Newbury Women rugby coach says unbeaten side can ‘go a very long way’
Newbury Women are absolutely flying.
They’re unbeaten in the Women's Championship South West 2, having won eight of their nine games so far.
They’re also in the quarter-final of the National Cup, the final of which is played at Twickenham.
Huge wins this season include a 64-12 demolition of Cullompton on the opening day, while Dings Crusaders Mavericks were dispatched 78-0.
Their head coach, Adam Reeves, credits this as one of the best groups he’s ever worked with, bouncing back after last season’s relegation.
“I’ve been coaching on and off since 2004, so two decades, and I’m only 36,” he said.
“I got involved with Newbury Women about three years ago, doing some scrum coaching.
“Two years ago I was the assistant head coach when we won this league.
“I took over as head coach last Christmas. It just spiralled from there.”
Having coached both men’s and women's sides in his career, Reeves is clear that he prefers the latter.
“There’s definitely differences in how you approach it,” he said.
“For me, coaching the women is more enjoyable.
“The atmosphere, the environment, the challenge that it sets is phenomenal.
“I love it. Women’s Rugby is in a period now where it's really starting to push on.
“The players’ ability, the media it’s getting. It’s really starting to accelerate.
“It’s going to become something quite special, especially with a home World Cup this year.”
Newbury were relegated from the Championship last season, the highest level of the Women’s game before reaching the ring-fenced Premiership.
This year they’ve bounced back in dominant fashion.
“I think the ability has always been there,” he said.
“We won this league two years ago, but I think the standard has gone up.
“This is a special group of players.
“It’s not often you come across a group who have the potential to go a very long way together.
“Our second team are on the cusp of winning their league as well. They’re smashing it.
“We get a lot of support. People come down to Ivybridge and Exeter to watch us.”
Newbury’s incredible run is the result of hard work and dedication, much of which had to come in the immediate aftermath of relegation.
“The girls worked extremely hard in the pre-season,” he said.
“They did a lot of stuff on their own, which wasn’t expected of them.
“They really wanted to push on this year.
“We’re probably the fittest team in the league.
“And there’s always that feeling that if we’re behind, we’ll find a way to come back.”
Newbury’s senior players have helped guide the squad, navigating a number of potential banana skins throughout the season.
“Being unbeaten is a blessing and a curse,” he said.
“It’s a bit cliché, but you have to take it one game at a time.
“We celebrate the win, but then it’s on to the next challenge.
“We’ve got a great leadership group who keep everyone on their toes.
“Lizzie Harris, our captain, is phenomenal.
“She’s Newbury through and through.
“Meg Mason has over a hundred caps and Meg Horwood is our vice-captain. They’re both brilliant leaders.”
One other thing which stands out is the number of homegrown players in the Newbury side, something which starts with the younger age groups.
“The girls’ section has massively grown this year,” he said.
“We’ve had two phenomenal seventeen-year-olds in Tara Fitzgerald and Lexi Thorp.
“There’s a chance they’ll both break the first team this year.”
Ivybridge inflicted Newbury’s only draw of the season and will push them all the way for the title, while Exeter Athletic are also well in contention.
Those three sides put together have lost just two games this season.
“Ivybridge showed how good we were defensively, but we weren’t quite on the boil,” he said.
“The real test will be against Exeter Athletic, which is the Exeter Chiefs’ development team.
“I’m confident we can get into that championship spot.”
