The Monday Bulletin: Strathendrick scoop top award and Cameroon on a recruitment drive

by COLIN RENTON

Honour for Endrick

Strathendrick struck a blow for rugby by lifting a prestigious honour at the Scottish Club Sports (SCS) Network Dinner and Awards. The Fintry-based outfit, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, was named SportScotland Club of the Year 2024, beating contenders from across the sporting spectrum. Secretary and co-founder member Ian McVean was on hand to receive the accolade, which is the latest reward for the thriving Arnold Clark West Division 2 club.

Kolisi heads for home

Siya Kolisi has reached agreement with Racing 92 over a release from the remaining two years of his contract with the Parisian outfit. The double World Cup winning captain of the Springboks will not return to Europe after the Rugby Championship and will rejoin URC side, Hollywoodbets Sharks.

Clubs gearing up for milestone celebrations

The year ahead will be a busy one for several clubs across Scotland celebrating landmark anniversaries. Among those reaching the 150-year milestone in 2025 will be Aberdeenshire and Watsonians. Both clubs have been working to complete their schedules for the year, with events on and off the field alongside dinners that will aim to celebrate their longevity in style.

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Benazzi declares an interest in top global job

Former French captain Abdelatif Benazzi has announced his intention to run for the position of World Rugby Chairman. The 56-year-old, who played for both Morocco and France, confirmed in an interview with French media that he will join the race to succeed Bill Beaumont when the Englishman’s second and final term ends. Others who have already noted their interest are the Australian Brett Robinson, Italy’s Andrea Rinaldo and the Scot John Jeffrey. Benazzi appears to be gathering support among Tier 2 nations, with the Asia Rugby president Qais Al Dhalai offering his backing in comments on social media. The election will take place in November.

Knights targeting Premiership Holy Grail

Doncaster Knights will earn promotion to the Gallagher Premiership if they win the Championship title this season and beat the bottom side in the top flight over two legs. The Yorkshire club has satisfied the ground requirements for making the step up. The Castle Park outfit was the only club to ask for an audit of its facilities, meaning no other team will be eligible for promotion this season. Previous Championship winners Ealing Trailfinders and Jersey Reds were denied a step up as they did not meet the criteria.

Springbok tests positive for banned substance

World Rugby has handed Springbok winger Sibusiso Nkosi a three-year ban after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid which is normally used in equestrianism. The 28-year-old, who was a member of the 2019 World Cup-winning squad, returned a positive sample in May. He accepted the result without challenge and, in return, had his suspension reduced by one year. Nkosi will be out of the game until 15th July 2027.

Axe set to fall on RFU jobs

The RFU plans to scrap more than 40 jobs in a restructure that is the latest sign of a sport that is struggling financially. Staff were informed that there will be a net loss of 40-45 people, with 64 roles at risk. Of the individuals concerned, 22 will be moved to newly created positions and the remainder made redundant. The elite level of the game in England will not be affected and the impact will be felt mainly in head office functions.

New cap Ken sets himself a monster challenge

Ken Macaulay was one of the players recently awarded a retrospective cap, and news of that belated honour inspired the former Gala second-row to set himself a mammoth fundraising challenge in order to give something back to a sport which he got so much out of.

“I am going to try and visit every rugby club/pitch in Scotland on which I played during a career that spanned 30 seasons of league rugby,” he explained. “Some of the grounds don’t exist anymore and maybe some of the clubs have disappeared, but by my reckoning there are still 76 places to visit, which coincidentally almost equates to the number of retrospective cap recipients.”

The challenge will raise money for four charities – The Murrayfield Injured Players Fund, Prostate Cancer UK,Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland (“CHSS”) and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation – and will get underway on Saturday 5th October.

To find out more, you can visit Ken’s Instagram page by clicking HERE or visit his donation page by clicking HERE.

Cameroon looking to move up global charts

Cameroon, a nation which has played only two matches in 13 years and is ranked 108 of 113 in the World Rugby standings, is aiming to call up several France-based players ahead of the Africa Nations Cup in November. Cameroon’s Minister of Sports recently announced ambitious plans to restructure rugby in the country. Among those set to be involved are Patrick Sobela of Perpignan, Gabriel Ngandebe, who is at Montpellier, and winger Christian Ambadiang, who scored the winning try on his debut for Castres Olympique in the opening round of Top 14 fixtures, having earlier produced this try-saving tackle:

#TOP14 – Le héros de la J1
Héroïque 🦸‍♂️
Comment gagner le respect de ses coéquipiers et conquérir tout un stade en une action ? 👇
Réponse de Christian Ambadiang avec ce sauvetage miraculeux du nouvel ailier du @CastresRugby 😤 pic.twitter.com/2plbpj70Jy

— TOP 14 Rugby (@top14rugby) September 8, 2024

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