Sir to make England Counties XV debut alongside former student
A TEACHER and one of his former students will make their England Counties XV debuts alongside each other against Scotland Club XV at their home club ground of Fylde on Friday February 27 (7.30pm).
Back row forward Evan Stewart, who captains Fylde in National League One, will line up alongside wing Jordan Dorrington whom he coached at Lancaster Royal Grammar School until three years ago.
Dorrington is now a student at Myerscough College in Preston and his impressive progress with Fylde this season has secured him selection for The England Counties XV alongside Stewart who is director of rugby at Lancaster RGS.
They will be joined by their Fylde club-mates Chris Johnson and Oliver Brennand in the England Counties XV squad for the first-ever meeting with Scotland Club XV.
“I will be massively proud to win my first Counties cap especially with three other Fylde players, one of them being a former student of mine at school,” Stewart said.
“I taught Jordan and I was his first team coach three years ago. He’s had quite a rise through the ranks and he’s only just stopped calling me ‘Sir’. It will be a very proud moment for the school as well as for Fylde.”
Stewart, 28, expects a sizeable contingent from the school to be at Fylde’s Woodlands Memorial Ground to cheer him and Dorrington on.
Although Stewart was born and raised in Northern Ireland he has spent more than a decade in England having graduated from Loughborough University and he has become a regular in Lancashire’s County Championship side.
Stewart was capped by England Students four years ago and will have plenty of family and friends to support him on Friday.
“It wasn’t call up that I expected to get but it is one that I was really happy to get and I’m very proud,” he said.
“I have been lucky enough to do it with England Students as well so it will be a nice thing to pull on the shirt again and stand there for the national anthem on my home ground with a lot of friendly faces around me.”
England Counties XV, the flagship representative team for the community game in England, will assemble on Tuesday February 24 and use Myerscough College as their training base in the build up to the international against Scotland Club XV, who beat Ireland Club XV earlier this month.
The Scotland Club XV match is the only home fixture for the England Counties XV this season and will be followed by a trip to Perigeux to play France Federale XV on 20 March and two matches in Romania on their summer tour in early June.
Tickets for the England Counties XV v Scotland Club XV international at Fylde on 27 February can be obtained from: Fylde RFC, The Woodlands Memorial Ground, Blackpool Road, Lytham St Annes, Lancashire FY8 4EL. Telephone: 01253 734733 or email: info@fylderugby.co.uk
Prices are: adult £8.00, concessions £5.00, under 16s £2.00, under 16s accompanied by an adult, free.
England Counties XV squad:
Backs. Joe Bedford (Sandal), Jordan Dorrington (Fylde), Chris Johnson (Fylde), Sebastian Rodwell (London Irish Wild Geese), Cameron Mitchell (Darlington Mowden Park), Luke Myring (Coventry), Will Hurrell (Coventry), Oliver Brennand (Fylde), James Love (Ealing Trailfinders), Mike Wilcox (Cinderford).
Forwards: Aston Croall (Blackheath), Steve Johnson (Hull Ionians), Robbie Kalbrairer (Blaydon), Alex Penny (Ealing Trailfinders), Brett McNamee (Old Albanians), Sam Wilkes (Cinderford), Ben Hilton (Launceston), Charlie McGowan (Worthing), Keith Laughlin (Blaydon), Chris Davies (Richmond), Billy Johnson (Old Albanians – captain), Gavin Jones (Blaydon), Evan Stewart (Fylde).
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