London Scottish v Nottingham

Good afternoon and again welcome to the Richmond Athletic Ground for our second home game of the 2019/20 season, as London Scottish welcome Nottingham for Round 2 of the Championship Cup. I will take this opportunity to welcome the officials, travelling Nottingham supporters and of course the London Scottish faithful this afternoon.

Last weekend the boys put in a physical and confident display against Cornish Pirates and we kick started this season’s campaign with a good win against good opposition!

Last year we first faced Nottingham in an away fixture in September, in which they played some great rugby in the first half and had the game won by half time. We were able to get some points on the board late on to finish the game ten points adrift 29-19.

In the reverse fixture at the RAG in January this year we conceded an early try, but otherwise controlled the game quite comfortably in what was a good team effort to win 31-10. The key players for us on the day were the back row and the outside backs, notably Charlie Ingall who was returning from injury.

I understand that we’ve made a few changes in our team from last Saturday. Some of the players who were on the bench are starting this week, whilst others are featuring for the first time this season. This will stimulate greater competition within the squad.

After this weekend’s game, we will play our final Cup game against Yorkshire Carnegie on Friday, October 4th, before heading into the Greene King IPA Championship with a match against Newcastle Falcons, who join us from the Premiership.

I hope everyone in attendance enjoys their time at the RAG, not only this afternoon but also over the course of this new 2019/20 season. Bring your friends and family and join the London Scottish clan in the stands and on the terraces, supporting our Exiles out on the pitch.

Paul Burnell – President

To get a win over Pirates last weekend was great. Our defence performed really well. There were sets of defence where it went through multi phase, which is what we want. We will need to give our attack a bit of fine tuning, but we did have a few players playing out of position. The boys really stepped up to the mark and there was a great team spirit last weekend.

It was great to score my first try in a Scottish shirt. Mark Bright punched a great hole through their defence and Jack Ingall was running a great support line. Mark just had to put me through with the pass.

The support last weekend was outstanding. Loads of people came down and the more people we can get down, the more boys will feed from it and they feel amazing when they go out on the pitch and see everyone there.

Nottingham put a lot of points on the scoreboard last weekend against Yorkshire Carnegie. You’ve got to be pretty well drilled and well-disciplined to do that. They’re a team that will come with very good discipline in attack and big physicality in defence. We’ve just got to front up, play our own game and trust what we can do, because we played well against Pirates. We will build off the back of the win last weekend and gain more confidence. We just need to focus on ourselves and make sure that we do what we need to do to get the win.

Jack Ingall came on last weekend for Matt Eliet, who failed an HIA. He made loads of tackles and carried well. His work rate across the pitch is much needed. He’s a young player coming through, so that’s class. Luke Hibberd at full back returned the ball really well and his kicking was on point too. They’re two players that I’m really looking forward to seeing.

Jonas Mikalcius has joined us from Harlequins and is an outstanding signing. He’s a big guy, so he’s going to provide a lot of good go forward ball. He knows the game really well and I’m really excited to see him out there.

The weather forecast doesn’t look great for today, but we’ll definitely put on a good performance come rain or shine. Thank you for all your support.

Enjoy the game!

Lewis Wynne – Captain

Full squad profiles, including bio and stats, can be viewed on the main club website.

Nottingham got off to a flyer against Yorkshire Carnegie in their opening Championship Cup game with an emphatic 83-0 victory at The Bay.

Nottingham strengthened their squad in the summer with a vast number of signings in the likes of James Connolly, Tom Benjamin, Alex Dolly and Tom Hill to name a few.

Head Coach Neil Fowkes also made changes to his backroom staff with the arrivals of Backs Coach David Ross, Strength & Conditioning Coach James Nolan, Analyst Danny Blundell and Head Physio Dan Turner.

BEN FOLEY

Ben made his Nottingham debut at The Bay on Friday 20th September in the Green ‘N’ Whites Championship Cup opener against Yorkshire Carnegie and became the first player to score a hat-trick on their cup debut. His blistering pace caused all sorts of problems for Carnegie as he went on to score 15 points for Nottingham in an 83-0 victory.

WILL MILLETT

Will made six conversions in Nottingham’s opener against Yorkshire Carnegie. The 25-year-old has been with the Green ‘N’ Whites since the 2017/18 season and has gone on to make over 50 appearances for the club contributing to just shy of 100 points (96).

There is again the opportunity to sponsor a player or a member of the support staff to raise money for the club. Grab your player before your favourite goes!

The cost is £500 + VAT and the benefits that accrue to the sponsor are:

1.)   Your name or logo alongside the player in match day programme

2.)   Personal interaction with player after matches

3.)   New London Scottish replica shirt

4.)   PA announcement every time your player scores

5.)   Opportunity to use players for event or promotion

6.)   Two complimentary places in hospitality at a match of your choice

If you’re interested in sponsoring a player, please email Commercial Director, Carson Russell russecars@aol.com

Our next match at the Athletic Ground sees us take on Yorkshire Carnegie in the final cup game on the first Friday of October, before heading into the Greene King IPA Championship.

