Chiefs included in England Rugby pathway camp

Six Exeter Chiefs Academy players have been selected in the fourth annual England Rugby men’s pathway front five development camp.

Taking place at Loughborough University on Friday, 25 September, the three-day camp focus on developing scrum and lineout expertise as well as putting a focus on skillset refinement.

The six Chiefs-affiliated players included represent Exeter College and Truro College. Props Clark Faber, Ben Smith and Oliver Tichias join hooker Theo McKay with back-five duo Harry Friggens and Jeremy Keys.

Chiefs academy manager Rob Gibson said: “It’s fantastic to have six of our young players selected for the England Men’s Pathway Front Five Camp. The experience will provide them all with valuable learning and exposure to the demands of the national pathway.

“It will be particularly valuable for Ollie and Clark, who will be attending an England camp for the first time. Both young props have accelerated their development through this summer’s Under-18 Academy fixtures, performing extremely well when given the opportunity. This represents another exciting step in their development and a chance to learn within a high-quality environment.”

The 26-player squad will receive position-specific training as well as nutrition and psychology support from a collection of coaches from across the pathway and senior environments.

Jonathan Pendlebury, England U20s men’s assistant coach and lead coach for the camp, said: “With dedicated scrum, lineout and forwards coaching, camps like this give us valuable time to focus on the detail and expose players to different coaching approaches, while tailoring the programme to each player’s development.

“It’s about challenging the players, refining their skillsets and giving them exposure to expertise that will support the next steps in their development towards future England teams.

“Ultimately, we want them to leave the camp with great understanding, sharper skills and a clear sense of how they can continue to progress.”