2019 Sports Dinner
2019 Sports Dinner
Willi Heinz was born in (1986-11-24)New Zealand. He played school rugby at Burnside High School and represented the 1st XV rugby team for four seasons, which is a record for the school. He went on to play Super Rugby for the Crusaders who he Captained in 2014. Willi joined the English Premiership with Gloucester Rugby in 2015–16 season and made an immediate impact with his tenacity and quality on the ball.
In May 2017 he was invited to a training camp with the senior England squad by Eddie Jones. Willi Heinz qualifies to represent England through his grandmother.
In August 2019 he was selected as the starting scrum-half and vice-captain for England’s first summer international against Wales. Only one day after his international debut, Heinz was named in the England 31-man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Willi went to play in all 5 matches at the World Cup which included the stunning semi-final win over New Zealand. Unfortunately, Willi suffered a hamstring injury in the semi-final which cruelly denied him the opportunity to be a member of the England squad who played South Africa in the Final.
Captains:
1stX1 Millie Freeman & Anna Hamilton
2X1 Florrie P-Stow
1stXV Nathan Williams
2ndXV Owen O’Brien
100 pupils and staff attended this year’s dinner and following an excellent three course meal the senior Captains were invited to give their reviews of their seasons -1stX1 Millie Freeman & Anna Hamilton, 2X1 Florrie Philipson -Stow, 1stXV Nathan Williams and 2ndXV Owen O’Brien. Mr Phillips, Director of Sport then thanked the members of the PE department for all their hard work and all spoke of those who make vital contributions to the successful delivery of a very busy games programme.
Mr Willi Heinz, England and Gloucester rugby player and our special guest then participated in a Q & A that the pupils had sent him prior to the evening as well as taking questions from the floor. He gave a fascinating insight into the demands of playing rugby at the elite level and his experiences at the recent World Cup. He also gave the pupils great advice on how to progress in their chosen sports ‘be coachable, be prepared to make sacrifices – work ethic and be resilient’.
The evening concluded with some fun games between three teams – 4th/5th form, sixth form and staff. There was a lot to play for this year, in fact ‘The Christmas Globe’ and after some highly competitive games that tested cardiovascular endurance, hand and eye co-ordination and teamwork the staff team of Mrs Pugh, Miss Pike, Mr Maisey and Mr Vickery triumphed.
This was followed by presentation of awards from Mr James - Head of Girls’ hockey and Mr Barr – Head of Rugby:
Hockey:
1stXI Player of the Year – Millie Freeman
2ndX1 Player of the Year – Florrie Philipson-Stow
Most Promising Player – Claudia Leweson Jones
Most Improved Player – Samantha Wilkins
Rugby:
1stXV Player of the Year – Nathan Williams
2ndXV Player of the Year – Ben Day
Most Improved Player – Adam Jensen
Most Promising Player – Django Jones
Mr Phillips closed the proceedings by congratulating all the pupils who have represented the school at senior level and wished Miss Pike, Head of Netball and Mr Robson, Head of Boy’s Hockey every success for next term.
