Plymouth Albion prepare ahead of new season
Plymouth Albion kick off their RFU Greene King IPA Championship season against Jersey on Sunday 15 September at Exeter's Sandy Park stadium (kick-off 1.15pm).
Meantime, the club have been undergoing pre-season preparations.
Albion narrowly lost a pre-season friendly encounter against Premiership Gloucester on Friday evening (30 August), going down 22-13 at Kingsholm in a strong performance, that with some better finishing might have even earnt them a victory.
After disappointment at the cancellation of the previous week's friendly against Worcester, when the Premiership side pulled out of the fixture, the Gloucester match provided a good test ahead of player-coach James Shanahan's first season in charge at Brickfields. Other friendlies against Redruth, Exmouth and Aberavon, though useful, were relatively modest encounters for a team with firm ambitions for the season ahead.
The club appointed their 29-year-old scrum half, Ruairi Cushion as club captain last week.
Speaking to the club's website, Head Coach James Shanahan said: “Ruairi is a natural leader and he knows Plymouth Albion through and through.
"He is well respected and when he talks the players listen.”
Shanahan confirmed he would select a separate match day captain on a game by game basis from among the club's senior players:
“The match day captain will be one of the senior players. In pre season Rhys Oakley, Sean-Michael Stephen and Eoghan Grace have captained the side, and in all probability the match day captain will one of these three.
“All three are natural leaders but saying that there are one or two others in the squad who are showing leadership qualities and could easily do the job.”
Rhys Oakley skippered the side at Gloucester.
