SIX players from Nottingham Trent University’s Rugby programme have made the step up to the Nottingham Rugby first team ahead of the 2020-21 season.
Jacob Wrafter (Backrow), Jacob Wright (Backrow), Liam Bishop (Prop), Scott Hall (Number 8), Theo Manihera (Centre) and Ronnie Du-Randt (Centre) will all be a part of Neil Fowkes’ squad that will tackle the shortened Greene King IPA Championship season.
David Ross, Head of Rugby at NTU and Assistant Coach at Nottingham Rugby, said: “I am delighted for the boys on signing with Nottingham Rugby. They have all worked extremely hard for this opportunity to make the step up from the NTU Performance Programme and it is, yet again, another great indication of how successful our player pathway is.
“The student athletes, who are all sport scholars at the university, have shown that NTU is a place where you can excel in your academic and sporting endeavors, achieving great higher education whilst pursing professional sport. Congratulations to all the lads and we will be supporting them to make the next step into match day squads over the coming seasons.
“I would also like to highlight that Tom Miller, NTU 1st XV captain, had also signed for the club just days before he sadly passed away in an accident in December. Tom had impressed greatly in training and coming through the NTU performance programme, captaining the victorious 1st XV in their 19/20 season, he had paved the way for a great career at championship level.”
The likes of Jake Farnworth, Josh Poullet and David Williams have all progressed through the same avenue, which shows the importance of our relationship with Nottingham Trent University.