THE 2025 President’s Cup reaches its second stage on Wednesday (14 May) when Great Britain Teachers and UK Armed Forces face off.
GB Teachers, who were beaten 26-16 by holders England Universities a couple of weeks ago, must prevail by eleven points or more to have any chance of finishing at the top of the three-team table. A victory for the Forces by any margin, meanwhile, will result in the last game of the series, between the Students and UKAF in London (at a venue yet to be announced) on Wednesday 11 June being a head-to-head clash for the title.
This week’s match, at Orrell St James, kicks off at 7.00pm and UKAF head coach Darren Bamford has, given the currently tense geopolitical situation globally, been affected by a number of withdrawals caused by operational factors.
Bamford, who serves in the Royal Navy, said: “Our players and backroom staff will meet up on Monday at our camp at the RAF base in Formby, near Southport, and they’ll be travelling from all around the country, from as far afield as Scotland, Cornwall, Devon, Hampshire and Yorkshire.
“We’ll then have a good two days together during which we’ll put our structures in place.
“We only get together once or twice a year but the lads all know each other, including through playing with or against each other in the Services competition in September. So we’re not going in ‘blind’, the players are not strangers by any means.”
He continued: “Even the Navy’s, RAF’s and Army’s teams can be very different from game to game through operational pressures or the need to be on manoeuvres, and the same situation obviously applies to us. But it’s part of the backdrop and we take it in our stride; it’s something that can affect any representative team so our focus is to get the players out there and concentrate on the basics.
“For the last couple of years or so we’ve not perhaps quite been where we want to be in terms of organisation, and we’re seeking to improve on that. Ultimately, it’s about getting players on the field for such as memorial finals and, very importantly, it’s about making sure that the UK Armed Forces side is the pinnacle for players in the forces.
“In many ways we’re starting from scratch, from the bottom up. Our focus is, of course, to win, but it’s also certainly to be competitive.”
Bamford confided: “I’m looking forward to the game and, being a Wigan lad – brought up through Wigan St Pats before playing for Salford and Swinton – to being back home for a few days.
“We tend to focus more on ourselves than on the opposition. I wasn’t able to get to the opening President’s Cup fixture, between the Students and the Teachers. I’d aimed to but I’m based in Portsmouth and work commitments prevented me from getting to Sheffield for the game.
“I do know, however, that the Teachers are not by any stretch a bad side. In fact they have improved significantly in recent years and we only beat them in the last minute last time we met.”
His squad is: Luke Baird (Royal Navy), Liam Bradley (RAF), David Brown (Royal Navy), Brodie-Lee Butler (Royal Navy), Ben Chambers (Royal Navy), Kimi Dakuliga (Royal Navy), Danny Dainty (Royal Navy), Cameron Lees (RAF), Ewan Makinson (RAF), George Mosey (RAF), Finn O’Brien (RAF), Moku Pita (Army), Eden Quantock (Royal Navy), Jack Ray (Royal Navy), Tyler Richardson (RAF), Sam Roberts (RAF), Eden Steinberg (Royal Navy), Joey Sugden (Royal Navy), Harry Vorwerg (Royal Navy). UK Armed Forces’ backroom staff is: Darren Bamford (head coach), Silvenusi Buinimasi (assistant coach), Jason Steele (director of rugby) and Anthony Underwood (team manager).
The Teachers squad, meanwhile, is: Jack Walton (captain), Sam Bardsley, James Clare, Will Cooke, Ellis Cousins, Jacob Cox, Chris Cullimore, Joe Edwards, Carl Etherington, Jack Green, Ross Haley, Aaron Hall, Henry Higginson, Jason Holland, Danny Holmes, Dom Horn, James Jackson, Ryan Johnson, Will Kirkup, Nathan Lyon, Luke Mitchell-Johnson, Kieran Moran, Ryan Morley, Niam O’Grady, Alex Pendlebury, Aaron Powell, Chris Rushworth, Jordan Siddons, Jonny Storton, Joe Tharme, Gareth Thomas, Liam Welham, Alex Wightman, Brandon Worsley and Ryan Wright.
Head coach Joe McLocklan is assisted by Matt Thompson and Adam Scott. He said: “Although we want to win each and every game we’re also looking long-term, setting in place programmes that make us as professional as possible.
“Those programmes are having an effect, we’re coming on in leaps and bounds and that’s showing in our performances. The game against the Students was there for the taking but ultimately they took their opportunities and prevailed.
“Our improved displays in recent years haven’t gone unnoticed and we have a fair number of players in our squad with plenty of experience, either professionally or at the top end of the amateur game. Players with Super League, Championship or League One experience – the likes of James Clare, Jack Walton, Liam Welham and Kieran Moran are just a few examples – fetch that knowledge and ability to the cause and that helps bring on those from the National Conference League (such as Jack Green of York Acorn) and leading regional leagues. But at the end of the day it’s not too important what level of club rugby they play, they’re representing their country and that’s enough.”
He continued: “Narrow defeats against the Students and, last year, UK Armed Forces have added to our hunger but if we stick to our processes there’s no reason why the required results cannot come. We just want to make our players as strong as they can be individually and they have already proved that they can at least match both England Universities and the Forces. If we produce our best performance the Forces will have to live with us, not us with them.”