Phil Davies took time out after training to reflect on the progress made so far in the Ventur Cup and how the club has laid the foundations for future success on and off the field.
“From a standing start, we’ve made massive strides.” said the cheerful Welshman. “When I came back, the first challenge was to restore some pride for rugby union in the city and I think we’re starting to see evidence of that.”
The Tykes are so far unbeaten since their reformation and relocation to West Park Leeds. Their participation in the cup final this Saturday at Emerald Headingley was confirmed with a game to spare; they faced fellow finalists Leeds Beckett, in what was a dress rehearsal for the showpiece finale, last week.
Beckett rested a few players for the main event at LS6, something which Davies says was inevitable, “I speak with Colin every week as we are trying to run the squads concurrently. This gives us a clear player development pathway and a bigger pool of players to choose from.
“They wanted to keep something in reserve for this week, so we are expecting tough challenge. It is a good advert for the sport in the city so should attract a good crowd.”
Critics turned their backs on the club following the loss of its academy status, citing the lack of potential progress to the professional game as a reason to look outside of the county. This is something the Leeds Tykes Director of Rugby is looking to address.
“We have good relationships with the two universities and a good junior section at West Park. We want a pool of players who have pride in the shirt and are studying or working in the city. For us that sense of connection is really important.”
The club may not be able to offer any promises of Premiership rugby in the short-term, but they are working with partners to offer the whole package to their players. Sponsors and investors appreciate the need for part-time players to work alongside playing rugby. Leeds is a vibrant city, where lots of successful careers have been carved out. For many players, the opportunity to further their education or get into employment offers the long-term security they need.
Speaking at a season launch event, stakeholders discussed the need to develop individuals as people as well as players. The vision of the club and the four founding principles which Davies has been instrumental in instilling, provides firm foundations on which to build.
“We talk about ‘behaviour before skill’ as a fundamental strategy. This comes from a belief that if you get people working hard for one another and being honest, all the rest looks after itself.
“We know we are probably 30-40 percent towards where we need to be at the start of the season. However, that’s exciting because everyone’s buying into the culture we’ve created and can see the potential of the group to grow.”
Speaking of recruitment and what supporters can expect, Davies adds, “It’s no secret we need a bit more experience in certain areas. We’re bound to lose a few, that’s the nature of sport but we are operating a tight budget and will only bring people in who will add to what we’ve already got.”
Tickets are still available for the game on Saturday and the squad would welcome your support as we hope to take the first steps on our journey back to the top echelons of English rugby. We know it will be a long road but hope you can be part of it.
