EVEN during his own distinguished playing days, Aaron Jarvis was always keen to develop his rugby education. These days, the former Wales hooker is passing on his experience to youngsters keen to follow a similar path.
In his role as head of rugby at Ivybridge Community College and forwards coach at National League outfit Plymouth Albion, the 38-year-old wants to help forge the futures of aspiring young players.
“I’ve always enjoyed coaching,” he says. “It started initially when I was at Bath, I did my Level 2 when I was there and it just grew from there. It wasn’t until I was at the Dragons, near the end of my career, that I really knew it was something I wanted to pursue.”
When the 18-capped forward decided to hang up his boots in 2021, the perfect opportunity arose for him as he joined the Dallas Jackals in the MLR as an assistant coach. After an ‘amazing learning experience’ across the Atlantic, Jarvis has teamed up with former Eng a gland fly-half Ryan Lamb at Plymouth Albion.
“Lamby and I go back years, we played together in the same England age groups side,” said Jarvis. “Teaming up with him and Salts (Jamie Salter), we’ve got a great set-up, all of us thinking the same way, and we’ve put together a great bunch at Plymouth.
“We’re lucky we’ve got quite a few local lads in the side, but all of them are keen to learn and develop and that makes our job a lot easier.” With National
One growing more competitive year on year, Jarvis says watching from the sidelines comes with its own frustrations, particularly when the going gets tough in matches.
“When you’re a player, you feel you can make a real difference,” he says. “As a coach, you can put all the work in at training, give the guys the plan of what you want, but then it is down to them.”
It’s a challenge that Jarvis relishes especially with his added responsibility of overseeing the young talent at Ivybridge, whose alumni include Dave Ewers, Ben Moon, Ben Spencer and the Simmonds brothers, Joe and Sam.
“We’ve got huge potential within the school currently,” he added. “Last season we got to a cup final at Twickenham; we’ve got 11 boys in the Exeter Chiefs U17s set-up plus we’re really challenging against some of those more established private schools.
“The standards are rising all the time. If I can get one or two boys to play Premiership rugby from this current group I would be chuffed to bits, but I would be just as happy if the other nine or 10 ended up playing in the National Leagues. It’s all about creating an environment in which these young players can grow and develop.”