Over the summer Yorkshire Carnegie’s spot in the Championship seemed to in threat as the club entered into a CVA process. However, to the relief of all concerned within the Yorkshire club that process has been completed successfully and the club was able to retain its place in the competition, of which it it has been a key member for many years.

This year Yorkshire Carnegie has a full time director of rugby Martyn Wood and part time players which may moderate their ambition after many years of great achievements, but we wish them well.

Yorkshire Carnegie finished three places above us last season, winning 11 out of their twenty-two fixtures.

Last season’s matches against Yorkshire Carnegie included a win away from home 5-17 and then a bad defeat at home 20-42.

The following week will see us take on Newcastle Falcons at home in our first League game of the season.

Tickets and hospitality are selling fast! For more information and to purchase your tickets head over to the website NOW!

This week the club announced the singing of Lithuanian wing Jonas Mikalcius.

Jonas began his playing career in his homeland of Lithuania, before moving to the UK and joining Hartpury College.

The now 25-year-old scored 63 tries in 52 matches for the Gloucestershire-based side, as they came through the ranks and reached National One. His try scoring achievements earned him a contract at Premiership side Harlequins in 2016.

At Quins he played Academy and Sevens rugby before a bad knee injury, which he picked up in the 2017 Premiership Sevens, temporarily slowed his rugby progress. After a long slow rehab, he returned to rugby action by playing rugby 7s for Lithuania on the second-tier circuit early this summer. He has more recently taken part in a few training sessions with us during preseason.

Head Coach Graham Steadman said: “I’m really excited that Jonas has agreed to join us. He’s a great rugby talent, a really good guy and will add hugely to our squad. Having seen him in action in recent weeks at the Lensbury, all of the coaching staff and players are delighted to welcome him.”

London Scottish Business Club

We are seeking partners who share our ambition and wish to work with us to develop and grow this great and famous club, our global community, and the game of rugby union.

The business club provides members with regular opportunities to network and build relationships whilst enjoying first class rugby hospitality, access to exclusive events, and world-class speakers and insights.

London Scottish hosts a range of exclusive, high quality events through the year.  Events are designed to provide insights into the professional sporting environment at club and international levels in a convivial atmosphere that fosters engagement and networking.  Events include a rugby leadership workshop at The Lensbury Club during the Six Nations internationals, a private dinner with England coach Neal Hatley to review the RWC, and a corporate day in Perth with the Melrose 7’s squad, guest speakers and a choice of sporting activities

The London Scottish match day experience is at the core of our Business Club.  Enjoy a relaxed pre-match game with guests and clients and alongside other like-minded business professionals. Our partner list now extends to over 150 different businesses and organisations all supporting our club but keen to meet new people and explore new opportunities. The diaspora of Scots in London is large in numbers and significant in influence, London Scottish is the perfect vehicle to pull these people together and our events are perfect for networking

We recognize the need to tailor our Business Club offer to meet the specific needs and priorities for your organisation. Hence, we offer every member the opportunity to select items from our wider events programmed to tailor a package exactly to your needs.  Enjoy a relaxed pre-game lunch, hosted by a leading figure from the world of rugby union or attend events such as the Legends Dinner, St Andrews Day Lunch or a four-ball at the London Scottish golf day.

Business Club Members: Adept Corporate Services, West Coast Capital, Allied London, Carbon Financial, London Scottish House, Cashmaster, Badenoch & Co, Malcolm Group, Three Stills, Fenwick Elliot, Dynamic Edge, Jupiter Asset MGMT, 24Haymarket, FOSR, Gallowglass Securities, MM&D Agency, Glenalmond College

Platinum Members

Sir David Reid, Martin Gilbert, Michael Kirkwood, Greg Knight, Rod Lynch, Frank McKay, Malcolm Offord, Sir William Purves, Charles Richardson, Ian Smellie, Norman Sanson, Iain Woods, Ross Coull

Gold Members

Alexander Badenoch, Colin Grassie, Eric Herd, Roger Jenkins, Stephen Pearson, Lindsay Forbes, Roddy Caxton-Spencer

Silver Members

Keith Craig, Iain Mackay, Simon Borrows, Calum Bryce, Douglas Flint, Jamie Gibson, Gavin Kelly, Hugh Langmuir, Sir Moir Lockhead, Iain Murray, David Newlands, Colin Rutherford

Bronze Members

Marquis of Aberdeen, Ian Aitken, David Cheyne, Alastair Dickson, Joe Flaherty, Ian Galbreath, Chris Little, Kenny Logan, David Mackay, Sandy McIver, Jock Meikle, Donald Reid, Kevin Sneader, Alasdair Douglas, Gavin Lickley, Nairne Gray, Roddy Grant, Ralph Potter

Founder Members

David Barclay, Donald Brydon, Mhairi Buckley, John Bustin, Malcolm Currie,Malcolm Gillespie, Martin Goudie, David Guild, Keith Hayes, John Hewitt, John Kelly, Ross Luke, Christian Main, Bill McCosh, Paul McFarland, Gregor Michie, Andrew Moffat, Ken Morrison, Malcolm Murray, Jim Park, Ken Scobie, John Sievwright, David Venus, Tom Woods