Ferreira One Of Several Signings At The Bay

At Lady Bay, and following on from a successful, end-of-season awards night, Head Coach Craig Hammond, has been sorting out the numbers ahead of the new campaign, and announcing a handful of new signings along the way.

Having been narrowly edged in the last game of what was, on-field, a tough season for the Archers, at home to London Scottish, the start of last month would see them, let their hair down’ a little, at what was an enjoyable, awards dinner.

The awards for the Archers at the end of the 2022/23 season would be –

Top Try Scorer (sponsored by Team Clean) – David Williams

Try of Season (sponsored by Distinction) – Jordan Olowofela

Supporters Player of Season (sponsored by The Players Club) – George Cox

Players’ Player of Season (sponsored by The Dairy Creative Agency) – George Cox & David Williams

Neil Hannah Player of Season (sponsored by Thomas Bow City Asphalt) – Nathan Tweedy

Young Player of the Season (sponsored by Perfect Motion) – Harry Clayton

Also, during the past campaign, and acknowledged during the awards dinner, were players having reached landmark appearances for the club as Toby Williams, Javiah Pohe, Charlie Thacker and Ben Betts reached the fifty mark, whilst David Williams and Ansieko Sio have passed the century.

Betts and T. Williams, were among the announced, nine players, departing Lady Bay, however, a vast number of last season’s squad have signed up to go again in the new campaign, including the two centurions of Ansieko Sio and David Williams.

The first, new signings at Lady Bay, have also been announced, Hammond striking strong in bringing to the club that of 6ft prop, JAKE BRIDGES, 6ft 4 second row, SEBASTIAN FERREIRA, 5ft 8 scrum half, WILL YARNELL, and 6ft prop, KAI OWEN.

Of those staying at the club, Archers prop, Sio, has signed for a seventh season and has racked up 105 appearances thus far, whilst winger, (David) Williams, has put pen-to-paper for what’ll be his eighth campaign, looking to add to 107 appearances, 68 tries, and impressive, 340 points for the club.

Meanwhile, another, vastly experienced Archer, back row star, George Cox, has signed on at Lady Bay for what will be his ninth season at the club; currently sitting on 85 appearances, he’ll be looking to join the 100 club in the next twelve months.

Then there’s Josh Poullett, the other number eight in the squad and the player with the most appearances, he currently sitting on 134 for the Archers, and has signed up for a ninth season at Lady Bay.

Other, key signings at the Archers include that of fly-halves Sam Hollingsworth and Morgan Bunting, who’ve registered over 280 points between them, and a pair of former University captains in centre, Marcus Ramage (Cardiff Uni), and back row, James Cherry (former UoN captain and England Rugby University standout).

Scrum half Michael Stronge, currently sitting on 46 points in 47 appearances, will aim to break into the 50 club early season, alongside full back, Jordon Olowofela (45pts in 23 appearances).

As for those four, new signings, thus far, 23-year-old Bridges joins from Coventry and is a product of the Samuel Whitbread Rugby Academy. Having represented both the Northampton Saints Academy, and the East Midlands Representative side, Bridges’ debut for Coventry actually came against Nottingham, two years ago.

Ferreira is a 29-year-old who comes to Lady Bay with stacks of experience; South African-born, German international, he arrives from Sao Miguel, in Portugal, and can count spells in his native South Africa, England (Newcastle Falcons and Darlington Mowden Park), Germany, and Portugal, he’ll also play for NTU whilst in Notts.

The two other signings which Hammond has made, both arrive from Doncaster Knights, welcoming Yarnell and Owen; 22-year-old Yarnell scored eleven tries in thirty-five appearances for Exeter University’s BUCS Super Rugby side and has had brief spells with Premier Rugby sides, Exeter Chiefs and Leicester Tigers (between 2017 and 2020).

Owen on the other-hand, albeit 24-years-old, has had spell at Worcester Warriors, Coventry, Yorkshire Carnegie, and Hartpury University, the Shrewsbury-born athlete beginning in Worcester back in 2018; a former, England U20 international (he was in the England squad for the 2019 World Rugby U20 Championship in Argentina) , Owen was labelled one of ‘schoolboy prodigies’ back in 2019.