The 2010 DUR program will run weekend of July 3/4 through to weekend of August 28/29 (8 weeks). Athletes attending are welcomed to arrive and depart across the ‘window’ of these two weekends - we provide as much flexibility as possible to ensure that you can secure the best flights available.
This year will be the fifth annual DUR program and promises to be the best ever. During the DUR tour of the US this fall, we saw a lot of promising talent and we warmly welcome all of those we met to apply for the program. For those you we did not get a chance to meet, we look forward to hearing from you too.
It has been recognised that Rugby in Nth America has reached the next level so this year we have dropped our minimum age of attendees from 20yo to 18yo. This should further assist in the fast tracking of athletes across the continent.
We thank all coaches, players that hosted us during our US visit. The response to our sessions was very encouraging and the games that we watched were of a very high standard.
For all athletes considering the program, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible so that we can confirm attendees. The second round of acceptances will be offered March 31 and we will accept athlete son a case by case basis before then. As we do not like to double up in playing positions we encourage you to apply as soon as you can.
Down Under Rugby has been established to give Nth American Rugby athletes the opportunity to play and train for Rugby in Australia. Athletes participating in the program will play for Sydney Rugby Clubs and be coached at an individual level by Down Under Rugby. This provides athletes with the opportunity to play and train as part of an Australian Rugby team and also receive expert individual coaching separate to that. The Down Under Rugby 8-week personal training program for Nth American athletes runs between July - August every year. The DUR program runs during the back half of the Sydney Club Rugby competition (Winter Season).
If you aspire to; play for your country, become a collegiate representative, or to simply become a better player for your home team, come Down Under, experience Sydney and take your game to the next level.
Down Under Rugby is based in Sydney, Australia. Sydney is home to both the Randwick Rugby Club and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Rugby Club. These Clubs embrace the entertaining, attacking style of Running Rugby – the style that the Down Under Rugby coaches love. Down Under Rugby have strong relationships with Randwick and UNSW and this provides the opportunity to accept players into the DUR program with skill/experience levels that are intermediate or advanced.
We also have relationships with other Sydney Clubs like Drummoyne Rugby Club (#1 Division 1 team in Sydney) whom we may place players with in 2010 depending on player demands. Drummoyne is a beautiful Sydney Harbour location only 15min from the city.
We will position you with a Club that suits your level of experience so that you can achieve as much of possible while in Sydney (Randwick have 4 teams and UNSW have 6 teams). Please note that you do not have to be a student at UNSW to play Rugby at this Club. As a Down Under Rugby athlete you will become part of a Sydney Rugby Club and have the experience of a lifetime.
Down Under Rugby personal coaches Matthew Bowman and Grant Houldsworth played years of First Grade with the Randwick Rugby Club. As a result we have strong relationships with the Randwick Club as well as the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Rugby Club, Drummoyne Rugby Club and a host of other Sydney Clubs.
Matt has played at the Super 14 level for the NSW Waratahs and was this years' coach of the Sydney Boys High 1st XV. In 2005, Grant coached the Chicago Lions (US Super League) alongside Marty Wiggins (US Eagle Assistant Coach; RWC 2007, 2008) and helped players like Phillip Eloff and Scott Peterson improve their world class play.
Together, Matt and Grant embody a wealth of Rugby know-how and will help you uncover your Rugby X-factor. The DUR programs (06, 07, 08, 09) thus far have been a huge success and it is great to hear that the athletes are doing so well with their Rugby now that they are back at home.
