Craig Sorbie and Jamie Parker are looking forward to teaming up to coach the PROJECX Waterboys at the Hong Kong 10s next month.
The Waterboys team was initially started in 2012 with the aim of providing younger players, with a link to Scotland, the opportunity to visit the world’s largest tournaments.
The team this year is set to be filled with talent from the BT Premiership and beyond and the Waterboys are seeded eighth for the event which take place on April 5 and 6.
Craig and Jamie will be assisted by team manager James Robertson and physio Fiona Rob.
Craig, 32, started playing rugby at his local club Biggar when he was a youngster and went on to turn out for Watsonians when he moved to Edinburgh to study.
On the back of impressing with Watsonians on the Kings of the Sevens circuit he was involved in Scotland Sevens training squads and was picked up by several invitational squads.
He then played for GHA in Glasgow, but his playing days were cut short due to a second shoulder reconstruction.
“I had always been interested in coaching and would quite often get involved with coaching sessions during spells out through injury,” Craig explained.
“For a few years I was coaching school teams quickly progressed onto working with the Glasgow age-grade teams.
“A year after finishing at GHA I was asked to be head coach at the club and narrowly missed out on promotion to the BT Premiership after losing out in the play-off to Stirling County.
“I continued in this role for another year until my work commitments as head of rugby at Hutchesons’ Grammar School took priority.
“The sevens and 10s versions of the game have always excited me and the opportunity to learn more about this and work with some of the best players from the Scottish club game with the Waterboys is excellent experience and I am excited to see how far this journey can go.
“I was in Dubai at the end of last year with the Waterboys and the tournament in Hong Kong has always been on my radar as it is the only main invitational tournament I never managed to play at as a player.
“Alistair Munro is creating great opportunities for players and coaches alike.”
Jamie, 36, started playing rugby for local club Hawick then moved to Edinburgh and played for Edinburgh Accies for a year.
He then spent the rest of his playing career at Heriot’s where he is currently coaching. He has been part of the coaching team for the Scotland Club XV for the last three years.
“My career highlights would be cup and league wins both as a player and a coach with Hawick and Heriot’s,” Jamie, who is a lecturer at Edinburgh College, said.
“At Heriot’s I was asked to be S&C coach once I finished playing and from then just got more and more involved with the rugby coaching thanks to Phil Smith at the club. It’s also part of my Job as a Lecturer at Edinburgh College.
“I was involved with the Waterboys at the Stockholm 10s last year and for me it is a massive honour to be able to represent them in a coaching capacity.
“It allows me to develop my coaching through working with some of the best young players in the club game. And that is made all the better with the opportunity to see different parts of the world.”
As for the Hong Kong 10s event ahead, Craig said: “We have a very strong squad this year with players from all over the BT Premiership as well as a couple of very exciting young prospects.
“Several of the squad have been involved in the Club XV team this year or in the past. We have lots of pace, but with the right mix of physicality so we will look to play a high tempo controlled game. We have a couple of trick plays up our sleeves so hopefully everything comes to plan and we can challenge for more silverware out there.”
Jamie added: “I hope to see some entertaining rugby from our boys, try and keep the ball alive and moving.
“If we can generate some good front foot ball we have the players in both the forwards and the back to score tries. Most important thing is the boys enjoy it and play to the level they are capable of.”
The PROJECX Waterboys are in Pool A at the Hong Kong 10s with last year’s winners Penguins International, the Irish Vikings and the Devils Advocate Dragons.
Once again PROJECX, International Power and Water Investments, JA Resorts & Hotels, Ace Property Management , Sarcogent Solutions and Ethigen are supporting the team. They also have a range of new sponsors including Kyloe Restaurant (Signature Pubs), Orion Systems, St. Julians Advisory, 4 Navitas and Bureau.
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