old elthamians
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Getting into the
ir e
D
Championship
and becoming
rugby’s ‘crazy
gang’: an
Interview
with Old
Elthamians’
Director of Rugby:
Gavin Lach
P
laying for the big local rivals isn’t the most
traditional way into a rugby club but that’s how
Gavin Lach finds himself at National 2 high-flyers,
Old Elthamians. Gavin admits that he “still gets
a bit of a slating” from his many friends at Old
Dunstonians but the fact that he has been one of the key
driving forces behind Old Elthamians reaching its highest
league positions ever has certainly helped his cause.
Rugby Club Magazine recently caught up with Gavin to discuss
Old Elthamians rise through the ranks of English rugby, its
ambitious plans to reach the Championship, to become the
highest ranked club in Kent and continue to build on the
momentum of recent seasons.
First Gavin explained how he became Old Elthamians’ Director
of Rugby “After a year of putting my feet up on Saturday
afternoons having left the Director of Rugby role at Old
Dunstonians, I started to feel restless. I needed to get back into the
game and with my son actually playing for the Old Elthamians
junior team, alongside the son of Kobus Paulson, CEO at Secure
Trading, the club’s sponsor. I suppose you’d call it peer pressure.
I was just trying to watch my son play the game but, because he
was also a huge supporter of the club, he badgered me every
Sunday morning to get involved with the team. It was relentless
and I needed some persuading but, looking back, I’m extremely
glad that I took him up on his offer.”
10 Issue 53
of
tor
Rugby Gav
in
La
ch
The recent history of Old Elthamians reads like a Hollywood
film. The club has been on a fast track promotion ride since Lach
took over in 2010, gaining three promotions in four seasons
and rising to National 2 in the RFU leagues - the highest league
position in the club’s history. The 1st xv didn’t lose a single home
game in the 2013-14, 2011-12, or 2010-11 seasons but that’s not to
say Gavin doesn’t also have big plans for the future.
“We make no bones about it, we want to play Championship
rugby. I know some people may laugh at the idea, but we’re on
the right path and are slowly getting the right people in place to
achieve this goal.”
Gavin highlights his recent appointments of ex-premiership duo,
Ross Broadfoot and Aaron Liffchak, to his playing and coaching
team for the 2015-16 season, but says these are only the first of
several marquee signings planned for this spring. It’s a club and
a D of R with serious ambitions and is looking to attract players
and coaching staff of the highest calibre. “There’s no way on
earth we could have signed the likes of Ross and Aaron a couple
of years ago but we’re in a completely different position now
and are a team that’s very much on the up. We’re in a position
to sign pros at the very top of the game, which is precisely what
we need.”
One of Old Elthamians problems in recent years has been the
exodus of youth at the age of 18, something they have actively
put right. “When I took over good players at the age of 18 left