Kendal Rugby Club: Into The Wilderness | Club, presented by Gilbert Rugby

In this episode of Club, presented by Gilbert Rugby, we visit Kendal in the Lake District to meet some of the players and volunteers to find out what makes this rural rugby club tick. From a player rearing lambs as part of his warm-up routine, to the second-rower going fishing to get in the zone: this is grassroots rugby as you’ve never seen it before.

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Up and down England men and women are lacing up their boots to embrace the adventure that is grassroots rugby. In this series, we’re going around the country to find out what lies at the heart of these sides and the communities they create. This is Club. In this episode of Club, we’ve travelled to one of England’s most picturesque areas, the Lake District, to meet the people at the heart of Kendal Rugby Club. With one day until Kendal’s huge match against rivals Macclesfield, we’ve headed to a local farm to meet club flanker Alistair. So Alistair, where are we? Yeah, so we’re here at Poppy farm, just out of Kendal. It’s only actually 4 or 5 miles from the rugby club. Just getting into a busy time of year now with all the sheep lambing. So just walking in here I saw these little cute lambs. Are these newly born? Yeah, this sheep here was actually born last night. I’m doing the night shift at the moment so I was up all night. So on a game day in the morning Are you working? Yeah, Saturday morning I’ll have to be out here looking after the sheep and sort of work right up until meet time and I’ll quickly grab a quick shower and race to the club. So you’re lambing sheep hours before you’re on the pitch. Yeah, basically yeah, best have a shower, can’t turn up smelling of farms. So this is a rather large contraption. What is this? Yeah, so this is my sheep shearing trailer it’s purposely built. It’s a bit like a conveyor belt… Basically yeah. sheep coming through sheared. Yeah constantly sheep keep coming. Once we finished shearing the sheep, the sheep shoot down the hole and out of the way. Okay. So they actually fall through the hole? Yeah speedy haircut. Oh nice! And on this, I’ve just noticed these boots here. They look like a hundred-year-old rugby boots. What are they? Basically, yeah. They’re my dancing shoes. So these are my moccasins. Basically, when you’re shearing sheep it’s all in your toes in your movement, you control the sheep with your feet, basically. So are you good at dancing? Well a few beers and I might be. Let’s get shearing some sheep! Let’s see what happens, I’m a bit out of practice I haven’t done this since September so… Is that the excuses coming in early? Yeah you’ve got to start with them. If I let go of it, you’ll have to rugby tackle it! Okay. Right so you get the sheep down, sat on its backside, you pop it, all of its legs between your legs. That’s what you control it with and yeah away we go. You’re working to get over the backbone on that part of the sheep. This is where they have a little wriggle and fight sometimes. That’s it all finished. You made that look so easy. I don’t know, it’s not always. Years of practice. Yeah. It’s like a bit of a sport you made it look like artsy. Just a nice little dance, yeah. Does shearing the sheep and, you know, controlling them help with the rugby? Yeah, I think it does actually. You grow up catching sheep, jumping off the bike and wrestling so you learn how to tackle that way! It definitely keeps me fit doing this job. So you’ve got training at home and at rugby. Yeah basically, go do it again Tuesdays Thursdays. The evening before the big match, and I’m off to meet Prop Barney and his family. A key component to the club. Well, then welcome. Barney. How you doing? Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you mate. So obviously a huge family involved in Kendal Rugby. We will start with you Peter, how are you kind of involved? I’m involved with the walking rugby which I thoroughly enjoy. You have to be over 55, I had to tell lies! Billy I see the number on your shirt. I’ve played a few games. So I still play for the veterans and I’m benching for the second team tomorrow. Debut in 1992 and I was captain of the club, wasn’t a very successful captain! Barney, how long have you been involved with Kendal Rugby Club? Started out when I was probably 8 or 9, something like that. Playing junior rugby all the way up to playing first team, my first full season. With a big family heritage in Kendal was that something that you always wanted to get into? Used to grow up watching my father. Obviously he comes down to watch us now. We’re not quite as good as as they were back in the day. The question that is begging to