Dodge to join up with England U20 for World Rugby U20 Championship

Friday, May 4th 2018

Senior Academy strength and conditioning coach, Sam Dodge will join the England U20 staff for the World Rugby U20 Championship in France this summer.

Dodge, who joined Bristol Rugby in June 2016 having spent three years with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) working with the regional Academies and national age grades, will join up with Steve Bates’ team and excited by the opportunity.

“It's an amazing opportunity to work with some of the best young players and coaches in the game, so I'm really excited and can't wait to get going," he said.

“A couple of our Academy lads have been involved in the England setup, and as they transition from 18s to 20s, this experience will hopefully give me an idea of how things are done differently and what the expectations of the players is. It will help us grow as an Academy and work towards those international standards.

"It's an amazing opportunity to work with some of the best young players and coaches in the game, so I'm really excited and can't wait to get going."

Sam Dodge, Senior Academy S&C coach

“I think what we’re probably doing better this season is the alignment between U18s and Junior Academy, so we’ve had players who have come through those programmes and slotted straight into the senior setup.

“The squad list so far is exciting – some players may even end up touring with the seniors – it’s a really good pathway for the players coming through and it will be great to work with players of that standard.”

A graduate of BSC Sports Conditioning and Rehabilitation at University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC), Dodge has also worked with Welsh Tennis, Welsh Judo and Cardiff Blues.

The 2018 Junior World Championship gets under way on Wednesday, May 30^th, with England U20 taking on Argentina in Narbonne.