He
has been a member of the South West of England Rugby Academy (SWERA) and also
played for the strong Truro College side.
Born
in Bristol, his father is Cornish and his mum Welsh, the family moving to Cornwall
when Sam was two. He lived at Veryan, attending the village Primary School before
moving to the Roseland School and then Truro College.
Sam's
first played rugby for Truro minis at U8s and U9s level, but he then packed up
the game and played football for Veryan as an enthusiastic 'striker'. Aged 15,
he took up rugby again, playing in the juniors and then the colts.
His
debut for Truro 1st. XV came when he was 18, a tough baptism in a cup match against
Redruth., and a week later he played for the city side in a league game against
the 'Cherry & Whites' of Camborne. Owen Hambly, a good friend, also played
for Truro at the time.
Rugby
is certainly in Sam's blood, his Welsh grandfather Gordon Stanley played the game,
whilst father John is a former Truro centre/wing.
Sam's
starting debut for the Cornish Pirates was in our first ever match played at Kenwyn,
him the only member of our side who would have played there previously during
his Truro days. That match in September, 2005, was against Earth Titans, the Pirates
winning 43-13 with wing Richard Welding crossing for five tries.
A
most memorable moment? No hesitation, playing our home match against Harlequins
in March, 2006. Yes, we lost the game (29-8), but to oppose the likes of Andre
Vos, Will Greenwood and Andrew Mehrtens speaks for itself. At the end of that
season Sam deservedly won the club's award for the 'Most Improved Player'.
Having
tasted the experience of playing at National One level, it has surely whetted
Sam's appetite to keep improving and realise his ambition of playing regularly
at as high a level as possible. We wish him well.
