Stow-on-the-Wold Rugby Club may be celebrating their 140th anniversary this year but there’s a new feel about the club.

And it’s not hard to see why because the club have a new chairman, a new director of rugby and a new coaching team in place for the start of the new season.

James Collett, who first became involved with the club well over 40 years ago, has taken over as chairman, while Rob Millar, a Coney Hill boy who learned his rugby growing up in Coney Hill and with Old Cryptians, will head up a coaching team led by Matt Carter, who in turn will be assisted by Will Mbanga, Richard Whincup, Luke Fisher and Andy Hargrave.

It all sounds very exciting for the Southern Counties North club with Collett insisting that one of the main priorities is to ensure the club continue to uphold many of rugby’s great traditions that help to make the game so special.

“We’re not trying to be champions of the world or anything like that,” said Collett. “We’ve got a lot of good people at the club who can drive it forward. We want to take it on from the last few years but we want people to respect the club, we want people to play for the right reasons.”

Collett knows all about playing for Stow because the recently-turned 53-year-old first started playing for the club as a junior way back in the 1970s.

The one-time Westwoods Grammar School pupil was a regular in the 1st team by 1984 and played pretty much continuously at that level for 17 years, captaining the club in 1989/90.

“I was a centre, full-back or wing but I played in every position in the backs,” he said with some pride. “And when I stopped playing 1st team rugby I played for the 2nd team for a couple of years until my body gave up and I packed it in.”

Except that he didn’t, not quite! Fast forward some 15 years to three years ago and he decided to try to roll back the years and have another go at playing.

“My sons Jacob and Ben started as juniors and when they came through the Colts team I ended up being their coach,” explained Collett.

“Then when they started breaking into the 1st team I thought, ‘I’m still moderately fit for a 50-year-old, I’d love to play 1st team rugby with my boys, I’ll give it a go!’”

So how did it a go?

“I played in a pre-season game and lasted 10 minutes,” Collett recalled. “I smashed my shoulder and had to have it rebuilt! The brain was willing but the body wasn’t!”

Collett is now more than happy to enjoy a watching brief as his two boys do their stuff – Jacob can play anywhere in the backs while Ben was a hooker last season – and as a life member of the club he’d be a supporter whether his boys were playing or not.

“A lot of the lads I played with – Dave Oughton, Ian Roberts, Wayne Loxton, Rob Millar – support the club, go to all the games,” added Collett.

Millar, like Collett, has taken on extra responsibility this season after taking on the position of director of rugby.

His son Ellery plays in the 1st team and like Collett’s two boys they are a product of the junior system.

“The director of rugby title is rather grand for Stow,” laughed Collett, “but he’s taken on a very important role. He’s been instrumental in appointing the new coaches.

“He’ll be overseeing the senior and the junior rugby, putting in place the training and coaching.

“We want one theme to run right through the club. We want the seniors and juniors to be one club, we don’t want two separate entities.”

Collett and Millar are mates and clearly think along similar lines when it comes to Stow-on-the-Wold Rugby Club.

Millar, 55, moved to London after learning his rugby before returning to the Cotswolds, a part of the world he calls “God’s own country”.

“We’re very excited about the new season,” he enthused. “We’ve put together a coaching team that is second-to-none. Any other club at our level would be happy to have any of them, they are all characters.

“They could all get paid elsewhere but they’re here because they want to be. We’re rebuilding the club and I’m there to create an environment that will allow that to happen.”

And the changes in personnel aren’t confined to off the field because the club will have a new captain this season in the shape of back row Craig Voisey.

“He’s a good player,” said Collett, “he’s played for Rotherham Titans, Moseley and England Counties. He was with us last year and he’s a super chap. He’s a lovely veteran rugby player who will keep the youngsters moving in the right direction.”

And while the rugby is obviously very important – if the 1st team are winning there is always a feelgood factor at any club – it’s not the be-all and end-all for Collett,

“I think we’re part of the community but we can become even more part of the community,” he said.

“We had a very successful music festival as part of our 140th anniversary celebrations and 860 people turned up over the two days even though the weather did its best to spoil it.”

And while the weather in June wasn’t the best, it certainly looks like there are bright times ahead for Stow, who will be holding an anniversary dinner in September for club members.

Collett, who is a former Bourton Vale Cricket Club captain, a club where he was also groundsman for 15 years, is passionate about the future and just as importantly is very committed to the club.

“The committee and the coaching staff have all said they’d like to be in place for three years,” he said. “There’s nothing official but I’d be happy to commit for three years.

“We want longevity in the 1st team, 2nd team, Colts and juniors. We’re encouraging kids to keep on playing through the juniors, Colts and senior teams.”