YOUTH RUGBY: Kieran Kelly to captain England South U16s (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Up-and-coming rugby star from Poulton joins national squad

2:00pm Thursday 21st February 2013 in Sport

KIERAN KELLY, 15, from Poulton near Fairford, has been selected as captain for the England U16 A rugby team. The England A side, also known as the England South team, will take to the field at the International Festival at Wellington College from March 30 to April 5 when they face opposition from Belgium, Canada, France, Netherlands, Scotland and Wales.

This is a fantastic achievement for Kieran, who is a pupil at Prior Park College in Bath having begun his rugby at Prior Park Prep School in Cricklade.

Kieran’s rugby has gone from strength to strength over the last 12 months.

He has played with Bath RFC Academy U15s for two years. In 2012, he captained Bath’s U15 squad and at just 15, Kieran was made a member of the Gold EPDG group at Bath – a small, select high performance group of 16 to 18-year-olds.

Meanwhile, he has played county rugby for Dorset & Wilts as an U15 and now U16, been a member of the England Independent Schools’ Lambs team, been selected to represent the South West at U16, and has now achieved national honours.

Director of Rugby at Prior Park College, Rhidian McGuire, said: “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.”

Headmaster, 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.”