Wednesday 5 September 2007

England RU Counties call still thrills stalwart Jenner

Jim Jenner may be one of the new kids on the block so far as the England RU Counties XV is concerned, but as the playing pedigree of the 35-year-old underlines, he’s also been round it a few times.

The Stourbridge and Gloucestershire No 8 will be making his international debut in the 15-a-side game and playing his first game in France when he leads the Counties out against Russia in Fleurance in the opening game of their three-match programme in the FIRA/AER Festival in South West France, but in terms of experience, he is admirably qualified to handle the captaincy role.

His extended career has seen him wearing the colours of Bristol, Exeter, Newcastle, Worcester and now Stourbridge and he was also part of an England A squad in 2001, but did not get a run out.

But it is as a sevens player that Jenner has excelled, not only playing for England in the Commonwealth Games in 1998 in Kuala Lumpar, but also taking every opportunity presented to play in a host of sevens events world-wide.

Yet despite all those trips to exotic locations and a spell at Newcastle Falcons that saw him rubbing shoulders with Jonny Wilkinson et al, Jenner admits to be excited by the Counties call-up and thrilled to be offered the captaincy in what is sure to be a testing opening game.

“I was a real thrill to get the invite to play for the Counties,” says Jenner. “I have always enjoyed playing at the highest level I can and it was a real buzz to get the call-up. It’s a great tour with some great games and I can’t wait to get stuck into them.

“I think the set-up is excellent – very professional, very well organised with a great squad of talented players. I think the quality of rugby we ought to be able to play is very exciting.

“Getting a group of players to gel together in a short space of time is always difficult. We’ll only have had six sessions before the first game and that isn’t as much as we’d have liked, but what we do have is a very talented squad, so we don’t need to spend time on skills practices.

“It’s only team organisation that we need to look at and six sessions should give us enough time to ensure that we are in good shape and do know what we’re doing when the time comes to face Russia.

“From a personal perspective, this will be my first 15-a-side international and while it has come late in my career, I’m still very excited about it and looking forward to it.

“The reason I’m still playing is that I still get genuine satisfaction and fulfilment out of it, I still feel in good shape and I feel it would be a shame to step down while I’m in that position.”

Apart from Jenner, the Counties XV will have ten players making their debuts and only five from the trip to Russia earlier in the year – statistics which underline how difficult it has been to weld together a disparate group of players in only a couple of days.

Not only that, manager Jim Robinson and coaches Harvey Biljon from Blackheath and Dave Baldwin from Manchester have been insisting that the squad work on a much more fluid, open style than any of them are accustomed to, a challenge which has proved both a stiff mental and physical test.

England Counties XV  v Russia in Fleurance, Thursday, September 6, 17.00: Frankie Neale (Blackheath & Kent); Tom Jarvis (Stourbridge & Gloucestershire), Chris Malherbe (Wharfedale & Yorkshire), Paul Mooney (Otley & Northumberland), Nick Royle (Fylde & Lancashire); Tristan Roberts (Cinderford & Kent), Craig Aikman (Halifax & Lancashire);  Darren Jacques (Redruth & Cornwall), Glenn Cooper (Redruth & Somerset), James Tideswell (Stourbridge & North Midlands),  Matt Owen (Manchester & Cheshire), Richard Snowball (Otley & Yorkshire), Matthew Payne (Henley & Oxfordshire), Dave Allen (Blackheath & Kent), Jim Jenner (Stourbridge &  Gloucestershire) capt.

Replacements: Dean Bick (Blackheath & North Midlands), Chris Rowland (Stourbridge & Somerset), James Kellard (Blackheath & Kent), Dan Cooper (Durham University & Durham), James Doherty (Wharfedale & Yorkshire), Alastair Simmie (Durham University & Durham), Kyle Dench (Otley & Yorkshire).

Issued by Tony Simpson, England Counties XV Press Officer (07764 336708)

Note to Rugby writers/Sports Editors:

Tony Simpson will be with the England Counties XV during their trip to France and can be contacted on 07764 336708 or tonysimpson@rfu.com for interviews with the players, coaches or management.

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