1stXV Team Shot Sept 2018

1st XV NEW SEASON COACHING TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT

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Perthshire are delighted to announce their coaching team for the new season.

Far from spending the enforced break taking time off, Head Coach Alan Clark and his management team have strengthened their team with the addition of one of Caledonia’s most respected coaches.

Craig Ormiston brings a wealth of experience and a winning mindset to the club, having had senior club rugby success with Blairgowrie RFC over a 2-season stint, leading them to 32 wins with only 2 losses. He is also a Perthshire man at heart, having both represented the club 1st XV for several years as a player and coached at U18 level.

Craig Ormiston commented, “I am excited about returning to coach at Perthshire. Alan, Mark and I have spoken at length about the season ahead and I am just keen to get stuck in and get on with the work.”
Alan Clark said, “We already have the most experienced and highly qualified senior coaching team in Tayside, but we are constantly looking to improve and give ourselves that crucial point of difference. Craig’s approach and coaching mindset will certainly give us that in the coming season. Our current group of Mark Coupar, Dave Lewis and Greig Mason are excited to see what he will bring.

For Perthshire it’s about making sure we offer our players the very best experience we can. The coaching setup is just one of those elements. We also give players access to leisure facilities across Perth & Kinross, including a state-of-the-art strength and conditioning facility at Bells Sports Centre with dedicated coaching support. Add this to the social side and it’s not difficult to see why the club is so highly rated within Scottish Rugby.”

All players, of any ability and experience, are welcome to come and join Perthshire. New and returning players keen to play 1st or 2nd XV rugby are encouraged to contact Alan Clark (headcoach@perthshire-rfc.co.uk or fill out the contact form) and get involved with the exciting season ahead.

Perthshire Not Closed in the Close Season

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Lockdown No Barrier to Senior Training

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Whilst there may be a general feeling that sport has come to a bit of a standstill right now that is certainly not the case for the senior teams at Perthshire.

Our coaching and support staff have viewed this as an opportunity to give us an edge for the upcoming season by moving to an innovative online approach using Zoom.

Head Coach Alan Clark said, “At this time in the season we expect the players to focus on strength and conditioning work so to call it the off season just isn’t accurate anymore. Normally they’d be working in groups themselves in addition to the 2 coached sessions each week in the gym. What we are doing now isn’t any different although we’ve had to be a little more creative in our methods.”

Therefore, all players are able to access coached sessions every Tuesday and Thursday through Zoom. S&C coach Valerio takes the guys through their paces over an intense 40 minutes which each player logs into from home. Buy in from both the men’s and women’s squads has been excellent.

In addition, each of the players has been allocated a group to complete daily challenges with. These challenges complement the work they are doing with Valerio and also give the guys both a social connection with others in the squad and a competitive outlet. Each group of 10 is managed by one of the more experienced guys in the squad who reports back to the coaching staff on player commitment and performance.

The aim of the senior section in doing this is simple. It is our job to inspire the club and we take that very seriously. We want to give ourselves the best chance to do that as possible.

Tribute to Past President and Former Club Captain John Carswell

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Perthshire Rugby Club was deeply saddened to learn of the death of their former President and club captain, John Carswell, on Saturday.  John led Perthshire through what could arguably be described as the most successful period in their history when they ran 5 senior teams and were amongst the top 15 clubs in Scotland.

John was educated at Strathallan where he developed his love for rugby and thereafter studied accountancy in Glasgow.  While there he played 2 seasons for Glasgow University and 2 for West of Scotland. After qualifying, he returned to Perthshire at the start of season 1966/67 along with his brother David where his outstanding talent and leadership skills came to the fore and he soon found himself as a mainstay in the team.  John played mainly on the wing to begin with but his skill and versatility saw him play in every position in the backs apart from scrum half.  His immense skill soon caught the eye of the district selectors and he played several games for the North & Midlands mixing with Scottish internationalists as well as British Lions players.  Playing for your District was a great honour and was just one step away from international selection and John was selected to play for the N&M against the 1969 South African team.  The match took place on the 2nd December in Aberdeen and was an unforgettable occasion for him.  There were wide spread anti apartheid protests and the match was stopped three times while police removed protestors from the pitch.  Despite all the upheaval, the tourists won by 37 – 3 but John scored his team’s only try.

At Perthshire John’s team mates remembered him fondly for his dedication, commitment and leadership and he won their unwavering loyalty.  His kicking from hand was legendary and he frequently turned desperate defence into attack by punting the ball from his own line to the opposition 22.

As well as President and captain, John also served as the club Auditor, unofficial 1st XV coach and mini rugby coach.  It is people such as John Carswell who are the beating heart of our rugby club and everyone connected with Perthshire values the immense contribution he has made to lay the foundation for us all to move forward and display all the values he held so dear.

The club extends it’s condolences to all John’s family.

Bob Lindsay, Club Secretary