HARTPURY centre Ollie Allsopp has spoken of his delight at returning to the club where he first experienced competitive university rugby, praising the togetherness and ambition that helped the Gloucestershire side reach last season's Championship play-offs.

The midfielder returned to Hartpury last year following a spell with Birmingham Moseley, almost a decade after representing the university during its inaugural BUCS campaign, when the team defeated Exeter in the final.

His original university side was captained by Seb Negri, and Allsopp remembers their BUCS final triumph as an important milestone. He hopes the current squad can rediscover the resilience that carried them through narrow victories last season, despite facing demanding Championship opposition.

Despite a challenging opening to the new season, including defeats against Doncaster Knights and Ampthill, Allsopp remains enthusiastic about Hartpury's prospects and the environment established within the squad.

He said: “When I turned up day one of pre-season, the one thing I realised was that Hartpury has a really good culture and togetherness.

“I find a lot of the players are not just at Hartpury but they are mates off the field. Last year we had a lot of really close games where we would either win it on the last play or grind out a win.”

Allsopp, who established himself in the number 12 shirt last season, admitted adapting to Hartpury's demanding training schedule initially proved difficult.

Players attend meetings at 6.15am before training between 7am and 8am, requiring Allsopp to leave his Worcester home particularly early.

He explained: “Within 40 minutes of waking up, you’re out on the pitch training, so it’s getting your body used to that.

“It was a big difference but you just have to be disciplined with it. I go to bed about half past eight to make sure I get to as close as eight hours’ sleep.”

Away from playing, Allsopp has developed his coaching career, working at Hereford Cathedral School and helping develop backs within Gloucester Rugby's under-17 academy.

He believes these responsibilities have improved his understanding of rugby and encouraged him to approach matches from a different perspective.

“A lot of the time people think that playing and coaching is very similar and that anyone can step into coaching, but they are very different,” he said.

“I think the coaching has helped my playing side. It makes you think about the game differently.”

Having enjoyed cricket, tennis and football during his childhood, Allsopp also believes young athletes benefit considerably from participating in multiple sports rather than concentrating exclusively on rugby.

He credits those experiences with developing the passing, kicking and handling abilities that have become important features of his game.

Looking ahead, Allsopp believes Hartpury's technical ability and fitness can help compensate for the greater physical resources available to some Championship opponents.

Working alongside experienced coaches including Ashley Johnson, Matt Banahan and Ryan Bower has strengthened his appreciation of the attacking philosophy Hartpury are seeking to establish.

He said: “We want to try and play that expansive style, rugby that is fun to watch. We are probably not the biggest and heaviest so we look to see if we could be the fittest and the fastest.”

For Allsopp, returning to Hartpury has provided an opportunity to demonstrate his development while contributing to a club whose culture continues to impress him.