can keep the players interested and engaged throughout the year. Because players are playing for free and they can move between clubs, there’s pressure on me to keep it interesting for them and make them want to stay here.
The manager added that being offered the Knaresborough job in December gave him “real fire in my belly” to succeed, and that he’s really looking forward to the new campaign.
Knaresborough will kick off their season at home to Thirsk at 3.30pm today.
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