Nottingham Rugby are delighted to confirm the new signings ansd re-signings of 4 NTU students ahead of the 2026/27 Elior Champ Rugby season.
Matt Durbridge (scrum-half) & Charlie West (fly-half) have re-signed new contracts for the 2026/27 season. Matthew Gould (Centre) & Cieran Barry (full-back) have signed their first professional contracts with the club after completing their time at NTU.
All 4 of these students have been consistent members of the training squad at Nottingham Rugby over the course of pre-season and throughout the opening and closing weeks of Champ Rugby. All four of these players also featured in the Nottingham Rugby squad that took on Leicester Tigers U23 in a thrilling 42-35 win at The Bay.
Charlie West stated that “The Nottingham Trent Rugby pathway has been instrumental in my development, providing a high-performance environment that has strengthened both my skills and mindset.” Charlie has represented Nottingham Rugby in Elior Champ Rugby this past season on 7 different occassions, which is an incredible feat for the second-year student, with still another year of university to go.
Matt Durbridge has recently completed his masters at NTU after a stellar 4-year career with the university, where he stated: “Coming through the Trent pathway has played a huge part in getting me to where I am now. It gave me the chance to develop my game, learn from quality coaching and experience in a professional environment. I’m grateful for everything it’s done for me and excited to continue my journey with Nottingham Rugby.”
Matthew Gould spoke about signing for the club after 4 years developing at university level: “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities and support I’ve received, and signing for Nottingham Rugby is a proud moment that would not have been possible without this pathway and connection between the two clubs.”
Cieran Barry mentioned about his time with the university: “The NTU x Nottingham Rugby pathway has genuinely changed my life. When I arrived at NTU, I wasn’t on anyone’s radar and didn’t have many prospects in the rugby world — but the programme gave me the platform, exposure and coaching to grow into the player I am today. That pathway is the reason I’ve now signed my first Nottingham Rugby contract.”
The four signings are yet another show of the outstanding relationship that has been built between NTU and Nottingham Rugby over the years, and stressed the significance that university rugby can play on professional rugby development.
NTU Head Coach & Nottingham Rugby Attack & Backs Coach, David Ross spoke on the recent success from the pathway:
“Everybody at NTU & Nottingham Rugby are delighted for these 4 lads to sign professional contracts with the Champ, they’ve all come through the NTU pathway. It’s really really exciting for all these and another piece of evidence suggesting the strength of our university pathway.”
When asked about the level of the university game, he added:
“I think the BUCS university sector is so strong across BUCS Super Rugby and into the top programmes at BUCS Premier level. It’s such a strong pathway because we give all the support that any aspiring player needs to become a professional rugby player. Whether thats strength & conditioning, sport psychology, good coaching on the field, good facilities shared with Nottingham Rugby etc.
What happens is when you’re a student you can focus on your academics but you’ve got a fair amount of free time to dedicate into your sport as well. I think, what that allows is a really good, well-rounded program in order for us to push the players to be the best they can be and ultimately strive to become professional rugby players, like so many have done through us before, including these new four.”
He also notes:
“All the boys that are stepping up from Trent to Nottingham Rugby are all backs, so that is the area of the game I focus in, so really excited for all of them, and see how our game plan has instilled on their play. ”
