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Captain’s Log: Ollie Gibson, Cirencester Rugby Club

Author: Roger Jackson, Posted: Tuesday, 26th November 2019, 09:00, Tags: Captain's Log

Ollie Gibson

It’s fair to say that Ollie Gibson has made a pretty good impression at Cirencester Rugby Club.

He has only very recently turned 24 and is in just his second season at the Gloucestershire One club, but he’s very quickly become one of the main men.

So much so that when last season’s captain Oli Newman moved to Newbury, director of rugby Andy Deacon knew just who to turn to for a replacement.

“He had a quiet word with me in the summer,” said Gibson, a second row. “He asked me if I’d like to do the job and for me it was an easy yes.”

Gibson learned his rugby in Kent where he was brought up before going to the University of Brighton where he played in the first team.

He moved to this area when he took a job as a PE teacher at Wootton Bassett Academy – he lives in Cirencester – and clearly cuts a pretty imposing figure.

He weighs in at around 103/104 kilos – that’s about 16st 5lb for older readers! – and says: “I like to carry the ball but I have no qualms about doing the nitty-gritty.”

Even though he is still quite young, he has plenty of experience as a player, although that’s not something that can be said of his captaincy.

“This is the first time I’ve ever been captain,” he said.

So what are the qualities that he thinks made Deacon ask him to lead the flagship team this season?

“I like to think I’m quite organised,” he said, “and I like to think I’m a decent motivator of people. If I have to have a shout to get my message across then I will.

“I like to be hands-on, I like to be involved with the club as much as possible.”

Gibson played a couple of games for the 2nds at the start of last season before earning his chance in the 1st team and he hasn’t looked back since.

“The joy of this team at the moment is that although I’m only 24, I’m one of the senior players which is great,” he said.

“We’re a very young side. There’s a good intensity at training and there’s a good buzz around the clubhouse.”

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Captain’s Log: Ollie Gibson, Cirencester Rugby Club

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