Jersey RFC are pleased to announce that two young players have
earned full-time contracts with the club.
James Voss, 17, and Charlie
Clyde-Smith, 22, have become full-time members of the 1st
XV squad, which has also been bolstered by two new signings -
forwards Fred Silcock and Rob
Anderson.
James, who has lived in Jersey and played rugby for the JRFC
Academy since the age of 8, made four appearances for the 1st XV in
2011/12, playing in the second row. He has recently left school and
said he was delighted at the opportunity he's been given.
"I'll be able to focus full-time on rugby, learning from the
experienced members of the squad," he said. "It'll be a development
year for me, and I also want to work on strength and conditioning -
I'm aiming to become a bit of a monster!"
Charlie, a native Jerseyman, was awarded the Most Improved
Player trophy at the end of last season. He made his debut for
Jersey in 2008 playing wing or centre, but has since converted to
the forwards, playing both hooker and flanker last season, when he
made 28 appearances. He has played around 70 1st XV games for
Jersey and admits to a real buzz from turning out in front of his
home crowd.
"The home support is fantastic and means a lot to me - hopefully
we'll have even more people watching our games next season, and
it's great to be going full-time, which is what I've been aiming to
achieve," he said.
"There's competition in every position now and that will
really raise our standards - you know someone will be after your
spot if you have a bad day."
Player-coach Ben Evans, who is almost 20 years older than James,
said the youngster had great potential.
"James isn't yet the finished article but his strength, size and
attitude have made him stand out, and he showed last season what he
was capable of."
The former Welsh international also praised Charlie's hard work,
saying he had really proved himself last season and earning the
full-time chance.
Two new players have also been confirmed as the latest signings
by Director of Rugby Ben Harvey:
* Fred Silcock, 22, the former Loughborough number 8. As well as
making 22 appearances for the Students last season, Silcock played
in A League reserve team games for both Leicester and
Worcester.
* Rob Anderson, 25, a second row forward from Rosslyn Park. He
played 26 times for the London club in 2011/12 and has Championship
experience dating from a two-year spell with Esher.
Jersey's 1st XV squad has completed three weeks of conditioning
work in preparation for the new season. After a week off they will
commence the next phase of pre-season training at the start of
July.
The club's first Championship fixture is against Cornish Pirates
on September 1st, with two pre-season friendly matches scheduled as
part of the build-up: Leicester Tigers on August 11th, and
Loughborough Students on August 25th.
