IRFC are playing their first friendly match of the season after the Summer break this Saturday after a successful off-season.

The Ilkley teams have been busy training hard in the off-season after their successful Summer 7’s Festival back in July which saw hundreds of rugby players from around the country enjoy the Ilkley tournament.

Ilkley are playing Manchester Rugby Club this Saturday, a team that Ilkley have not yet faced before. Joe Lowes, Captain and Flanker for the 1st XV, says “We’re really excited to play Manchester on Saturday not only to test how our team is performing after our pre-season preparations but also to meet a new squad is so valuable to measure our skills, fitness and game strategies too.

We’ve had a really successful Summer of training hard but also bonding as a squad. Our 7’s Festival is always a fantastic day and this year we had the opportunity to come together as a Senior Squad.”

Ilkley Rugby Club have seen an influx of new players joining the pre-season preparations and are hoping that Saturday will be a great opportunity to test and prepare the team for the new Season starting in September.

The Ilkley senior teams are coming off a very successful 2021/22 season with the 1st XV and 2nd XV winning their leagues and putting in some stunning plays throughout the year - including a now famous pass by scrum half Jack Maplesden which was featured on England Rugby Social Media channels, amassing millions of views across TikTok, Facebook and Instagram going viral in the process!

Rhys Morgan, Director of Rugby, says “We’re really excited to get back on the pitch and kick off the 2022/23 season with our friendly against Manchester. They’re a new team to us so we’re looking forward to testing our progress from last season and giving our players a chance to start the season off well.

We’re so proud of our efforts last year, as a full senior squad, and we want to continue our successes both on and off the field. We’re inviting our supporters to come down to Stacks Field from 2:30pm this Saturday and enjoy the rugby!”

You can attend the rugby this Saturday 13 August, Kick Off is at 2:30pm at Ilkley Rugby Club, Stacks Field, Denton Road, Ilkley, LS29 0AF

REPORT BY: HARRY SMITH