Holt Rugby have put a new structure in place for the 2018/9 rugby season. Last year Phil Sharpe worked alongside the well-respected Ed Steed as First XV coach with a particular emphasis on forward play. This year he will not only share the First XV coaching duties with Ed Steed, but will also carry much wider responsibilities as the club’s first Director of Rugby. In this enhanced role Phil Sharpe is charged with introducing an integrated approach to coaching and player development at all levels, including Holt’s ever-vibrant colts and minis.
Phil is excited by this challenge and the opportunity it presents. He is himself an experienced player and had recognition at county level with Middlesex; he was comfortable turning out either at second row or number 8. In the 1990s he moved from Staines, near Heathrow, to East Anglia to play for Bury St. Edmunds and he now lives in Norwich. He first encountered Holt some twenty years ago as a Bury player and his own words “Win, lose or draw Holt was a good place to go. Rugby was always well respected and fair play was important.”
Ben Jones, Holt’s Chairman, sees Phil Sharpe’s appointment as an important next step for the club. Holt’s strength has always been its ability to develop young players through the ranks. Last season ex-colts Aaron Tagg and Ollie Woodrow were both selected for Eastern Counties Under-20s while ‘former pupil’ Harry Simmons was in good form for Leicester Tigers. However for some players the step up from the second or third XV, or from junior levels, could be a dispiriting experience and resulted in a loss of confidence that set them back. Phil Sharpe is hoping that a consistency of coaching standards and approach at all levels will make for easier transitions in future.

Understandably Phil is careful not to give Holt’s opponents in Eastern Counties London 3 this season too much detail on what to expect. He does however state that he encourages players to try and move on from their established style of play, and to try new things. Coaches at all levels in the Club must be prepared to live with the mistakes that result: “a high risk – high reward approach means that the players enjoy the game; they want to play and this builds flair over time”. Phil’s view is that one of the main problems in a mixed 2017/8 season was a lack of self-belief: “In part as a consequence of the previous year’s relegation they always thought of themselves as the underdogs, rather than believing they could win. The result was games lost which should have been won”

Both Ben Jones and Phil Sharpe recognise it will take time before the new approach to coaching and greater player confidence flow though to consistently improved results. However there is increasing self-belief in the Club at all levels. No players of note have left and some promising recruits have arrived. A young First XV can build on another season’s experience and aim for promotion. Moreover, in Phil’s view “Woodsy (Ashley Woods) is a great captain who inspires others”.
Training is now in full flow Holt’s first game of the season at Bridge Road takes place on 8th of September when Woodbridge are the visitors.
A slightly different version of this feature was published in the North Norfolk News 23rd August 2018