Wasps academy is getting a major overhaul
The Wasps academy is set for a major overhaul – the Coventry-based side have revealed today.
With the recent news that Academy Manager Jon Pendlebury will be leaving to join the RFU as England Men’s Under 18s Head Coach, the Club have appointed Kevin Harman as Head of Academy.
Harman has worked with Wasps for the past 12 years and has been with the Club ever since the move to Coventry in 2014.
He has provided the link between the Academy and the first-team squad which in the last year has seen eight players progress from the Senior Academy to the first-team along with 11 Under 18 players joining the Senior Academy.
Harman’s new role will see him have full responsibility for the Wasps Academy, while he will still play a role in recruitment.
Harman said: “I’ve been working with the Club since May 2008 so Wasps is my Club. I have an emotional attachment here and I’m passionate and excited about the challenge ahead.
“We’ve had excellent investment in the Academy over the past three seasons and it is now producing quality homegrown players as demonstrated by the eight players graduating into the first-team set-up and 11 players from the Under 18s into the Senior Academy last summer.
Swift action has been taken by Ulster in an effort to weed out a so-called supporter who caused a disturbance during the recent win over Harlequins in Belfasthttps://t.co/L2Jrb7iyb9
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 18, 2019
“I know we have a strong talented group of staff who will continue to help our young developing players flourish, with the end goal to become Wasps first-team players.”
Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young said: “Kev has done a fantastic job during his time at Wasps and there’s no better person to lead the Academy.
“He has Wasps in his blood and he is very passionate about bringing young players through the system.”
Harman will be ably supported by Assistant Academy Coach Matt Williams, who has been a fundamental part of the Academy for the past six seasons.
Josh Raisey considers why the Test level partnership of Leicester's Ford and Saracens' Farrell has been Eddie Jones' go-to in 28 of his 50 England matcheshttps://t.co/SL9er6gHTp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 18, 2019
Changes to the structure will see Williams taking on managerial responsibilities on the day-to-day operations of the Academy, with ex-Yorkshire Carnegie centre Richard Beck as Senior Academy Coach and former Wasps and Italy star Andrea Masi as Under 18s Lead Coach.
Masi oversaw his first game in charge of the Under 18s last weekend as the youngsters ran in eight tries to secure an emphatic 54-12 win over Yorkshire Academy at Warwick School in the Premiership Rugby Under 18 Academy League-opener.
The Club are also in the process of recruiting for a new position of Development Player Pathway Manager/Academy Coach Development Officer, who will be working throughout the Academy region to give the Club visibility while also delivering coaching.
Josh Raisey considers why the Test level partnership of Leicester's Ford and Saracens' Farrell has been Eddie Jones' go-to in 28 of his 50 England matcheshttps://t.co/SL9er6gHTp
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 18, 2019
The Academy’s strength and conditioning will continue to be headed up by Michael Main with the support of coaches Lewis Grinsell and Connor O’Shaughnessy, while Head Academy Physiotherapist Tracey Russell is joined by Aled Rees in the physiotherapy department.
The Academy is also supported by Analyst Cassian Graham and Operations Co-ordinator Lydia Robbins.
AASE Manager Gareth Harris, who was appointed in October 2018, looks after the Wasps AASE programme at City of Oxford College, the new partnership which began earlier this year. The AASE programme is crucial in bringing players through the system and is already showing positive signs with eight players from the programme being named in the squad in last Saturday’s first Wasps U18s game of the season.
Young added: “With the new structure in place we feel we have everything we need to continue that conveyor belt of talent coming up through the age-groups and hopefully over the coming years we’ll see more and more Academy players go on to represent the first-team and become top-end Premiership players.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Starts to be overdone and oversold this systematic SA narrative…which nevertheless has the merit in this case to recognise blatant refereeing mistakes in their favor
2 Go to commentsNice article. Shades of Steinbeck. They can win the final if they take the game seriously; but only if they take it seriously.
2 Go to commentsWhat a sad way to end a glittering career. Somebody should tell him to delete his social media accounts and face the consequences of what he's done. Then he should slip away quietly into obscurity. This isn't likely to happen, something tells me he'll be back in The Sun / Daily Mail sooner rather than later.