answer is who is or was the best player? We have to find out yet. You have to find out. Say it’ll be a good 15 years before we can answer that question. Yeah. I was going to say, do you fancy yourself? I’d take him now. So what does Kendal mean to you guys? And why is it such a great club? What rugby’s about, it’s all about the friendships and just having a good time really and the amount of crowds we get down, I think they enjoy the day as much as the rugby. The morning of a big match can be a tense affair. But not here in Kendal for second row Alex Ryder. Right Alex, so it’s game day. What are we doing down here today? Well, this morning we’re down here nice little local res doing a spot of fishing, pass the time, get yourself out in the fresh air before the game. So living in an area like this, how good is fishing? Brilliant really. I don’t think there’s too many spots in England where you can live this close to a lake, get out five minutes from your house and just be out in it. Wouldn’t change any of it really. Lot of players get stressed out, have their pre-game rituals. I just come and relax. I do anything really, if it means coming out fishing, walking the dogs in the country. Yeah. You know, just take your mind off it. Less you think about it, less stress I think. What we are using here is just a little lure that imitates a small fish. Yep. The aim is that a big fish will come and try to attack it big pike today hopefully. Bring it behind you, fire it forwards, release your line. Bring it behind you. Fire it forwards. Bit of a… Yeah a bit of an anti-climax there but it got out. Imagine I just got a bite first cast. I would be slightly annoyed that I’ve had several casts today and if you got a fish on the first one that would put me off a bit! Big game today against Macclesfield. Yeah, Macclesfield, top side, lots of experience, big team. But you know, it’d be great to ruin their fun wouldn’t it? And spoil it with a home victory. It’s amazing how many people rock up. As you’re going for your warm up you’ll see them coming through the gates. Just one by one and eventually it fills up. Which is pretty nice. It’s always nice to play in front of a home crowd as well. Right so we’ve had no luck. We haven’t caught anything today but hopefully, fingers crossed get a better result against Macclesfield later. Absolutely mate. So Chris, tell me a little bit about what you do here at Kendal. I’m the chef here. Today we’re feeding 180 in here for a two course meal. And then we’ve got 150 juniors on a Sunday, sometimes more. It’s just something different all the time, it’s very good. I heard music’s a big part of your life. Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard the kitchen’s always quite bouncing. I’ve also heard you’re a bit of a singer yourself. Well, yeah when I’ve got the music on. Will you be on the karaoke? Hey? We can put some on. Probably get the words wrong now. No pressure. One hope, one bone , one true religion. It’s like no rugby club chef I’ve ever met before. Yeah, then I’ve got circus music to start the show off. Keep it going, won’t it. Amazing. Leaders Macclesfield, who if they win this afternoon, can be crowned champions. Kendal by the same token, they’re in respectable mid-table nothing to lose, nothing to gain but we’ll have more team news when you rejoin us shortly ahead of kick off here at Mint Bridge 3 o’clock. You’ve got to show that hunger, that ambition. Attention to detail, it gets us done Nothing else. We graft till we finish and we keep going at the things that matter. We’re going to create the storm. This first five minutes is ours, boys. One, two, three Kendal! Come on! Let’s go! Go on boys! Go on Shozza! Come on Kendal! Gents, absolutely heroic first half. But unfortunately, looked like it slipped away a little bit in the second half. How was it playing out there today? It’s a frustrating result. I think the scoreline suggests we were worse than I think we were. I mean, they got on top from minute one. I think they controlled the pace of the game. We never really retained ball for more than 4 or 5 phases, and I think they’re just a well-coached side and it showed. I was up there in the stands and the crowd there was absolutely massive. How important is that? To have the the home crowd here? Oh yeah, it’s an absolute buzz mate. It’s what we’re down here and play for the home side get behind you and I think every player ups it 10% each time. How much does this rugby club mean to the community? It’s a small town. Everyone gets down here and loves it. We win together, we lose together. We were saying at the end there, look game happened, stuff happens. We’re a tight group so we’ll go again. One, two, three Kendal!