Carlisle rugby union club’s youth development officer Ross Cooke is leaving this weekend to continue his playing career in Europe.
He has done an excellent job in his time at Warwick Road, being well respected by the youth coaches at the club and in the schools where he established a fine working relationship.
The 29-year-old is moving to France with his partner Patience and will be playing for a club in the Carcassonne area.
A Polish international, Ross has been capped 15 times and is looking forward to the European Championship next year (February/March) when Poland will be battling to stay in the main group.
Talking to Cumbria Crack ahead of his departure he said: “It’s the level below the Six Nations and we were promoted into it this year to play the likes of Georgia, Romania, Spain and Portugal.
“We finished third in our group but after the play-offs finished eighth so there’s a bit of pressure on us for the 2024 Championship to stay in it.
“I have been playing at Tynedale and when we decided to move to France I found it difficult to find a club because of restrictions on overseas players their competitions have.
“So although I have found a team in Carcassonne to play with it’s not as high a level as I was looking for.
“We are busy sorting out visas and permits, which isn’t as easy now since the UK left the EU. Patience had worked in the labs at the Cumberland Infirmary for five years so she’s also hoping to find work there.”
So how does Lincoln-bred Ross Cooke end up playing for Poland in the European Championship?
His mother’s father came across from Poland to the UK during the second World War and ended up in Cleethorpes where he began working on farms in Lincolnshire and met his grandma.
He says: “I was lucky to get to know my grandad and his story and he was a great man. He sadly passed away in 2018 aged 96, but I know he would be very proud of me representing Poland and I think of him every time I am on international duty.”
Ross’ first contact with the Polish rugby system came when he had just turned 18 and he went out to have a trial with the under-20s national side and his grandfather was especially proud when he came back with a Polish shirt.
But it wasn’t until January of 2019 that Ross got in touch with the full national team coaching staff, after which things started moving very quickly.
He had played briefly at Kelso and was then at Gala., also acting as youth development officer, and by March he had made his full debut at home to Switzerland.
A second cap for Ross followed at home to Germany in a 35-15 defeat and the third appearance followed in a 23-20 away win against Switzerland.,
Since then he’s accumulated 15 caps and is among almost a dozen Brits who are representing Poland through their heritage.
“About half the squad are Poles and we also have had an Australian and South African playing for us. International involvement is something I enjoy very much and I’m particularly looking forward to the Championship games.”
Ross started his rugby journey at the age of five at local club Lincoln RFC and played there right through the different age-grades until he managed to play a season in the senior first XV in his late teens.
At that stage Ross was a scrum-half and then he moved away to university in Gloucester.
Whilst there he made his way from the second XV into the first XV and was lucky enough to play in four Varsity matches against Worcester.
“I loved my time playing at university and during that time I moved back in the backline and played stand-off, full-back and centre,” he said.
“It was a good standard of rugby and we were a close-knit squad so that helped build strong friendships whilst studying sports science.
“Whilst at uni I also played for clubs like Old Richians, Nuneaton and Old Patesians and I think being exposed to those different environments and levels helped me improve as a player.
“I then broke my leg in my last ever match for the university and, after a recovery period, joined Maidstone in Kent. Whilst I was at Maidstone I got an offer to join Kelso to assist their development officer, so I moved up to the Borders ahead of the 2017/18 season.”
Whilst working for Kelso, Ross was also playing for the Poydner Park outfit and then in the summer of 2018 he moved onto Gala to be a development officer at Netherdale.
He took on the role of youth development officer at Carlisle last May and says he has enjoyed his time with the club.
“It’s been different to the job at Gala in that the kids there wanted to play rugby first and if it didn’t work out they went into football. There was only one school I worked in and as I result I got to know all the kids.
“Carlisle is much, much bigger and rugby union isn’t the first sport as it were. There are seven High Schools to get involved in, so the challenge has been different. But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and have had some great support from officials and coaches at the club.
“People like Bill and Sue Glendinning have been particularly supportive, along with many others, and I hope that my role is continued.”
Early indications are that Carlisle won’t replace Ross as their YDO although it was an appointment that was widely commended throughout the North – described as “a brilliant decision” by other clubs.
Carlisle has seen an increase in players across the various age groups and although Ross Cooke has not been responsible for all of that, his work and profile has been recognised and applauded.
