Kingswood College matric pupil John Hale left for the United Kingdom just days after writing his final exam, after being contracted to UK rugby team Leicester Tigers.
Kingswood College matric pupil John Hale left for the United Kingdom just days after writing his final exam, after being contracted to UK rugby team Leicester Tigers.
Leicester Tigers is a professional rugby club in the UK, and Hale started training with their Academy team from the end of November. He is no stranger to the Leicester Tigers having spent three months with them in his Grade 10 year in 2008.
However, he chose to return to Kingswood to complete his schooling in 2009. The Leicester Tigers coach approached him last December to return to the team again, but Hale was determined to finish his matric at Kingswood.
They have now offered him a two year contract which will start immediately. Hale, who plays in the position of outside centre, expects to play for their Academy team for a year before moving into the Men’s team which plays in the Aviva Premiership.
He has played for the Kingswood 1st rugby team in over 35 matches and was recently awarded school rugby honours. In a recent rugby festival held at Windhoek High School in Namibia, Hale was adjudged to be the best backline player of the tournament.
Kingswood 1st team rugby coach Graham Carlson said, “John is an extremely accomplished rugby player with all the skills necessary for the modern game. His tactical reading of the game combined with a strong set of core skills make him a formidable opponent and his strong leadership qualities make him an asset to any team. John has all the attributes to excel as a professional rugby player and we wish him all the best for the future.”
The Leicester Tigers Academy programme is essentially based on two distinct elements, their Elite Player Development Groups for U14 through to U16/17 and the full Academy Programme for players aged 16-19. From the Elite Player Development Groups, players are selected and invited to attend the full academy programme.
The full Academy Programme focuses on developing players across all components of performance – technical/tactical, physical, mental and lifestyle.
