Bedford Blues prop Ben Cooper to return to boyhood club Bury St Edmunds RUFC with National League 2 South title hopes
The Wolfpack’s RFU Championship signing Ben Cooper has long dreamed of returning to his boyhood club in Bury St Edmunds – and the time has come, he is back and with National League 1 on his mind.
The 29-year-old Bedford Blues prop runs out of contract at the end of the season, having played 110 professional games in their front row, and has opted to sign for the National League 2 South side, but he is aiming high.
The former King Edward VI School pupil is no stranger to silverware at The Haberden, having been a part of creating club folklore in winning the National Colts Cup in 2007.
It ultimately led to him earning a place at a higher-league club – Cambridge RUFC – and, for the next 12 years, he has been playing professionally in the Championship.
Cooper was also part of the promotion-winning London Welsh side and played 24 matches at Premiership level.
“I was always going to come back to the club,” he said.
“But I wouldn’t be coming back this soon if there weren’t something going on within the club that looks good.
“I’m coming back to win a league and to push Bury to the third tier of English rugby and see where it takes us. We have nothing to lose and everything is built for that standard of rugby; it’s just a matter of time. With what we’re building for next year, I do honestly believe promotion is a must.
“I think we’ll underachieve if we don’t get promoted.
“There are a lot of boys who can play higher and so it’s about building on that and developing them so they make the right decisions.”
Head coach Nick Wakley said Cooper’s decision to return, despite having at least five potential years remaining in top flight rugby, was ‘massive’ for the future prospects of the club.
He believes Cooper’s homecoming will produce a domino-effect which will soon attract other high quality players, as they continue to build-up a reputation as a club with ambition.
Wakley is working on boosting a relationship with the Blues, to build on this pathway for players, having known their boss Mike Rayer since he was a Cardiff youth player.
He sees Cooper as a perfect fit for the squad, able to continue to play at a high standard while also working on his coaching skills for after his playing days.
He said: “I’m over the moon, it’s fantastic. He has a wealth of experience from playing at the top level – he already has the respect of the team too, which is half the battle of coaching.
“He’s a local lad as well,so the boys are really receptive to him – and he’s still a formidable threat in terms of his playing too. He’s a double threat for us. I’m very excited to have him on board.”
Cooper added: “I knew there was a coaching opportunity here at my home club, then the opportunity came around to play for Bury next season, which has crossed my mind for many years.
“The club is moving forward at a rate of knots and I wanted to be a part of that, whether it’s on or off the pitch. It was too good an opportunity not to take.”
He took on the coaching role six weeks ago, and Wakley thinks the squad have already benefitted from his experience.
The club – in 8th position in the league – are away to Worthing (10th) on Saturday (3pm) after a slip week.
Wakley wants to see the team put in a similar effort to their last outing, a narrow 24-22 home loss to high-flying Taunton Titans.
“They’re a different side to a lot in this league,” he added. “They have a little more back threat, so it’s one where we’re going to want set piece dominance and put them under pressure with our line speed and aggression.”
