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Pitch perfect: Teignmouth RFC chairman Russell Sowden (Gareth Iwan Jones for Bridge Studio)
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With one of their alumni in The British & Irish Lions squad for the South Africa tour, Teignmouth RFC are riding high. But it’s pride in the community that’s at the heart of the club’s success – chairman Russell Sowden recalls where it all went right
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Rising rugby star Sam Simmonds does Teignmouth proud
here are sporting clubs with such deep roots that
generations of families have passed through their ranks. In the case of Teignmouth Rugby Football Club in south Devon, we’re talking dynasties.
Established in 1874 and playing at the same ground since 1904 – even when the tide’s in and it’s heavy underfoot – this seaside club’s traditions are matched only by the pride taken in its players, coaches and volunteers who sustain not just grassroots rugby in this proud fishing town, but a thriving sense of community.
With alumnus Sam Simmonds now rewarded for his pulsating form in the Exeter Chiefs’ back row – he got the call from Warren Gatland for the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa – Teignmouth RFC has plenty to celebrate this summer and beyond.
“We’re one of the oldest clubs in the country,” says chairman Russell Sowden, 59, who has been involved with Teignmouth RFC for more than two decades. “It’s a club steeped in history. We were the first team to play New South Wales – now the Waratahs – when they toured in 1927. We’ve started a dialogue with them to mark the centenary in some way, and we have our own 150th anniversary coming up in 2024.”
Devon cream team: the Teignmouth RFC line-up in 1911
The youth set-up that allowed Sam Simmonds and his younger brother Joe (Chiefs captain and fly half) to excel is still flourishing. Sowden can recall both brothers crashing over the tryline at the club’s home ground Bitton Park.
“That’s where it all starts. We’re very proud to support the community,” Sowden adds. “We put out two senior men’s teams, a senior women’s team, under-18s boys and girls, and a healthy junior section at pretty much every age group. We’ve got dynasties of families that have been involved in the club. Teignmouth is a place where people stay.”
Those families include the Simmonds. Joe and Sam’s father, Dave, played for the first team, as did their uncle Rob – “both to a very good standard” – recalls Sowden. Both are also local fishermen.
Sam will be breaking new ground as Teignmouth’s first former player to win a call-up to the Lions, and he is still very much in touch with the club where he spent his formative years. “For me, it’s family. I’ve always seen it as a family club, and the whole community around Teignmouth probably see that as well,” he says.
Worth a try: Sam Simmonds scoring for Exeter Chiefs in May 2021
“It’s a vital part of the community,” he adds. “Not just for now but for the future. For kids who want to play for their local side and come through. Potentially, they might see me and Joe playing on TV and want to do that themselves. If the rugby club isn’t there, they won’t have the opportunity.”
Sowden recalls seeing the young player come in and rise through the club. “A lot of credit for Sam’s development goes to a coach called Graham Pattison, who everyone called The General,” he explains. “He was our first-team scrum half for decades. A really good player, a quiet guy and a brilliant coach. He coached Sam for his colts rugby, where he played one year up in age groups because he was so strong.”
With the brothers destined for the highest level, Exeter soon came calling. “We did manage to get a couple of games from Sam in the first team,” Sowden says. “Similarly to the tries that he’s scoring now for the Chiefs, he’d run from the halfway line, get the ball in open field and have the ability to both break through tackles and skin people on the outside.
“For Joe, the same. He sells the dummy and goes in under the posts from about 15 metres out. He used to do that for fun with us. Great memories. I can close my eyes and still see them scoring.”
Community hub: Teignmouth RFC in action today
We’re proud to support the community. Teignmouth is a place where people stay
Teignmouth were able to hold on to Joe for a little longer. “We were fortunate that he was somewhat under the radar, and we managed to get two senior seasons with him at No 10 before he went at the ripe old age of 17. My son was one of the centres and I think he smashed the tryscoring record with the service he got from Joe.
“Support is a two-way thing, though, and they are so down to earth. When they haven’t got a game on or training, they are down the club watching their mates.” And when they are, the Simmonds are guaranteed to be in good company. Sowden estimates that with upwards of 500 members, then all the parents and grandparents, more than a thousand people are involved in the running of the club.
“It’s a phenomenal hub for the community,” he says, “and I’m proud to have been the chairman for the past six years.”
Where has the success come from? “We’ve got great volunteers, the coaches invest themselves and we try to invest in them. We live and breathe rugby values around respect, discipline and hard work – and adopt them as a culture.”
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Devon cream team: serial tryscorer Sam Simmonds in action for Exeter Chiefs