Chiefs Battle it out...

Chartered accountants, Haines Watts North Devon LLP set up a special coaching session with a difference for the first team squad of Bideford Rugby Football Club. The Bideford based firm which sponsors Craig Mitchell ‘Mitch’, a Wales international rugby union player for the Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership arranged for the International Rugby Star to join the North Devon first squad players to pass on his expertise in this popular sport.

Tight-head prop ‘Mitch’ joined Exeter Chiefs last summer after spending six years with the Ospreys. A current Welsh International with 11 caps to his name, the 26 year-old was part of the Welsh squad that played at the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand last year. Since arriving at the Chiefs, he has quickly established himself as a key forward in the much talked about Exeter pack. He has to date made 13 appearances for the club in all competitions and scored his sole try in their away win at Gloucester.

John Edwards Managing Partner – Haines Watts North Devon LLP says “Bideford Rugby Club is a valued client of ours and we felt this was a great way to help raise their profile in the local community, offer a unique and memorable experience for the players and add value to our longstanding relationship. The fact that ‘Mitch’ is a fellow Welsh-man made him a natural choice as the player to sponsor at the Exeter Chiefs!”

‘Mitch’ joined the Bideford players on his 26th Birthday for an exclusive two-hour dedicated training and coaching session at the club’s ground and says “As a rugby player a lot of your daily life is based around the work you do in training and preparing for games.  Learning calls and moves, working hard on things like your set-piece, they are all vital parts when it comes to bringing a team together. Thanks to Haines Watts, my sponsors, it’s great that I can try to pass on a few of the training tips that I have learnt with the Ospreys, Wales and also the Chiefs to the guys here at Bideford Rugby Club.”

Bideford Chiefs are in the Western Counties League and played their last game of the season at the end of April retaining the cup by beating Okehampton 51 - 17 in the league having narrowly lost to them twice and the ground was packed with a very large crowd of spectators. They finished 3rd and missed out in the play-offs by just 1 point!

Bideford Chiefs First Team Captain John Mock says “You don’t often get the chance to have the opportunity to have dedicated coaching from an international rugby star here in North Devon. The lads really engaged with ’Mitch’ and his tips and advice will prove to be a great help for next season and the Pre-lims. I hope all the players take-on his invaluable advice and work even harder on training techniques.”