Kyle Hatherell on London life and upcoming fixture against Chinnor

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.”