St Bede’s will be well represented at the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan.

St Bede’s will be well represented at the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan, with four old boys playing for their respective countries.

Luke Thompson (1998 1st XV) will appear in his fourth World Cup. Luke was a key figure in Japan’s historic upset victory over South Africa in the 2015 World Cup and is still going strong at the age of 38. Luke played in the excellent 1st XV of 1998 coached by Gary Lennon.

Michael Leitch (2004 U16s coached by Richard Freeman then relocated to Japan) will play in his third World Cup. Probably the sport’s most recognized player in Japan, Michael has become an iconic figure within their rugby. Indeed, his leadership and hard work in both attack and defence are crucial to Japan’s chances in this tournament. This will be Michael’s third World Cup.

Alejandro Nieta-Serra (2006 2nd XV) was at St. Bede’s in the International Rugby Programme as a back-rower, going on to make his debut for Uruguay in that position, but as the seasons have gone by he has moved into the front-row. Alejandro was an excellent contributor to the 2006 2nd XV coached by Baz Dunne and Liam Hegarty, making one appearance for the 1st XV vs St. Kevin’s College. This will be his second World Cup.

Josh Navidi (2008 1st XV) A member of the International Rugby Programme, Josh played No. 8 at St. Bede’s in the 2008 1st XV coached by Gerry Davidson and Mark Vincent. He captained Wales recently against Ireland and was Welsh Player of the Year in 2017 including a man-of-the-match performance against the All Blacks.

We wish Luke, Michael, Alejandro and Josh all the best for the World Cup and even hope that they might manage to be on the field at the same time to play against each other. That will possibly happen on 13 October in Kumamoto when Wales play Uruguay. No doubt many of our old boys will be in the stands as spectators at games all over Japan. Travel safely and enjoy!