News
Blues welcome 12 young Saints
Bedford Blues were delighted to welcome 12 of the brightest young Northampton Saints prospects to training last week as Mike Rayer’s men prepare for a Championship return.
Last June, both clubs formally announced a strategic partnership to formally co-operate on a number of playing, coaching and training opportunities. However, the Coronavirus pandemic had so far prevented the arrival of Saints Academy players, until now.
The dozen Saints starlets were able to safely train with the Blues group for the first time last Thursday having undergone the same COVID testing and Minimum Operating Standards in place for elite rugby.
Director of Rugby, Mike Rayer said: “It was great to welcome these lads across on Thursday and to get a good session done with bolstered numbers. Our players have worked incredibly hard over the last six months in such difficult circumstances and in such small groups.
“There is now light at the end of the tunnel and having close to 30 quality players available at training is a massive boost to all of us. Our preparations can now hopefully move to the next level over the next few weeks.”
The Blues began PCR testing under the PGB regulations with Randox at the beginning of January to enable the safe integration of players from Northampton Saints into the Bedford group.
Rayer added: “We are very aware of the current situation around the pandemic and as such are taking every precaution to manage the situation. Our dialogue and relationship with Saints has been great across all levels at the club and they’ve been a constant source of information in enabling us to get to this point.”
A familiar name to all Bedford supporters, Connor Tupai, makes up part of the Northampton contingent alongside Lewis Bean, Reuben Bird-Tulloch, Callum Burns, Karl Garside, Ethan Grayson, Dani Long-Martinez, Ollie Newman, Ryan Olowofela, Ed Prowse, JJ Tonks and Tui Uru.
Northampton Saints Head of Academy, Mark Hopley commented: “I really believe that you have to play to develop. You can train as much as you can, but there’s no way of implementing that learning without a game scenario to put it into. We’re really eager for our young players to go to Bedford, gain experience, make mistakes, plan, learn and review – because that is the best way for them to learn.
“A huge advantage of this too for their development is the opportunity to go and learn to do things a slightly different way. There are some brilliant coaches at Bedford in Mike Rayer, Alex Rae and Paul Larkin, and they won’t play exactly the same way that we do here, but that’s also important experience for our players going into that environment.
“I want to thank Mike and Geoff Irvine for their efforts to get us to this point, and we’re looking forward to working even more closely together in future.”
