England U16 Squad Cap for Prior Rugby Star

23 Mar 2013

One of Prior Park College’s rising rugby stars, Kieran Kelly has been selected for the England U16 squad to train at Hartpury College this week. From this camp, three England U16 teams will be selected – the main England U16 team and an England U16 North and South team – ready for international matches during the spring.

This is the final step toward a possible U16 England cap for Kieran, and the effort and dedication he has demonstrated to reach this point shows how deserving he would be of such a tremendous honour.

He was a member of the Bath Rugby Academy EPDG (Elite Player Development Group), and played with Bath Rugby Club Academy U15s for two years, having been taken on by the Academy at just 14 years of age. In 2012 he captained Bath’s U15 squad in competitions against other academy squads and at 15, Kieran was made a member of the Gold EPDG group at Bath. This is a small high performance group of 16-18 year olds who are expected to have the skill and ability to make it into the full Academy Squad and/or senior teams. Meanwhile he has played county rugby for Dorset & Wiltshire as an U15 and now U16, and was also a member of the England Independent Schools’ Lambs team (formally Barbarians.)

It has been a busy schedule for someone who also manages to maintain a solid academic record at Prior, but Director of Rugby, Mr Rhidian McGuire says that this is indicative of the calibre of this young man; “Kieran is totally dedicated on and off the rugby pitch. He is self-motivated and has a real thirst for success. This attitude, combined with a great level of technical rugby skill, excellent physical conditioning, and an ability to analyse the game, make him an outstanding prospect.”

Prior Headmaster, Mr James Murphy-O’Connor said; “Kieran came up through our Prep School at Cricklade where his rugby talent was first spotted. He is an outstanding ambassador for Prior and an excellent role model in the way he juggles the demands of his academic work with his burgeoning rugby career. We wish him well for the training camp and wait with bated breath for the announcement of the England U16 team.”