For much of its 147-year history, the success of Tynedale Rugby Club’s first XV has been bolstered by a powerful stream of talented players coming through from its junior sides.

As Northumberland’s premier rugby club, Corbridge based Tynedale are the only club in the district who play at national level, more than holding their own in National League Division Two North, the fourth tier of the national rugby ladder.
The club is one of the few at this level that doesn’t pay its players, despite often competing against semi-professionals.

That means it relies heavily on home grown talent, and traditionally this has come from the U17/18 colts set up.

However, in recent seasons the steady flow of young players has dried up a little – and former first teamer and Northumberland county player Steve Turnbull is determined to restore the colts to their former glories.

He is masterminding a new coaching and training regime aimed at ensuring the future of the club by involving the colts in the rigorous first team set up.

Steve said: “This season the colts are under the senior players category, and no longer the junior section. I want the colts to mix as much as possible with the senior players so when they move up. it is less stressful and daunting, and they feel part of the Tynedale machine.”

While Steve will coordinate all colts coaching, on a Tuesday evening first team coach Ben Archer and a team of senior coaches will expose the youngsters to first team tactics, calls, drills and moves. Steve said: “It will expose them to life as a senior player and what to expect in the future.”

Thursday evening sessions will see Steve joined by Andrew Murray, Rod Wallace and Bart Milburn - all ex first team and county players with an abundance of experience and enthusiasm - heading up the coaching, putting the squad through team runs and specific areas of play and unit skills ready for the weekend game.

The players will all have full physio back up as well as full use of the club gym with training programmes tailored to individuals’ needs.

The hope is not only will the squad be exposed to the best coaching in the club but also the senior coaches can see what is coming through and can encourage them.
Steve said: “When I ran the colts last season, at times we struggled for numbers having lost a lot of the team at the end of the previous season to senior rugby.
“This got me thinking how we could as a club improve things at Colts level and ensure year after year we don’t struggle to turn out a competitive side.

“Competing at the highest level, we need a system in place that not only improves the standard of our colts but also generates next season’s senior players, enouraging them to stay at the club.“
At the end of the 2022 season only four or five colts stayed to play in Tynedale’s senior teams, but at the end of last season nine or 10 players committed to playing at Tynedale even though some were going to Northumbria University.
Steve said: “This is a huge improvement and one we want to improve on even more
“With 25 players moving up from U16 level to junior colts this season to join the surviving dozen senior from last year, we have a fantastic squad to move forward with.

“This season’s u16 squad is bigger again than the one that has just come up, so if we get another 25 potential players coming up to colts next season that will give us a potential squad of 50.
“I will be looking into entering both the Borders League and the Northumberland Colts League with a side in each, which I’m sure has never been done before!
“We want to make Tynedale Colts a set up that is way ahead of any other Colts teams in the county and the Borders.
“It won’t change over a season but the changes I made last season and the ones we are implementing for this coming season we hope will build we hope a decent foundation and future for the club

The Colts will again play in the Borders League this season, along with friendlies against Northumberland opposition. They will also be in the Border and Northumberland cup competitions as well as playing games against touring sides later in the season.

A new shirt sponsor is hopefully lined up this season and for the first time ever the colts will have a table at the players’ end of season dinner where awards will be made to them exactly as the Raiders and 1st team awards are made.
Last season the colts finished with two awards (Border cup plate winners and the Morpeth inaugural plate winners)