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1. ACTION REQUIRED Nationwide Engagement Tour As mentioned in his open letter to the game, Sir Bill Beaumont, Interim Chair of the RFU Board will be undertaking a nationwide tour to meet RFU member clubs, CBs and referee society representatives in January and February. Celebrate the heart and soul of rugby – nominate your volunteer heroes today! The Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards are your chance to celebrate the incredible people who make rugby possible – on and off the pitch. Nominations close on Friday 14 February. New Law Application You may have seen changes during the Autumn Internationals to the refereeing of obstruction and “Escort Runners”. These Law Application Guidelines will apply from Wednesday 1 January 2025. Find out more information in this piece. Your chance to play at Allianz Stadium We want to hear about the innovative ways your club has inspired adult players to get on the pitch. Winning entries will be invited to the Allianz Stadium Takeover Day in April 2025. READ ONLINE > |
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2. ACTION IF OF INTEREST Is your first aid risk assessment status up to date? Clubs have a responsibility to the health and safety of players, and to ensure that rugby is delivered in a safe and enjoyable environment. The England Rugby Advanced Coaching Workshop for 2024-25 is now available for booking! Completing this workshop is crucial for anyone wishing to progress to Part 1 of the England Rugby Advanced Coaching Award – Developing Advanced Coaching Practice. Coaching Resource – Developing England Players: Practice Design This months U14-U18 coaching resource focuses on practice design – the considerations you might need when designing and delivering your training sessions. Upcoming webinars & support available for your club! Find details and registration information for our upcoming webinars and support here. |
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3. FOR AWARENESS International Ticket Allocation Reminder A reminder that all your fixtures for this season need to be uploaded by 23 May 2025 so your new international ticket allocations can be sent to you next summer. Community News – monthly round-up Read this month’s roundup of the best community rugby stories – and find out how to submit your own story. READ ONLINE > |
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RFU Honda Volunteer Awards 2025
Nominations for the 24/25 awards are now open and will close on Friday 14 February at 17:00.
Nominations can be submitted for either an individual or a group of volunteers who have gone above and beyond over the year.
Nominees are recognised at a local level, before finalists will be selected by a national panel and invited to a national awards event.
To relive the excitement of last year’s Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards, watch the video below.
An Open Letter from Sir Bill Beaumont
Dear Members, Today the RFU Council ratified my appointment as Interim Chair of the RFU Board; it is a great honour to be taking on this role and I thank Council for their support. I’ve had a busy few weeks engaging with the RFU Board and Council, and listening to players, volunteers, match officials and fans. From those conversations it is very clear the game wants and needs unity, and it is my priority to help to bring the game together. Unity does not mean no challenge or debate. I hear and empathise with some of the concerns around the payment of a long-term incentive plan. I want to understand how decisions were taken, and it is right that an independent review of the process has been commissioned. The review should be allowed to run its natural course, and I look forward to its outcomes. This is a serious moment for the game of rugby in England. There have been demands for change without clarity on the real reasons why, or proposals for an alternative vision. There has been a call for a Special General Meeting (SGM) and we will respect the right of members to have their views heard. Our sport has a long history of in-fighting and we sometimes lose sight of what is best for rugby as a whole. Whatever we do next, it needs to be for the good of the English game. We need to listen and be supportive of one another. That is why I will be hitting the road on a nationwide tour of rugby clubs in January and February, so we can debate and agree a united way forward. We also need to reflect on how hard the last few years have been. I can offer a wider context on that from my recent position as Chair of World Rugby. The impact Covid, inflation and a cost-of-living crisis has had on the game around the globe has been significant in terms of participation, confidence, and finances at every level. Objectively, we should ask whether English rugby, in the aftermath, was managed effectively. Having seen all countries wrangle the same problems, I can say with confidence in comparison to many other countries the RFU has come out of this period very well. The RFU did not receive any government or World Rugby loans. It did, however, successfully negotiate support on behalf of community clubs, and facilitated professional clubs’ access to government loans, which ensured rugby received more financial support in England than any other sport. There is much work needed to reset and come together as a united game, and I am committed to supporting that. In the short time I have been back in this role, I have also seen that rugby in England has lots of positives to build on. The RFU has committed to an investment programme in the community game that will see more coaches, more resources for clubs, and accessible forms of rugby being taken into thousands of schools. We are set to host the Women’s Rugby World Cup – a generational opportunity to get more women and girls playing rugby. Participation in the men’s game has also bounced back close to where it was pre-Covid. When I’m on the road I will be listening to your feedback and input so do please sign up to join one of the sessions which will be announced in next week’s Community Game Update. We all want winning men’s and women’s England teams, and this can’t happen without a thriving community game. I want us to have unity, and the stability required to deliver this. If we work together, we will succeed. If we work against each other, English rugby will not be the winner on or off the pitch. |
England Rugby Mentor Award
Are you a coach, referee, or volunteer passionate about growing the game? The England Rugby Mentoring Award is your chance to inspire others and make a real impact!

