University rugby squad face tough pre-season opener
6th September 2013
The University of Bath rugby team face a tough pre-season opener when they tackle English Championship side Cornish Pirates at the Rec on Saturday (7 September).
The University’s squad have only been in training for a week so Saturday’s clash will be an early test of their strength as they prepare for their 2013/4 British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) campaign.
The fixture could see an early return to Bath for Max Maidment, who captained the University’s first XV last season. The prop, a Politics with Economics graduate, signed professional terms with Pirates in June.
Saturday’s match will be the first opportunity for his successor, Sports Performance student Michael Perks, to lead out the side.
“The guys have only had a week’s pre-season training and we wanted to challenge them with a tough game,” said Aaron James, the University’s head rugby coach.
James said the match continues the University team’s policy of strengthening links with National League Championship sides for the benefit of University players who are graduating.
Saturday’s game at the Rec gets underway at 2.30pm. It will take the format of three 30-minute thirds and admission for spectators is free.
Future pre-season fixtures will include a game against a Bristol Rugby A league side at the University’s campus on Monday 16 September and a trip to Cambridge University on Thursday 19 September.
And the University of Bath side will return to action at the Rec for their opening BUCS fixture, a local derby against a University of Bristol side, on Wednesday 2 October. Admission to that game, an evening fixture, will be free.