Visit of ex Wasps captain sets Varsity countdown in motion

Warwick’s Rugby Union teams enjoyed a touch of celebrity sport this week as the Wasps Rugby Club visited campus on Monday. Both the Men’s and Women’s teams were joined by ex-captain of the club Chris Bell for a training session led by the man himself. Having started his career at Harlequins Club and representing England as a centre for the Saxons team, Chris shared some of his expertise within the sessions, focusing on the basics of ball handling, tackling and defence.

Matthew Lawrowitsch, captain of the Warwick Men’s side, said that despite their ‘focus team’ status, gaining some tips from Chris gave them an insight into the expectations for professional players. He said, “They obviously train a lot more than we do, they are a lot more organised, but it’s also nice to have a different perspective from our usual coaches. It’s great to have somebody who has played at that level.”

“The event is part of a wider initiative I am rolling out, to try and give our clubs an insight in to the world of professional sport, and inspire them to be the best that they can be.”

The men’s side will shortly be enjoying another insight into the world of top level rugby when they play at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, where the Wasps home ground, for their Varsity match this year. Chris Bell welcomed this and hoped that the players would enjoy the experience of playing in a stadium atmosphere stating: “It makes a real occasion of the day and to be in such great surroundings, playing with such a quality field, it really ups your game and it’s brilliant to be there.”

He was also impressed by the standard that was shown by both the men and women’s teams noting after the session “The players were really keen and all wanted to play. There was a great array of skills on show and they put some really good rugby together so I was really impressed.”

Also attending the sessions was Sports Officer Alex Roberts, who hoped that the visit would be the start of more team insights into the lives of those who play for a living. He said, “Having worked extremely closely with Wasps this year, it is fantastic that Chris has kindly agreed to come in and deliver a coaching session for both of our Rugby Clubs. “The event is part of a wider initiative I am rolling out, to try and give our clubs an insight in to the world of professional sport, and inspire them to be the best that they can be.”