Student-athletes get set for Sydney and Universities World Cup

 

TASS will be represented in force by England Universities’ Rugby League team as they prepare to depart for the Student World Cup in Australia.

Jason Bass (Newcastle University), Sam Druce (Leeds Beckett), James Woodburn-Hall (Leeds University), Zack McComb (Leeds Beckett) and Brad Kislingbury (Gloucestershire) have all been supported by the Scheme in the past academic year.

The talented quintet and the other members of the 24-man squad are getting set to travel to Sydney tomorrow, Saturday July 1.

“It’s an honour to be selected for the England Universities squad alongside a real talented group of individuals,” said Bass, who also plays for professional club Coventry Bears.

“Preparations have gone well so far. We’ve had some tough games against the Armed Forces team which as allowed us to gel as a team and get used to each other’s style of play.

“I’m most excited for the opening game against Australia. It will be a good platform for us to kick start our tournament and test ourselves against what will likely be a very strong team in the competition,” he added.

Leeds Beckett University’s Sam Druce has been balancing the demands of a postgraduate degree in International Business and Trade Law with his rugby commitments.

“The TASS support has really helped me in terms of structured Strength and Conditioning sessions. Also the supervision from TASS has helped to improve my nutrition and juggle all the things I do alongside rugby,” he explained.

“To be part of the England team is the greatest achievement and it means everything to have the opportunity to pull on the England shirt.”

Adam Hughes, Development: Education Lead at The RFL, is confident about the team’s chances. He said: “Preparations have gone well and we’ve worked really hard to get the warm up games to be challenging whilst being able to build on team spirit and cohesion.

“The opportunity to stand and sing the National Anthem before a World Cup game against Australia, in Australia will be a fantastic moment for us all.”

England Universities open their Student Rugby League World Cup campaign against holders, Australia, on Friday, July 7, 6.45pm AEST at St Mary’s Stadium, Sydney.

  • Fri 7 July 6:45 pm England vs Australia St Marys Stadium
  • Sun 9 July 2:00 pm Wales vs England Windsor Sports Complex
  • Wed 12 July 4:00 pm England vs Scotland New Era Stadium, Cabramatta
  • Fri 14 July 11:00 am 5th vs 6th 3rd Pool A vs 3rd Pool B Windsor Sports Complex
  • 1:00 pm Semi-final 1 1st Pool B vs 2nd Pool A Ringrose Park, Wentworthville
  • 3:00 pm Semi-final 2 1st Pool A vs 2nd Pool B Ringrose Park, Wentworthville
  • Sun 16 July 4:15 pm WC Final Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2 Pepper Stadium, Penrith

Sam Druce and Jason Bass will be blogging about their experiences in Australia for TASS on tass.gov.uk.