Some of you may of heard about this but it’s a story that will touch the hearts of everyone. Nathan Thomas, Tommo to everyone, has a little girl called Oceanna and she has not enjoyed the best of health since she has been born. If you have seen her you will know what a beautiful little girl she is but she now needs a new kidney. Tommo is donating his kidney to his little girl and goes into hospital in October for the operation. As he says it doesn’t even need thinking about, its something that any parent would do. His announcement on Facebook this week has attracted many many comments and deservedly so. I am sure you will agree with me that things like this put all things very much into perspective, it makes you realise how much families mean to each other and I am also sure that will join me in wishing Nathan and his little girl all the very best and sincerely hope that the operation goes well and is successful.

Back to rugby and I am really pleased to announce that Darren Semmens has joined the Reds for the coming season. Darren has played at Launceston for a number of years and is a well respected hooker. Darren follows his brother Jamie, who played in the 2009/10 season, to the Reds and I really hope he enjoys his time with us. It certainly strengthens our position at hooker now and I feel the squad is almost complete.

Does anyone watch this guy “Dynamo” on the TV … he is an illusionist!! Bloody hell I have never seen anything like it, I just cant see how he does it! His show is on the “Watch” channel on Sky on Thursday nights and it really is worth a gander… a couple of weeks ago he went walking on the Thames and I mean walking on the water!!

The Tri Nations descends upon us now and that means a hectic run in to the World Cup for South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Whilst it is good to get decent game time under your belts it makes the season incredibly long for those taking part! Most of these guys are coming off the back of an intensely hard Super 15 season and now a hefty bout of internationals put players at risk of injury and possibly missing out on the World Cup … the pinnacle of the modern day rugby players career.

England meanwhile are preparing for their summer, well that is you can call it summer!!, run outs against Wales home and away and Ireland. These games will take place through August and will form part of the final selection process for the England squad that will take part in the World Cup. I note that England will be supporting a black alternative strip for this World Cup …. Very interesting!

Read a pretty scathing report/interview given by Neil Best the Worcester and Ireland flanker on life in the Championship. He described grounds and facilities as the worst he has ever encountered and mentioned Plymouth and Penzance as two locations falling into that category. The guy is deluded if he believes rugby stops outside the Premiership. As Nigel Redman wrote in this weeks Rugby Paper and I quote “Having experienced Richard Hill’s man management skills, I trust he will take Neil Best to one side and help him extract his head from where it is stuck, in that dark place where the sun don’t shine! From Best’s comments the impression could be formed that he is disrespectful, elitist, prima donna, “poor grounds, changing rooms, and pitches, players hurling themselves into you” … these are part and parcel of rugby’s lifeblood. He speaks of doing a professional job, but not with comments like that, very disappointing and uncalled for” …. Well said I say and the guy should have respect for what the Championship is … a stepping stone for aspiring players to reach the top, not all pathways open up at your feet and not all are mercenary in the way they go about their business …. Mr Best may well be glad to play in the Championship one day when all else is no longer available to a pretty mediocre player!

Plans are well underway within the club for lots of functions and after match activities this coming season. Jane Stevens, wife of our Treasurer Neil, has joined the Exec and is working hard with her group to ensure we maximise opportunities off the field. Andy Gallie is another new face within the club and he fulfils the role of Operations Manager. Andy has made a real impact since he has joined and I feel that he will be a huge bonus for us. Dawn and Derek Ladner have taken over the job of looking after the memorabilia in the clubhouse and you can expect some great improvements on that front as well.

Training starts back at the club on Monday night (25th July) and will continue on the Tuesday and Thursday for this week and next week. Once pre season games start we may well move back to 2 nights but I will let those of you who like to come and watch training Know when we have decided.

On Tuesday August 2nd we have a “live” training session with Camborne, This is not a match but it gives us an opportunity to try moves, lineouts, scrums and defence and attack organisation in a game situation. It also provides Camborne the same opportunity.

That is it for this week and its one week closer to the first of our pre season games on the 7th August ….

Keep well

David Penberthy

Director of Rugby

Bit of a mixture this week …. Will start with a few non rugby bits …. I expect a lot of people watched the Open Golf Tournament this last few days … well there hasn’t been much else to do has there!!!! I was so pleased that Darren Clarke won, he is a very much admired person by his peers and by supporters and spectators alike. He has suffered a lot heartache through his career and to win the championship at the 20th attempt is remarkable!

