Fans dig deep for the future of Blood and Sand

FANS of Cambridge RUFC have rallied behind the club, donating £30,000 towards an appeal to see them through the pandemic crisis.

The club have taken steps to cut costs wherever possible and furloughed playing staff. Donations from the local community will help the Grantchester Road outfit cover a number of other unavoidable significant costs.

Chairman Rob Dean said everyone at the club was hugely thankful for the groundswell of local support which has taken it well within reach of the £40,000 appeal target.

Dean told TRP: “Cambridge Rugby has always had a great club spirit and now more than ever we need to draw on that heritage to ensure that the club emerges from this unprecedented global crisis stronger than ever.”

Acknowledging that concerns will remain around sponsorship in the future, he added: “With this community support we will survive, and we’ll be in a reasonable position.”

In turn the club have taken steps to support the local community during lockdown, with staff assisting vulnerable people with shopping and collections.

Dean says the experience has given the club time to reflect on how they work with the community and to identify opportunities for getting more involved in future.

“We’re very pleased to be part of the community and give something back as well as just rugby,” he said.

On the pitch, the Blood and Sand ended the truncated season in good shape, finishing ninth in National One, their highest position in nine seasons.

It was a big improvement on last year when they were involved in a relegation battle and there is a belief they could have finished still higher this year had the season not ended prematurely.

Coach Richie Williams said: “Our development and our evolution as a team has been really encouraging. We’ve been more consistent in our performances and results. I’m hopeful with the same playing squad and coaching group, we’ll be able to push on a bit further next year.

“Our level of performance shows we’re more than good enough to finish certainly in the top half.”