Representative Rugby
East Midlands Senior Men’s XV
East Midlands Rugby Union is pleased to announce the appointment of Reece Marshall as Director of Rugby for the Senior Men’s side ahead of the upcoming Bill Beaumont Cup campaign.
The squad has been selected from a wide range of clubs across the Constituent Body, providing strong competition for places and valuable strength in depth as the team prepares for its three pool fixtures.
Senior Mens training will commence on Wednesday 22nd April at 6:30pm at Moulton College (Subject to availability) and will continue weekly through to 20th May.
The aim for the team is to build momentum through the campaign and push for progression in this year’s Bill Beaumont Cup.
Coaching Team:
Manager: Mike Morland (Dunstablians) Email: morlandinho@hotmail.com
Head Coach/DOR: Reece Marshall (Dunstablians)
Forwards coaches: Danny Hobbs (Daventry) Alex Woolford (Bedford Blues)
Backs coach: Matty Wainwright (Northampton Casuals)
Fixtures:
Sunday 10th May: North Midlands vs EMRU Worcester RFC (WR3 8TR) Kick Off 14:00
Saturday 16th May: Hertfordshire vs EMRU Venue Harpenden RFC. Kick Off 15:00
Saturday 23rd May EMRU vs Staffordshire at Wellingborough RFC. Kick Off 15:00
East Midlands Senior Women’s XV
East Midlands Rugby Union is pleased to begin preparations for the Senior Women’s representative programme ahead of the upcoming Gill Burns County Championship campaign.
Training will commence on Wednesday 11th March at 7:00pm at Bedford Athletic Stadium and will continue weekly through to 13th May.
The squad will draw players from a number of highly ranked clubs across the Constituent Body and will be ably supported by women’s and girls’ clubs from across the region, demonstrating the continued growth and strength of the women’s game within the CB.
Coaching Team:
Manager: Simon Potter, Email: simon_potter@outlook.com
Head Coach: Adrian James (Oundle)
Forwards coaches: Mark Rennells (Bedford Blues)
Backs coach: Toby Horrigan (Oundle)
Fixtures:
Sunday 10th May: North Midlands vs EMRU Worcester RFC (WR3 8TR). Kick Off 14:00
Sunday 17th May: EMRU vs Buckinghamshire at Biggleswade RFC 2:15 KO
East Midlands U20s Men
East Midlands Rugby Union has begun preparations for the U20s Men’s representative programme, with the squad set to play two fixtures as part of the Jason Leonard U20 County Championship.
The programme brings together a talented group of players from across the Constituent Body, highlighting the depth of young talent emerging within the region and looking ahead to the future of Senior Men’s rugby.
Training will take place every Sunday at Wellingborough RFC until 8th March, with additional training dates subject to progression in the Jason Leonard U20 County Championship.
Coaching Team:
Manager: Ian Stenson (Olney) Email: ianstenson12@gmail.com
Head Coach: Aaron Ashmore (Northampton Old Scouts)
Forwards coaches: Richard Heath (Kettering) Oliver Holiday (Northampton Old Scouts)
Backs coach: Oliver Middleton (Olney)
Fixtures:
Sunday 22nd February: NLD vs EMRU at Melbourne RFC Kick Off 14:15.
Result 5-38,
Sunday 15 March: EMRU vs Leicestershire at Long Buckby RFC 2:30 KO
Result 55-07
U18 Boys Season 2025/26
Season Complete
EMRU U18 Representative Squad is mainly selected from the previous seasons U17.
The squad will be significantly smaller in size then U17. The players will showcase their talents in front of the Midlands Divisional selectors at 3 fixtures pre-arranged by the division.
The players will be assessed by Divisional selectors at each game and then hopefully invited to join the Midlands U18 squad.
Dickie Heath
11/03/2026
Coaching Team:
Manager: Dickie Heath (Kettering), Email: eastmidsu17@gmail.com
Head Coach: Peter Gilbey (Wellingborough)
Forwards coaches: Che Smyth(Kettering), John Kerr
Backs coach: Karl McAndrews (Northampton Casuals)
Fixtures:
Sunday 23rd November: NLD vs EMRU at Stourbridge RFC. Kick Off 13:00 – RESULT 20-25
Sunday 7th December: EMRU vs Warwickshire at Leicester Forest RFC. Kick Off 14:20 – RESULT 30-15
Sunday 21st December: EMRU vs Leicestershire at Warwick School. Kick Off 15:50 – RESULT 10-30
U17 Boys Season 2025/26
EMRU U17 representative squad is the entry point for nominated stand out club & schools/college players to gain further development with the Constituent Body building towards U18, U20 and Senior Men’s Rugby.
