Graduates move to second tier

Team Bath BUCS Super Rugby players Will Flinn, Scott Russell and Craig Duncan have all signed for Greene King IPA Championship clubs after graduating from the University of Bath. Fly-half Flinn and second-row forward Russell – who both studied sports performance – have started their contracts at newly-promoted Coventry RFC, while versatile back Duncan has joined London Scottish. Duncan, who studied natural sciences before taking a postgraduate course in management, arrived at the university as a football academy player but made the transition to rugby and progressed from the 4th XV through to BUCS Super Rugby, the pinnacle of university rugby. Aaron James, head of rugby at the University of Bath, said: “All three players are fine examples of our rugby development programme. “Will and Scott have both worked hard at their physical and skill development. Their consistent performances in BUCS Super Rugby over the past two seasons have been rewarded with a Championship contract. “Craig has played in every backline position for our 1st XV except scrum-half. He has balanced his undergraduate and postgraduate degrees with his sporting commitments and exemplifies our aim of helping our student rugby players being better educated, better at rugby and better people.” Meanwhile, modern languages and European studies undergraduate Luca Petrozzi played for Italy in the Rugby Europe Men’s 7s Grand Prix Series in Marcoussis, France. Petrozzi, a regular at scrum-half in BUCS Super Rugby last season, scored the winning try when Bath won the Red Bull 7s world title in 2016. For more information about the rugby programme at the University of Bath, visit www.teambath.com/ rugby.