A Winning Weekend at Bournemouth Rugby
12.10.2026
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The Bournemouth Rugby England Touch selections continue an exciting period for our Youth Touch programme, with four of our young players earning recognition within the England Touch performance pathway.
Following their performances at the recent National Touch competition, Rory, Joe and Oscar have all been selected for England Training Squads, while Teddy has been selected for the England Touch U16 Centre of Excellence.
It is a fantastic achievement for all four players and another proud moment for everyone involved in Youth Touch at Bournemouth Rugby.
The selections recognise not only their performances in competition, but also the considerable amount of work they have put into their development throughout the season.
Rory and Joe have both been selected for the England U18 Training Squad, while Oscar has earned selection for the England U16 Training Squad.
All three will now be involved in the England Touch Youth Academy Performance Programme for 2027, providing another opportunity to continue their development within England’s performance environment.
Teddy has also received fantastic news, earning selection for the England Touch U16 Centre of Excellence.
The Centre of Excellence represents an important part of the player-development pathway, giving young players the opportunity to continue developing their game while working towards future England Training Squad selection.
For Rory, Joe, Oscar and Teddy, these latest opportunities represent another significant milestone in what are already exciting young sporting journeys.
The achievements are also another encouraging sign of the development taking place within Bournemouth Youth Touch.
Touch has become an increasingly important part of the sporting opportunities available to young players at Bournemouth Rugby, giving them another environment in which to develop decision-making, movement, communication, handling and game awareness.
Earlier this summer, Bournemouth Youth Touch demonstrated that progress on the national stage when our young players reached the Junior Touch Cup South Final in their first tournament together.
The majority of that Bournemouth squad were playing above their age group, yet they won every group match before progressing through the semi-final and eventually finishing as runners-up.
Experiences such as these are helping provide young players with opportunities to compete, learn and develop alongside their traditional rugby programme.
The latest England Touch recognition provides another indication of where that pathway can lead.
The journey towards these latest selections has included plenty of rugby throughout the summer.
A special thank you must go to Rich and James, who provided their support with Youth Touch during the summer and helped the players prepare for selection with the South West Saxons.
Their time, coaching and encouragement played an important part in helping the boys prepare for the demands of representative Touch.
We would also like to recognise Bournemouth Rugby Head of Youth Rob Emery, who coached the Saxons at Nationals.
Rob helped give the players the environment and confidence to demonstrate what they could do during the competition, contributing to what has ultimately become an extremely successful summer for the group.
Representative opportunities are built on countless training sessions, conversations and hours of support behind the scenes, so these selections are also a reflection of the work being carried out by coaches throughout the Bournemouth Rugby Youth programme.
For young players with ambitions of progressing within Touch, representative competition provides an important opportunity to test themselves against some of the strongest young players in the country.
England Touch operates a structured pathway for developing players, with its Youth Academy designed to support young athletes through coaching, training and development opportunities.
England Touch also describes regional competition and the Nationals as an important route towards its performance squads, giving players the opportunity to progress from regional representation towards the national setup.
For Bournemouth Rugby, seeing four young players progressing within this pathway is something everyone at the club can be immensely proud of.
It also demonstrates the additional opportunities available to young rugby players who want to explore Touch alongside their wider rugby development.
Most importantly, congratulations must go to the four players themselves.
Rory – England U18 Training Squad
Joe – England U18 Training Squad
Oscar – England U16 Training Squad
Teddy – England Touch U16 Centre of Excellence
Each selection has been earned through hard work, commitment and performances on the pitch.
There will undoubtedly be plenty more work ahead as the players begin the next stage of their respective programmes, but they can all be extremely proud of what they have already achieved.
Everyone at Bournemouth Rugby will be following their progress closely and supporting them throughout the next stage of their Touch journey.
A huge congratulations to Rory, Joe, Oscar and Teddy, as well as the coaches, families and teammates who continue to support their development.
An exciting journey lies ahead.
Player development remains at the heart of Bournemouth Rugby.
From Minis and Youth Rugby through to Touch, Academy rugby and eventually the senior game, our aim is to provide young players with opportunities to develop, compete and enjoy their rugby.
The success of Rory, Joe, Oscar and Teddy provides another brilliant example of what young players can achieve through commitment, quality coaching and access to different forms of the game.
We are incredibly proud to see Bournemouth Rugby represented within the England Touch pathway and look forward to seeing where the journey takes them next.
Congratulations, boys – the whole Pride is behind you. 🦁