I watched, with great interest, a documentary on James Cracknell the Olympic rower the other night. Wow what a man this is!! He took on the challenge of crossing America both running and riding a bike in a certain number of days … 10 I think … any way half way in he suffered an horrendous accident when he was knocked off his bike by an oil tanker! Prior to this the guy ran a number of marathons ( 3 or 4) in 22 hours in unbearable heat, he was cycling 200 miles a day in unbearable heat and making do with about 3 hours sleep in between! One thing for sure is that he is very competitive!!! Its worth watching and I think it was on the History Channel ….

An update on Dave Ricketts whom you all know … Dave broke his neck (C 3, 4 & 5) whilst in Canada and ended up having them fused with 2 rods. He was hospitalised in Canada for a significant amount of time but has recently been repatriated to the UK. He is now in the North Middlesex Hospital recovering and we all hope that he gets out soon. Dave carried out our 4th Official duties and Team Manager duties with great commitment over a number of seasons and is one of the most popular characters around the rugby scene … I know Dave will read this so from all of us mate we wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you soon ….

Well things at the RFU are seemingly no better with Judge Jeff Blackett now considering his position after all the shenanigans that have been going on since the sacking of John Steele the RFU Chief Exec. Martyn Thomas, the Chairman stood down last weekend but then a vote by members of the RFU Council then gave a vote of confidence to the rest of the Board. In between all this a legal threat was issued to Judge Blackett, by Martyn Thomas, for defamation of character should his full report be issued to the press … this then lead to the Judge considering his position as he was hired by the Council to investigate the whole matter!!!!! It’s a complete shambles and with the World Cup on the horizon it does nothing to promote the English game!

Preparation continues for the start of the new season and thing are going well …. On Tuesday August 2nd we will have a “live” training session at the club when Camborne will come in and we will work our lineouts against each other, scrums and backs moves will also be worked. We did this last year against the Pirates and it proved a very useful exercise.

Another reminder about the Players Reunion night on Friday 26th August … the evening is on the eve of the start of the new season and there are lots of things that have changed since last time. Playing in National 2 apart, we have entered into a new relationship with kit supplier Stash. Our new playing strip will be unveiled when we take on Plymouth Albion but will be give an official launch on the evening of the 26th August when our new major sponsors Molson Coors and Frame UK will be in attendance. Also on view that night will be the players off field kit. It’s a great opportunity for the club to recognise the significant sponsorship and support these 2 companies are giving and it will, hopefully, launch a successful 2011/2012 season both on and off the field. The evening will kick off at 7:30pm and all are welcome, because it’s a Players Reunion and Kit Launch night with the sponsors it is not tied to those people entirely. No doubt I will give you a preview of expectations, update you on any late developments and, hopefully, we will all have a good time.

I was hoping to be able to add a couple of new signings to the group already announced but nothing has really materialised since last week. If anything does happen in the week I will notify you accordingly.

So that is it this week, pretty brief for a change ….. talk soon

Cheers & gone!!

David Penberthy

Director of Rugby

Another week passes and it another week closer to the start of the season. This week coming sees the final week of pure fitness and we now start to move more towards game related fitness. We will still train at Redruth School for a couple of weeks but towards the end of July we will move back to the club.

A few more players have signed in the past week and they are:-

Craig “Eggy” Williams (@eggbert2)– Craig moves up into the senior squad after completing his last year in the Colts team. A member of the Redruth School Academy, Craig can play at full back, wing and scrum half. He is a tenacious player and is also a cricketer with Redruth.

Rhys Salisbury (@RhysSalisbury) – Rhys has come through the Colts. He is also a player who has been part of the Redruth School Academy.

Jamie Tresidder – Jamie also returns to his home town club after a season at St Ives. Jamie, who is a hooker, played through the Mini Juniors and Colts and also played for the England Schools Presidents XV a few years back and was a final England Schools Trialist when studying at Truro School.

I am currently talking to another player and may have some news on that in the very near future.

