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Billy Burns and Jacob Rowan love being part of the Cheltenham Saracens rugby family
Cheltenham > Sport > Rugby Union
Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Friday, 5th May 2017, 13:30, Tags: Captain's Log
Cheltenham Saracens’ players celebrate their Senior Cup win with coaches Billy Burns and Jacob Rowan
Look closely at the main picture with this story and on the right, you will see Gloucester players Billy Burns and Jacob Rowan revelling in the celebrations as Cheltenham Saracens won the Cheltenham and District Rugby Combination Senior Cup.
While Burns, arm raised and grinning from ear to ear, is clearly enjoying the moment as much as the players he coaches, his co-coach, although a little less demonstrative, was just as pleased to be involved in a special afternoon for the Gloucester Premier club.
Moments before this picture was taken the Gloucester openside had been joining in the Saracens song” There’s only one team in Cheltenham” that rang out after they added the first-team cup to the Junior Cup they had won a couple of hours earlier.
The Gloucester duo’s commitment to the Saracens was clear for all to see at Cheltenham North’s ground and the players have certainly appreciated their input.
Burns could be seen pacing up and down the touchline throughout both finals, punching the air when Saracens scored points or even won a penalty, while Rowan was just as intense whether sitting in the dugout or standing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the Saracens coaching staff and offering words of advice.
Fly-half Burns, still only 22, was part of the coaching set-up in 2015/16 and asked Rowan if he’d like to help coach the forwards in the season just finished.
“I’d done a couple of sessions at the Saracens the previous season so when Billy asked me if I’d like to coach the forwards this season I jumped at the chance,” Rowan, 27, said.
“We’re good friends and we live close to each other in Cheltenham so it’s easy to get to their ground.”
And they’ve certainly made a big impact with chairman Jimmy O’Shea telling The Local Answer last month that they were responsible for the new-look free-flowing rugby played by the club.
Not that Rowan believes it required any coaching genius to realise the direction they should go in.
“Look at the backs we’ve got,” he said. “They’re really good players. Will Hewer, Chris Plumb, Jack Kerr and the standout player Luke Morgan, who plays 13.
“You’ve got to make sure these guys get plenty of the ball.”
So, what is their coaching style?
“Billy’s the real motivator,” said Rowan. “He does a lot of hard work but I like to think we are a team. I try to keep a lid on it but I do get animated at times. Sometimes I can lose it.
“Obviously, we have other commitments with Gloucester but we try to be as supportive as we can.
“It was great for the players and the club to win the first and second team cups and Billy and I did enjoy the moment.
“We’re very competitive men and we wanted to win just as much as the players. I like to think we’re part of the team.
“We try not to get too involved because we want the players to think for themselves but if there are bits of advice we can offer then we are happy to do so.”
One of the big decisions that they made before the start of the campaign was to convert Chris True from a centre to the back row.
True was among the try-scorers as the Saracens defeated Old Patesians 2nds 39-29 to win the Senior Cup.
“He’s been great for us,” said Rowan. “We’re a bit short of forwards and we tried to get a few of the others to convert as well. Chris is a very good player. He’s very physical and has played a lot of rugby league.”
Rowan, who has one year left on his current deal with Gloucester, began his career in grassroots rugby before making his name with Yorkshire Carnegie.
So being involved with a club like Saracens is second nature to him and he says he likes what he sees.
“It’s a real family club,” he said. “Everyone looks out for each other and there are no egos. It’s good to be involved and we’ve helped out with the younger teams as well when time allows.”
So, does he fancy being a coach in the future?
“I’d not really thought about it until the last year,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed being part of the Saracens but I’d need to improve my knowledge if it was something I was to take on full time.”
More immediately, club chairman Jimmy O’Shea has confirmed that Burns and Rowan will continue at the Saracens next season.
“They’ve been brilliant for us,” he said. “They love it because we treat them just like everyone else, they’re just one of the boys.
“I know they’ve had offers from elsewhere but it’s great they’re staying with us.”
Rowan is already looking ahead to next season and said. “We need a few forwards. In fact, if you can get the message out there that we’re looking for forwards that would be great.”
There really is no doubt about their commitment!
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