11 former Hartpury students and Men’s Rugby Academy alumni have been named in team selection announcements by England, Wales, Scotland and Italy, ahead of this year’s Six Nations Championship.
Jonny May, Jonny Hill, Ellis Genge and Harry Randall will be part of an impressive line-up for England. All four are former Hartpury College and/or Hartpury University students and have been developed through the Hartpury dual career pathway, allowing students to benefit from Sports Academy training while studying for a diploma or degree.
Former Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Sport (Performance and Excellence) in Rugby students Ross Moriarty and former Rugby Players Association’s Young Player of the Year Louis Rees-Zammit will feature for Wales. Alex Cuthbert, who studied A-levels at Hartpury, has also been selected.
Hartpury University BA (Hons) Sports Business Management graduate Sebastian Negri features in the Italy squad alongside former Hartpury College student Callum Braley. Stephen Varney, a former college and university student, rounds up the alumni trio for Italy.
Scotland has announced the inclusion of Edinburgh Rugby professional and former MSc Coaching Science (now MSc Sports Coaching) student Ben Vellacott.
Tom Radcliffe, Director of Elite Sport at Hartpury, said: “Many congratulations to all 11 of our former students who’ve been selected ahead of the Six Nations Championships. It’s an incredible honour for the players to be representing their countries and we’re proud to have been lucky enough to follow their progression and development over the years.
“Their achievements highlight the continuing success of our rugby pathway with college rugby, university rugby and Championship rugby all in one place. I must also commend the work of our rugby coaching staff who have all had a major influence in the development of our players.”
The well-established rugby pathway at Hartpury – a RFU University Partner – means that alongside their studies, students can play for Hartpury College, then Hartpury University and its Championship club Hartpury University RFC.
More than 200 Hartpury alumni have played international rugby or signed professional contracts around the world.
Rugby students at Hartpury – one of the world’s leading sports education institutions – have access to a range of world-class facilities in our £8.8 million Sports Academy development, including an anti-gravity treadmill, altitude chamber, high-tech 3D tracking cameras and high-resolution digital mirrors. Hartpury has also invested £250,000 into a new performance gym, giving students a flexible space for education and research opportunities, and training facilities for our Sports Academies and RFU teams.
Hartpury University’s sports degrees include sport and exercise science, nutrition, coaching, therapy and PE, aiming to equip students with the skills and confidence to change the lives of professional athletes. A brand new postgraduate MRes Sport and Exercise Science has been introduced for 2022.
Hartpury College’s sports diplomas cover fitness, physical education and coaching, and science, as well as specific sporting disciplines linked to our performance Sports Academies.
