Talent Pathway Success for KES Rugby Players

With the U14 trials complete, a total of 26 KES rugby players have been selected into the Bath Rugby talent pathway (DPP or PDG) for the 2022/23 season.

Commenting on the flourishing Rugby programme at KES, Matt Lishman, Bath Rugby Junior Academy Phase Lead (U14-U16), said: “At Bath Rugby we have worked hard to establish strong links with schools in our region. We enjoy a really positive relationship with King Edward's and their coaching team lead by Mr Lilley. It is no surprise that we have this cohort of KES rugby players in our pathway at the moment. They have access to highly qualified and motivated rugby specialists at school, who have looked to develop themselves as practitioners in recent years and as a result they all coach within our academy pathway. We are confident in the support and experience the boys receive at KES and we look forward to a continued strong connection." 

19 KES pupils are now training within the Developing Playing Programme (DPP) and 7 pupils train within the U16 and U17 Player Development Group (PDG).

Many congratulations to all!

About Bath DPP (U14 – U16)

The Bath Developing Playing Programme (DPP) serves as the entry point to the talent pathway for Bath Rugby and represents the place where players will be identified and developed with a view to selecting those players with the greatest long-term potential to join the Bath Academy Player Development Group.

The DPP engages players aged 13–16 years old and is a development programme which interacts with and complements school and club playing programmes, to provide further development and competitive opportunities for young players. 

This programme is nationally managed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and delivered locally through a partnership between the RFU, the Regional Academies and Constituent Bodies (locally this includes the RFU, Bath Academy and Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset).

The Player Development Group (U15 – U18)

The Player Development Group (PDG) offers weekly coaching, conditioning and specialist support from Bath Academy Staff. Bath Academy PDG sessions start at U15 and the PDG programme continues through to the U18 age grade.

This is the entry point to the Bath Academy for all players and offers a route for those who are appropriately committed and able to progress towards the professional game. Those players aged 16 – 18 who show the best signs of long-term potential are invited to become an England Academy Player (EAP) within the Bath Academy.

The Bath Rugby Academy 

The role of the Bath Rugby Academy is to identify and develop talented young athletes from age 13 to 23 and engage them in a performance development programme.  Players join the Academy through a variety of routes, with the Developing Player Programme serving as the entry point to the talent pathway for Bath Rugby. 

Sport at KES

Sport plays a significant role in the life of King Edward’s School. The School enjoys a strong sporting tradition, where all pupils are encouraged to take an active role in the curricular and co-curricular opportunities available to them.

Each pupil is encouraged to develop their potential, creating the opportunity to allow later involvement at recreational level or within a competitive environment. We aim to nurture teamwork, leadership, commitment and a passion for sport through the opportunities available to all pupils at KES.

We strongly believe that ‘Excellence and Sport For All’ can co-exist, and to promote this we offer A, B and C teams throughout our fixture programme, run a weekly inter-form competition and are also very proud of our success on the regional and national stage. We also value our links within the wider community through our work with Bath Cricket Club, Team Bath Super League, Bath Rugby Academy, Team Bath Buccaneers Hockey Club and our work with local primary schools.