My “tip off” about the Super 15 final was spot on for a change …. What a game! It was certainly an epic and it did go down to the wire! The Reds were simply outstanding. For the first 30 minutes they defended as if their lives depended on it. I think the Crusaders spent 62% of the first 30 minutes in the Reds half but could not put points on the board. It took a moment of sheer brilliance by Dan Carter to edge the Crusaders in front after Cooper had licked a penalty. In the second half it was a different story. The Crusaders dominance at the breakdown faded as the Reds came back into it and superb tries by Digby Ioane and Will Genia set the scene for a brilliant win. You could the pleasure and elation on the faces of all concerned especially Jim McKay! My prediction is that Ewan Mackenzie and Jim McKay will become the next Australian coaches. That will probably happen after this World Cup. As for the World Cup, I think Australia are worth a bet as outsiders for the cup! I thought it may have been a tournament too early but I really think they could upset the apple cart along the way …

Well Judge Jeff Blackett’s findings about the treatment and departure of John Steele, the former Chief Exec of the RFU, have been divulged and it has resulted in the resignation of Malcolm Thomas the chairman. It seems all sorts of wrong doings happened along the lines from non attendance at board mtgs of members to leaks to the press …. All in all an unsavoury occurrence especially so close to the World Cup. I don’t think it will impact on the playing side but the image of English Rugby is once again the main discussion topic within the game.

Those of you who follow the Super 15 may like to have a look at Planet Rugby where the team of the tournament has been selected … interesting selection!

Watched a bit of the Middlesex 7’s on Sky on Saturday and saw Steve Wood put in another good display for the Gilbert Pups. They reached the main competition semi’s where they were beaten by Esher. Esher were convincingly beaten by The Samurai in the final. There were a number of players who I recognised from National 1 taking part including Jack Nowell who played for Plymouth Albion.

Below is the design of the new home shirt for next season. Our kit this year is being supplied by Stash and a range of replica kit will be available shortly – more details here.

The away kit is a direct reversal of this with the main body being black with red inserts.

The annual Members night took place on Friday night and the attendance was certainly less than in previous years. Maybe it was because the evening was held earlier than normal but hopefully that is not an indication of support for the season. I have no doubt that we will still be the best supported team in the league and that will be reflected when we take the field for our first home game on August 27th when we play Shelford who will be visiting the Rec for the first time. Kick off for this game will be 3:00pm. There are still a couple of functions that will be held prior to the season so I would hope as many of you will attend those as possible. An early invitation now … on Friday August 26th we will be holding our annual Players Reunion in the main clubhouse. All ex players are invited but it also an invite to all club members to get together for a drink on the eve of the start of the new season.

Dizziness? Sleepless nights? Sweaty palms? An uncontrollable urge to grab odd-shaped balls?

If you’re one of the many people currently suffering from the seasonal condition of HWS (Hellfire Withdrawal Syndrome) then why not start the road to recovery this Friday night!

Membership Night starts from 7:30pm in the Frame UK Hospitality Suite. David Penberthy will be coming along to give an update on the close season, pre-season training and his thoughts on the season ahead, and Membership Secretary Alan Nettle will be ready and able to start prescribing you the best treatment for HWS – a club membership for the 2011-12 season!

If you need a full run-down of all the different side-effects of this course of treatment, as well as the different strengths of medication, check out the Membership page now where you can also download the membership form and fill it out ready to collect your prescription.

See you all there!

Well, we warned you that we’d launch a big new competition once we got to 1,000 fans on our Redruth Rugby Facebook Page, so here we go!

Our 2012 Challenge

Redruth Rugby has the greatest set of fans in the world. Passionate, loyal, vocal and supportive: we love every single one of you, and we love the way that you’ve taken to using our Facebook Page as the place to comment on the games, share news and gossip and cheer on the boys to victory. It’s a great community to be a part of, and we’d like you to help us reach out and welcome more people into it.

We’ve reached the 1,000 fan mark after just 2 years, but now we’re aiming even higher and want to double it over the next season. By the end of the 2011-2012 season we want to be able to share the fruits of a great campaign with no less than 2012 fans.

Our Target : 2012 fans by May 2012!

Ambitious? Yes – but here’s how you can help and what we’ll be rewarding you with for your efforts…

Prizes: Be In it to Win it!

Each month we’ll be adding another great item to a pile of goodies which will be randomly allocated to people who like our Facebook page once we reach the magic 2012 target.

To start the ball rolling (literally), July’s addition to the 2012 basket is a rugby ball from 2010′s Evening With Rick Stein signed by Matt Dawson, Keith Wood, Nick Beal, Simon Easterby and Rick Stein, as well as ball donor Phil Vickery.

We’ll be adding other single items throughout the season, and there might be a few all-fan prizes in the pipeline too (did someone just say Facebook party?!)

How You can Help us Win our 2012 Challenge!