Training and matches are designed to stretch these individuals in a positive challenging environment.
They will then be able to represent the East Midlands in a handful of county matches which are scheduled within the structured season dates.
Dickie Heath
11/03/2026
Coaching Team:
Team Manager: Dickie Heath, Email: eastmidsu17@gmail.com
Head Coach: Che Smith (Kettering Rugby Club)
Forwards Coaches: Dickie Heath (Kettering Rugby Club) Jon Kerr (Jamaican International, EMRU Mens Coach)
Backs Coaches: Karl McAndrew (Wellingborough Rugby Club) 1x Position Vacancy
Fixtures:
U17 Development/Selection Day will be held on 29th March 2026.
29th March will be at Wellingborough timings tbc
Trainings 12th 19th 26th April at Wellingborough RUFC
3rd May - EMRU v Buckinghamshire at Milton Keynes KO TBC
24th May EMRU v Warwickshire at Butts Park KO TBC
31st May v Oxfordshire at Oxford Harlequins KO TBC
U18 Girls Season 2025/26
For all information on the East Midlands U18’s Girls Season please contact Neil Taylor/Craig Wilson
Coaching Team:
Team Manager – Neil Taylor – eastmidsg18@gmail.com 07971520297
Lead Coach – Craig Wilson – eastmidsg18@gmail.com – 07921297033
Additional U18 Girls Coaches:
Cy Philp – Brackley – Back Coach;
Nick Michel – Leighton Buzzard – Forward Coach;
Guy Kitson – Forward Coach
Fixtures:
2/11/25 Assessment Day with U18 Boys at Kettering RUFC
16/11/25 Squad Day, Kettering RUFC Time TBC
28/11/25 Training Day, Olney RUFC, 7pm Registration 7.30pm til 9pm
7/12/25 – Game – North Midlands vs EMRU at Old Halesonians RUFC, 12.30pm – RESULT 10-36
9/1/26 – Training – Olney RUFC, 7pm Registration 7.30pm til 9pm – CANCELLED due to weather
18/1/26 – Game – Warwickshire vs EMRU at Old Saltleians RFUC, 12.30pm – RESULT 10-48
30/1/26 – Training – Due to training being cancelled above, @ Bugbrook RUFC, 7pm Registration 7.30pm til 9pm
6/2/26 – Training – TBC, 7pm Registration 7.30pm til 9pm
15/2/26 – Game – Gloucestershire vs EMRU at Stow RUFC, 12.30pm - RESULT 24-17
U16 Girls PDG Season 2025/26
U16 PDG stands for Under 16 Player Development Group, a rugby program in the England Rugby Player Pathway for both boys and girls.
It is a developmental stage focused on building core skills, physical and mental resilience, and a love for the game, rather than immediate competition.
It is the initial entry point for many players into the pathway, which is structured around counties and clubs.
Explore Foundation Phase (Player Development Group (PDG) U15 & U16)
During this early-stage players focus on developing a wide range of core skill and athletic development activities. Since physical and positional maturity can vary greatly, players are encouraged to explore different playing positions to develop all-around game understanding.
Here is the link that will explain more about the U16 Player Pathway: https://www.englandrugby.com/play/parents-guardians/player-pathway/foundation-phase-girls-pathway
Coaching Team:
Lead Coach: Jon Evans (Brackley) – jon.evans@brackleyrufc.com / eastmids16s@gmail.com – 07712 249250
Team Manager / Admin: Ceri Pratt (Brackley) – eastmids16s@gmail.com
Coaches:
Jonny Cresswell (Ampthill);
Martin Wolfenden (ONs/Daventry);
Abi Simpson (Bedford);
Vickie Dillon-Davies ( Northampton Casuals);
Kerry Cartledge (Brackley);
Abby Trkulja (Buckingham Swans);
Josh Doyle (Daventry/Brackley);
Sports Therapist & Photographer: Chris Bateman (Leighton Buzzard)
Fixtures:
Our Matches, Dates and Locations are below:
14/12/2025 Playing Opportunity 1 – vs Buckinghamshire (played at Bedford Athletic RUFC)
08/02/2026 Playing Opportunity 2 – vs Leicestershire (played at Leicester Forest RUFC)
15/03/2026 Playing Opportunity 3 – vs Eastern Counties (played at Shelford RUFC, Cambridge) KO 13:15
12/04/2026 Playing Opportunity 4 – vs North Midlands (played at Birmingham & Solihull RUFC) KO TBC
Training is typically on Friday evenings throughout the season, usually 3 out of every 4 weeks. Venues vary and include Olney RUFC, Bedford International Athletics Stadium (Bedford Swifts) and Northampton Saints HPC.
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