Flanker makes breakthrough move

12:24pm Thursday 14th September 2006

A BAHAMIAN fisherman has left the clear blue Atlantic waters east of Florida for rural north Herefordshire with the aim of furthering his rugby career.

Dan Woodside, a talented player but of limited experience, has joined Luctonians for a two-year spell as the first Bahamian to receive a chance to play abroad from his sunshine islands home.

So, instead of diving 50 feet down to spear crawfish, Woodside will spend his weekends experiencing the rigours of the English winter at various rugby fields throughout the Midlands.

Woodside, a 23-year-old, plays openside flanker for the Bahamas national team but rugby is limited to four clubs on the islands, population just 350,000, and if progress is to continue in competition with the likes of basketball and American Football, experience of a full season at higher levels rather than just a handful of games is essential.

The breakthrough move to England is aimed at being beneficial to both Bahamas rugby and Luctonians and could very well be the forerunner of a continued link.

It was brought about by a connection between the Bahamas team and Luctonians in the form of an ex-player, Andrew Davies, son of club secretary Huw Davies, who is coach to the Bahamas national sevens team and spotted an opportunity to make player progress.

Andrew himself was born in the Bahamas where his father worked for 15 years, but it was not until the family moved back to Britain that he took up rugby as a teenager in Kingsland and went on to become Luctonians Colts captain in 1991.

After captaining Plymouth University, he moved on to play semi-pro rugby in the South of France and was later with two clubs in the USA, taking up coaching, before returning to the Bahamas as the national sevens coach.

"There is a lot of talent there, but not enough rugby played with only four clubs," said Huw Davies, a former member of the ex-pats club Buccanneers who played in the Bahamas and have given financial assistance to the initiative.

It is also backed by the Bahamas RFU who want to give their players as much exposure to international competition as possible to produce the incentive for dedicated training to achieve new skills and fitness levels. The aim is for Woodside to transmit this to other players on his returns the the Bahamas.

"We think that in Dan we have chosen a player with the right rugby potential and attitude to make his time here a useful and enjoyable experience for all concerned," said Huw Davies.

Woodside, who has been employed by Jaques International - club chairman is Don Jaques - since his move to Herefordshire, was to make his Luctonians debut in the 2nd XV. He will be flown back by the Bahamas RFU for the Caribbean Sevens on November 11-12 and then returns with the intention of making his mark with the Midlands 1 side.