What You’ll Gain: – The skills to mentor and support others effectively. – Insights to help develop people across all roles in the game. – A nationally recognized qualification to advance your rugby journey.

Who’s It For? Anyone involved in rugby looking to share their knowledge and support the next generation of coaches, referees, or volunteers.

How to Register: https://gms.rfu.com/GMS/coursefinder Venues Exeter Athletic RFC 25/01/2025 or Redruth RFC 02/02/2025
Cornwall Under 18’s round up
Cornwall U18 South West Tournament Round Up
Paul Howard, Team Manager
The U18 season for Cornwall is now complete. We had three very enjoyable games at Hartpury, but overall we have to look back and know we didn’t play to our full potential for long enough periods over the games. When it clicked in the 2nd half of the first game, 1st half on the 2nd game and patches of the 3rd game, we were the best side on display over all the counties, but at other times we may have been considered one of the worst. We scored some great team tries, were dogged when defending our own line, showed some real power in the scrums and were clinical in the line-out. There were plenty of positives for all the players to take from playing for Cornwall.
Thank you to all the boys and parents for their commitment to train and travel.
After our last game the SW selectors shortlisted players to move forward to SW trials at the end of Jan. Although we would have liked more, well done to the five below who were selected:
Archie Beetles
Ola Phillips
Oli Wells
Joe Horne
Will Geddes-Brown
Best of luck for the next stage.
Results
Game 1 v Dorset & Wilts
Final score 20-15
Try Scorers : Lewis, Murray, Bennett, Holland
Game 2 v Oxfordshire
Final score 20-25
Try Scorers : Dawson, Wells, Lewis, Jago
Game 3 v Somerset
Final score 20-20
Try Scorers : Collins, Holland, Penalty Try, Fletcher
Playing Squad: Archie Beetles, Ola Phillips, Leon Holland, Max Walker, Toby Collins, Dan Davey, Joe Horne, Oli Wells, Matt Walker, Pax McDowell, Will Pellow, Jake Shirlow, Will Geddes-Brown, Ben Dawson, Pete Fletcher, Jake Walker, Alfie Middlewood, Jacob Bennetts, Max Bennett, Jowan Kerry, Ethan Taylor, Tristan Jago, Jack Old, Cohan Wallace, Oshi Baker, Ewan Murray, Barney Lewis.
County Fixtures Update – Under 20s updated
Please note the information below regarding Cornwall Under 20 games which will be played on a Sunday.
Fixtures 2025: Jason Leonard Cup Championship
Sun 30 Mar, Cornwall U.20 v Gloucestershire U.20 @ Camborne RFC
Sun 27 Apr, Devon U.20 v Cornwall U.20 @ Tiverton RFC 2 pm
Sun 11 May, Cornwall U.20 v Somerset U.20 @ Redruth RFC
New Year message from Steve Murley
As our Cornish clubs prepare to return to league action and we all return to rugby following the festive season, the CRFU wants to pass on our thanks and best wishes to everyone involved in providing rugby throughout the Duchy
It takes a huge amount of time and effort, with literally hundreds of volunteers helping with Senior and Youth teams across the length and breadth of Cornwall.
In addition, games couldn’t take place without referees who do a fabulous job in keeping rugby going.
Whatever team you are involved with and in whatever role, many thanks for your efforts.
Have a Happy and Healthy 2025 !!!
Steve Murley
Cornwall U.18s side to play Somerset this Sunday
Cornwall Under 18s play their Somerset counterparts this Sunday at Hartpury in their final South West county match.
Good luck to the team and best wishes for SW trials selection.
Cornwall to take on Chiefs
As promised – we said there was to be some exciting news to impart with our supporters.
We are immensely grateful to Tony Rowe for inviting the CRFU Senior Men’s Team to play an Exeter Chiefs XV at Sandy Park on the 17th May 2025.
This exciting fixture will enable our players to measure themselves against Premiership opposition on the lead into our County Championship Campaign.
We will be announcing travel options and ticket availability in the New Year.
Jewson, St Austell Brewery, MSB Group Mechanical & Electrical Ltd, Ann’s Pasties, RG Kellow Ltd, Kelsall Steele Investment Services Ltd, SUEZ UK, Newells Travel, Trelawny’s Army, Paladin Sports
New Cornwall shirt unveiled
Proud to announce the unveiling of our official playing shirt and introducing our new provider and kit sponsor Paladin Sports.
Not only do we have this stunning design but sublimated in the numbers on the back of the shirt are all the clubs affiliated to the CRFU.
A nod to the the clubs that provide the talent and the support to allow us to represent Cornwall in this iconic shirt.
In the coming weeks we will be highlighting each of our sponsors, to whom we must say a massive thank you for joining us for this season and next.
Jewson, St Austell Brewery, MSB Group Mechanical & Electrical Ltd, Kelsall Steele Investment Services Ltd, RG Kellow Ltd, Ann’s Pasties, SUEZ UK, Newells Travel, Trelawny’s Army
