Excitement around the College reached fever pitch on Wednesday afternoon, as Shiplake's rugby coaches Mr James Gaunt and Mr Sam Beckett were joined on the front field by
two England rugby internationals. Mike Catt, 2003 Rugby World Cup winner, and
James Haskell, current Wasps RFC captain, delivered a memorable coaching
session to Shiplake’s U14 squad.
The coaching session was won at a charity auction by the
parents of Year 9 pupil Harrison Richards, who kindly chose to involve the Year
9 Shiplake squad. The boys were understandably thrilled by the prospect of
training with Mike Catt, who became a household name after playing a key role
in England’s World Cup triumph in Australia. With so much experience and
expertise, Mike is now part of the England senior squad’s coaching set up. It
was a surprise to everyone when another familiar face stepped onto the front
field; the imposing figure of England back row James Haskell. After playing
locally at Wasps RFC for many years, James is a real hero for many of our
pupils and his presence certainly made the day even more special.
The sessions comprised a number of drills focusing on
teamwork, ball carrying and tackling technique. Many of the exercises did not
involve a ball, which shows how important other aspects of the game can be.
Haskell, known for his incredible power and strong tackling, demonstrated the
optimal way to stop an opponent, as the group practiced using tackle bags. Conversely,
Catt was keen to lend advice to backs of how to dodge defenders and gain
valuable yards.
After the sessions, the England internationals stuck around
for a question and answer session, and posed for ‘selfies’ with the pupils. A
number of teachers could not resist getting in on the act, too, including Mr
Brownley and Mr Alcock. The boys showed off their impressive knowledge and
maturity, quizzing the players about topical issues including the upcoming Six
Nations and World Cup tournaments, and asking James how he felt after being
voted ‘man of the match’ in a recent Wasps fixture. The Headmaster dropped in to thank Mike and James for giving
up their time. However, Mr Davies was left a little disappointed that Mike
failed to remember he was the referee in a European fixture in Italy back in
2002, despite Catt’s Bath side racking up an impressive scoreline against Gran
Parma.
Head of Rugby Sam Beckett commented: ‘The boys undoubtedly got
a huge amount out of it. Mike and James worked extremely well together and gave
the boys a memorable experience. They will certainly have learned from the
coaches’ advice. It is not every day you get to be coached by England legends!’
Haskell said: ‘The boys were great. Mike is a fantastic
coach and it was a pleasure to run the session with him. After their initial
excitement, the boys settled into a really productive training session which I
hope they found beneficial.’ Mike Catt added: ‘Today’s drills were all stuff we
use with England. After all, rugby is a very simple game when played correctly.
The lads showed great enthusiasm, and were a lot easier to work with than the professional
players! They had a lot more energy and were keen to listen and take
information in.’
Journalists from the Henley Standard attended the session
and will be covering it in next week’s paper. They have compiled a video on the
session which can be viewed below.
More photos from the session can be viewed in our media
gallery.
