Inside centre Jordan Holgate talks through scoring tries and previews Bedford clash 

In last weekend’s outing against Hartpury, inside centre Holgate scored two tries in the final pre-season game.

He has cemented his place in the starting XV ahead of Trailfinders’ Round One clash against Bedford in the Champ.

“I’m not sure the tries that I scored were just my doing,” Holgate said on his double score at Hartpury.

“I think the boys put us on the front foot in that match. The forwards got us all the way down into the 22 and I was lucky enough to get on the end of a few nice moves, so I’ll take them as they come, and hopefully we can continue that going into the season with a tricky start against Bedford.”

Last season, Bedford came second in the league.

“I think Bedford’s known for the attacking styles of rugby over the last couple of years,” Holgate said.

“But especially last year, I think they narrowed it down and found their strengths and found their forward pack and came with more of a game plan and were more of a set piece dominant side and competed there most games, which showed the threat they are when they actually get those things working.

“We expect for them throw everything at us but we’ll be ready.”

Ealing Trailfinders vs Bedford at Trailfinders Sports Club, April 2025

This weekend, there are four debutants in Trailfinders colours: Conor Oliver as skipper, Kyle Hatherell, Rory Scannell, and Sam Edwards.

Holgate commented on the value the debutants will add to the matchday squad.

“I think they’ve been been hugely instrumental in our preseason. They are big leaders. They’ve come from from big clubs and have a lot of experience, especially with Conor, Rory, and Kyle coming from big teams.

“I’m excited to see how Sammy goes as well on the bench. So yeah, very excited to see how they go. They’ve been putting in the hard work for preseason.”

This weekend will be the Club’s first Saturday afternoon kick-off since starting the season. Holgate discussed his pre-game preparation ahead of the Saturday afternoon game.

“I think it’s about getting the morning right. You don’t want to peak too early. I think it’s quite tricky but we’ve got a great team around us to help us with managing that. With preseason, we had a lot of Friday night kickoffs, which leaves you the whole day to get prepared.

“Now that we’re back to the three or four o’clock kickoffs, I think that will become more of a routine and we can actually get some structure going into our day ahead of those timings.”

Originally from South Africa, Holgate has immersed himself in the buzz of London life.

“I love how busy it is and the city kind of life,” Holgate said.

“I’ve basically been near the beach for a lot of my life as I’m from Cape Town and I lived in Jersey for a couple years, which was awesome.

“So it was definitely a culture shock coming to London, but I’m slowly getting into that.

“I’m enjoying my football a lot more now. I’ve been Brentford as I live next to their stadium so I’ve been supporting them, and been watching a few games with my partner from Australia. It’s been good to get into that and see a different sport and different profession, which has been pretty cool.”

With a diverse contingent of players at the club including Englishmen, Scots, Irishmen, and South Africans, Holgate commented on how the Club is a home away from home.

“There are loads of Saffas in London and I guess all over the world. Wherever you go, you’ll always find a South African or an Irishman.”

“We’ve had a braai pretty much every weekend. It feels like I’m not too far from home.

“Lamb chops are always my choice for a braai. We need to get some more in the diary with the team. And we’ve got a lot of Scottish guys at the Club now so we’ll have to expand to having some haggis.”

Back row Kyle Hatherell talks London life and the anticipation for a physical battle against Chinnor. 

Experienced back rower Hatherell signed for the Club ahead of the 2025/26. Born in South Africa, Hatherall grew up watching northern hemisphere rugby.

After playing his age-grade rugby with the Sharks in Durban, he has played at several northern hemisphere clubs in his adult career including Worcester Warriors, La Rochelle, and Leicester Tigers.

Hatherell can move between lock and back row but starts at eight in the first pre-season fixture against Chinnor.

“I’m really excited for this fixture,” Hatherell said.

“Pre-season has been tough. The standard of training has been really high, which I’ve enjoyed. Everyone’s working hard.

“There have been lot of long, hard training days, but it’s all building up so you can play rugby. To get an opportunity to play in the first game is great.”

 

“I don’t think you can ever simulate match fitness by not actually playing a game, but we’ve been working hard on and off the pitch.”

2025/26 is the second season that Chinnor are included in Champ Rugby. Hatherell is looking forward to a physical battle upfront on Friday night.

“I’d say most teams, especially from a forwards point of view, always want to be physical.

“We’re expecting some big collisions, which I quite enjoy. I think they’ll just be up for it just like we will. Chinnor have also been working hard, waiting for these days to come where we can actually play rugby.

“I’ve enjoyed the training and the environment so far so I’m looking to getting stuck in.”

Having relocated to west London from the East Midlands ahead of this season, as a coffee fanatic, Hatherell has been enjoying the diverse food and drink culture that London has to offer.

“I’ve moved around a fair bit with rugby but it’s been good. I’m enjoying London,” Hatherell said. “The setup at Ealing is really good as well.

“I like to branch out and try new places, but I wouldn’t really say that I’ve found a go-to coffee place yet. Especially having so many different places to explore. At the moment, I’m just picking a part of London, make my way there, and then find a good coffee shop.”

Whilst a coffee crawl is on his to-do list during his time-off from training, Hatherell has some places in mind to explore across the city.

“I have a list of all these viral places that I’d like to go to, and then on our days off, pick one and and see if it’s close enough.”

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