1. Firstly, just keep doing what you’re already doing! Keep visiting the page, commenting on posts on the website, liking and sharing whatever takes you fancy and generally making the Redruth Rugby Facebook experience such a great one.
2. Message your Facebook friends and help spread the word about the club, the Page and the prizes! Encouraging more fans might lower your chances of winning, but there won’t be anything to win unless we make the 2012 mark!
3. Why not encourage members of other Facebook groups and pages that you’re a part of to like our page too, especially if the group’s locally based, by posting something on the group’s wall.

And Finally…

Congratulations to the final 99 people who helped push us over the 1,000 fan mark: as an extra thank you, take a closer look at the featured image on this post and see if you can spot your profile pics. Not just passionate and loyal but a good-looking bunch too!

Plus if you really want to get the party started, why not comment in the box below!

NB: This competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by Facebook.

Well those of you who made it to Redruth School last Tuesday evening will have witnessed one of the hardest and most unusual rugby training sessions the club has ever undertook. Ed Byrne, of the Ed Byrne Black Belt Academy, took a session and put the boys into places they have never been before! Jason Pengilly arranged for Ed to come along and it was certainly a very worthwhile session. Ed is a very accomplished karate instructor and has produced over 100 Cornish Champions, 26 British Champions, 6 European Champions and 3 World Champions. Ed is recognised as being one of the best instructors ever to come out of the South West and, without doubt, is one of the best in the country and beyond! I would like to thank him for his work on the night and I hope we can use this alternative method again in the near future … Peter Joyce summed it up nicely when he said “ We thought we were fit but that puts it into a different perspective” but Ed countered that with “We’re all fit in different ways. There’s no way that we could do what you guys do on the rugby pitch!” The full story and pictures are here.

Back to training and things are really progressing nicely with good numbers again this week. One absentee is Aaron Penberthy who has now started training full time with the Pirates. This will continue through pre season although he will attend our sessions and take part as and when his body allows him too! He is also going through the pain barrier with conditioning!

On the player front, Matt Gidlow will be leaving us and moving away from the area. Matt, brother of former skipper PJ, is moving North to be closer to his family and we wish him well and thank him for his contribution to Redruth Rugby. On the positive side Malcolm Hearn, Ben Drew and Adam Lewarne have all signed for the forthcoming season. Each of them have come through the Colts and Mini Junior ranks with Malcolm playing for England Under 16’s and England under 19’s Academies as well as Exeter Chiefs Academy. He was on loan (from Exeter Chiefs) with us last year for the early part of the season but because of lack of opportunities he was placed at Taunton for the remainder of the season. Adam has represented the South West England Under 18’s and has played for Cornwall and was also the Trelawney’s Army Young Player of the Year last year. I know Ben very well and have seen him come through the ranks at the club. A local farmer, Ben has played for Cornwall Under 20’s and other Cornwall Age Group’s.

Popped along to Newquay on Saturday and Sunday just gone to watch the Newquay Surf 7’s. The weather was great, the beer was pretty good and the team of “Saucerers” looked good in their new Stash kit. Alas the semi final proved too much for the boys but they can be proud of what they achieved. Young players Matt Bowden, Tom Notman, Nick Simmons, Aaron Penberthy, Chris Fuca, Richie Brown, Brett Rule, Sam Parsons Owen Hambly and “guests” Adam & Ashley Hosking and Josh Matavesi ….plus reserves John Martin and Matt Probert.

Great to see the Queensland Reds progress to the Super 15 final on Saturday where they will meet the Crusaders. The Reds have played some great rugby over the past few weeks BUT with Sonny Bill Williams, Dan Carter, Kieron Reid and host of other All Blacks in their squad I can see it being an absolute epic of a game. Quade Cooper has been outstanding of late for the Reds and if he performs anything like he has recently then it could go down as one of the great games of all time … our best wishes and luck go to Jim McKay and hope that he can cap a great season with victory … but at the same time you have to have support for the Crusaders and sympathise with the atrocities they have had to deal with since the earthquake shattered their home base. Every game they have played as been away from home including an appearance at Twickenham.

Another cracker that we have uncovered on You Tube and its one you must watch … I will warn you now that there is bad language so there are no comebacks on me or the club if you watch it …… anyway search “Roger Gets Pranked” it is hilarious!

Met with Stash and MC Sports last night and there will be a great range of replica items available in August. The range of new items will be displayed shortly on the site so keep an eye out for that …

That is it for this week, back next with some more bits and pieces hopefully …

Cheers and gone!!!

David Penberthy

Director of Rugby