3 Go to commentsguys its fine! he understands why he did what he did and has taken accountability for it; why should he have to be accountable to a court? after all he did was abuse people in person - its not as if he was engaging in _online_ abuse!
3 Go to commentsChiefs flanker Kaylum Boshier yellow-carded for collapsing the scrum as it rolled towards the line. It was a maul….
1 Go to commentsyou know, i’m a leinster fan so I want Northampton to lose and it is gonna be tuff with Cortney lawes, Alex michell and the other guys🏉 lets go leinster🏉
1 Go to commentsWelcome to the Pro ranks. Those hard teams of old do hit the sole better though. its a dog fight at the top.
6 Go to commentsCan someone fill me in please, I've read a number of Ben Smith articles now and it seems he's got something again South Africa? Surely, this game was over and done with 7 months ago. Can't we have something a bit more interesting and relevant, or is this the calibre of journalist on this site?
228 Go to commentsNot sure what the Welsh are moaning about. They’ve had far more players off England, than England have had off Wales. Guys like Josh Hathaway and Kane James will play for Wales in the end. And they’ll be fsr better players for having played in the Gallagher Premiership, than they ever would have been had they stayed mired in the shambles that is Welsh rugby.
4 Go to commentsThis is all being blown totally out of proportion. First of all, since half the Irish team isn’t Irish - it’s very likely that none of the Irish players said that at all and, thus, we’re not being arrogant. Second, since half the Irish team is Kiwi - it’s very likely the Kiwi players were predicting a NZ SA World Cup final. Which they got spot on. Good on them!
163 Go to commentsAha. An Irishman with logic! Follow the flow: - Ireland peaks with a >80% win record between 2020 and 2023. And then… - crashes out of another QF at the WC; - Beat a poor French Team; - Beat 6N wooden spoonists Italy; - Play shite against eventual wooden spoonists Wales; - Lose against the most boring, “the worst English team ever” , a team widely regarded as unable to attack; - scrape through against Scotland. This article, No - Trimble, is on the money! Except for one glaring statement: _The Springboks have a few aces in the hole in this debate being the reigning world champions and official world number ones_ There is no debate, boys and girls. There it is. In black and white. “Reigning World Champions and OFFICIAL world number ones”. Come July, the overrated Andy Farrell and this overhyped team are going to enter into a world of hurt.
87 Go to commentsI’d like to know what homoerotic events Daniel enjoyed at 8th man. I clearly missed out!
19 Go to commentsThis article is missing some detail, like some actual context or info about what led to him abusing the ref.
2 Go to comments*They used to say that football is a gentleman sport watched by hooligans and rugby is a hooligan sport watched by gentlemen. How times have changed.*
3 Go to commentsexcept ot wasnt late wasnt late at all so dont know why you all saying its late he commits early and its your fault fir not paying attention
30 Go to commentsNot sure the Bulls need another average utility back in their ranks. Chamberlain has been ok for the Sharks but is by no means an X-Factor player. Bulls bought several utility backs which they barely use. A typical example would be Henry Immelman who plays mostly Fullback. The Bulls however have rarely played him this year and he has played wing or centre. Bulls want to build depth but seems like they have too many surplus players
1 Go to commentsABs lost against a side playing without a hooker - The guy playing, had one shoulder. Line outs were a gimme for the ABs, and the last 8 minutes 14 played 14 against a team that had been smashed 3 weeks in a row… Yet with all that possession, with all that territory, with all the advantages they actually had, especially in the last 8 minutes, they couldn’t buy a point. Those last 8 minutes determined if they outplayed the Boks or not. History will show that the Boks completely outplayed the ABs, especially in those last 8 minutes, the business end of any rugby match
228 Go to commentsWould’ve, could’ve, should’ve, didn’t.
228 Go to commentsKok will become a fan favourite
1 Go to commentsI am really looking forward to Leigh Halfpenny playing his first Super rugby game for the Crusaders Playing a long side his former Welsh and Scarlets team mate Johnny McNicoll.Johnny has been playing great, back in a Crusaders jersey.The attack has strengthened big time. Also looking forward to David Havili at 10. David is a class act, it also allows Dallas McLeod to remain at 12. A good thing.
1 Go to comments