Steffan Jones, Director of Sport at Wellington School is pioneering a new system of schoolboy rugby where teams are picked on size, not age. A trial inter-school match caught the attention of national and regional media.
Jones, a former professional rugby player at Bristol and Exeter, staged a Bio banding match at Wellington School last week between the School and Castle School, Taunton. Bio banding is a system by which players compete against players of a similar size
Last weekend Jones was quoted in a national newspaper about England Rugby’s lack of success since the World Cup winning side of 2003.
In the article Jones was quoted as saying “Rugby now is American football without the pads or helmets. It’s just about joining the dots in terms of the pattern you’re playing and picking ‘beasts’.
“The most important person on the staff now is the strength and conditioner. For me that’s wrong. I say to the big lads: ‘Why do you want to run into someone? Isn’t it easier to pass the ball and take out three defenders? Or sidestep like Jason Robinson?’”
The BBC interviewed Jones for the Inside Out South West programme also featuring the Bio banding match played between Wellington School and Castle School. The programme went out on Monday 8th February at 7.30pm and is still available on iPlayer.