DoR Tim Fourie

The standard of rugby in National League One have dramatically improved over the last few years and this year is proving to be no exception. With ten of the sixteen teams in the league being full time, how does a semi-professional outfit like Sedgley Tigers operate?
It is all about smart recruitment and clever utilization of training time available. The fact that all the players have full time jobs outside rugby which means all squad time together has to be game related. There is not much time for conditioning, general fitness or even video analysis.

The Tigers seemed to perform well in the second part of last season. What do you put that down to and can it be maintained this season?
There a few factors involved. Firstly last season the club recruited heavily and obviously that takes time for the team to gel. Pre-season starts for us at the beginning of July so we have limited time for everyone to get to know each other compared to a team together every day. It is great that Total Fitness sponsor our squad which means that players can train in their own time at centres near to where they live. This season we have only had to recruit a few players so that helps tremendously without the same need for team bonding.

How do you cope with travel to such distant fixtures as Exeter, Plymouth, Pirates and Launceston?
That does create a problem in that working lads cannot just drop everything and travel on Friday for a Saturday fixture. What has really worked for us is flying from Manchester to Exeter on match day morning. We are only in the air for 40 minutes and then jump on the team bus at Exeter, travel to the game, play and return home by bus.

Do you ever see the Tigers becoming a full time outfit in the future?
That becomes a whole new ball game and would need considerable investment. A lot of the clubs have owners who invest heavily in the team and develop them into a business. Sedgley is a members club and does not have the vast resources available for the team that a lot of the Southern clubs have. It is common place when we play the likes of Plymouth, Exeter and Penzance to have 3,000 fans watching the game. At £12 entrance charges per adult that creates considerable revenue to boost the budget. It would also mean that we would have to renew the whole squad as most of the boys are happy to be progressing a career outside of rugby.

It must be quite a challenge to take the field against a team like Northampton?
They are obviously something special with fantastic support both home and away. It is often said that the Premiership consists of thirteen clubs with one always in National One. It is hardly a level playing field when these teams come down with a £2 million parachute payment. However, we did perform well against Harlequins and Leeds, both home fixtures held within seven points. What can happen is that all under dog teams switch on for the full 80 and play out of their skin, like all games of that type things can go wrong for the big boys.

If you could have a wish granted for the club what would you ask for?
A big increase in the supporter base would be nice because that leads to a steady and consistent increase in long term revenue and would create a buzz about the place. In turn it would then lead to more sponsorship and business interest in the club. The general public do not seem to be aware of our league standing – one league below the premiership – and visitors are always surprised at the fantastic facilities that we have a Park Lane.

Have you any ideas as to how the club profile can be raised?
The obvious one is the keep increasing the club involvement with local schools. There is a move towards an increase in rugby in the curriculum and we need to embrace that opportunity to encourage more kids into the game. The club already has a huge youth section which caters for around 300 youngsters. Only last week a Lexus sponsored youth rugby tournament was held at the club in which 800 players took part – a very well organised day and quite a spectacle.

Do the club do anything else to increase awareness of rugby in the area?
Links with rugby league have created quite an awareness. Swinton Lions play all their home league fixtures at Park Lane and Salford City Reds train at the ground on a full time daily basis. This association has also led to both England RL and Great Britain using our facilities and also Australia used our facilities during last seasons Tri Nations. Next month New Zealand will be training at the club prior to their game against Great Britain at the JJB Stadium.

Sedgley is the premier club in Lancashire does that create any benefits?
Not really, and with the loss of Waterloo, Manchester, Otley and Leeds from National One the whole league is moving Southwards. That has to be a major concern in the development of Northern rugby which surely must be addressed if there is to be a revamp of league structures.

Sedgley Park have come a long way in a short time, how do you see the future progressing?
The club has to be very grateful to its members and associated who have sponsored and supported the progress so far. The immediate hope is that the club can achieve and maintain a mid table league position and keep increasing the building blocks. The standard of the league is now very impressive and it is a case of further establishing and cementing our position.

The club links with Sale Sharks seem to be working well, do you find it very beneficial?
Very much so, our relationship has never been better. It is great to dual register the England Academy players and integrate then into our squad without all the red tape of the old system. They have some great lads there and we feel that we are able to help to develop them in a very competitive league.

Always injury situation play a part in league campaigns – do you have any issues to worry about?
It seems like history repeating itself this season. Last year we lost Huw Thomas one of our prop forwards in the first game. This year we have lost another prop Gerallt Evans which is a severe blow to us. He needs knee reconstruction and will be out of action for the season – otherwise we are in pretty good shape and we have probably got the best squad of players we have ever had at the club.

How are the new signings settling into the squad?
This season we do not have to ‘bed in’ as many new faces, as mentioned earlier. However, the new guys need to adapt to our style of play and our attacking and defensive structures. Individually they are all good players and need to settle, but our performance at Esher shown that this is happening.

Tim, you are 39 years old, how long do you see yourself putting your body on the line?
I play week to week and hope that my body holds out. I train more than I used to, but I do hope that a spectacular second row will appear and drive me into retirement. Until that happens I will continue to train and work to the best of my ability.

How important is our Development Team under the leadership of Richard Senior and Steve Hazzelby?
Our development team has taken massive strides forward since Richard and Steve took over. We have a good balance of experience to direct and encourage the younger players coming through from the Colts team, the team trains as a unit and has definite direction and are presently at the top of the Bateman Premier League.

Due to the influence of the two coaches new players are being attracted to the team as they play attractive and winning rugby. Last season this team played in the Lancashire Senior Cup and defeated teams such as Preston Grasshoppers and National 2 side Manchester to win the trophy. With standards improving so rapidly in the first team it is more and more difficult for home grown players to break into the squad, but we are delighted that we have developed players who have come through such as Gareth Roberts, Jamie and Tom Albinson, Chris Wilkinson and Dave Livesey.