After five fantastic years with the Rotterdam Student Rugby Club (RSRC), head coaches Michiel Snijders and Barro Kessler have decided to seek new rugby challenges at the end of the current season. As with everything over the past five years at RSRC, their departure is amicable and both coaches are actively involved in the search for their successors. The new coaches will have the opportunity to build upon the solid rugby foundation that has been laid under Michiel and Barro’s leadership.
When they took on their roles, Snijders and Kessler set the unique ambition of achieving a double promotion for RSRC 1XV from the 2nd Division to the Ereklasse, ensuring a home in the Ereklasse for talented Rotterdam and Dutch students. For RSRC 2XV, the goal was promotion from the 4th Division to the 3rd Division and to contend at the top of that league. Despite a pause due to the pandemic, both ambitions were realized and then some!
“What a fantastic story we have been able to write over the past nearly 5 years. From the 2nd Division directly to the Ereklasse, who could have imagined it! But perhaps even more importantly, we have been able to give Dutch talent a platform in the Ereklasse, which is increasingly dominated by foreign players.”
Michiel and Barro
RSRC 1XV is currently fighting to maintain its position in the Ereklasse, and Snijders and Kessler, together with the team and the board, are fully committed to securing this survival in the coming months. RSRC 2XV is currently contending for the championship in the 3rd Division, aiming for promotion to the 2nd Division. Combined with the impressive training numbers and a vibrant RSRC 3XV that fields 22 or more players every Sunday, the picture of a very healthy student rugby club emerges—one that has melded top-level rugby with the social aspects of student rugby into a cohesive unit.
“Student rugby is a fantastic platform for talent to develop and showcase itself. We hope that the next coach or coaches will build upon this and put their own spin on it! For us, it’s time to take on a new challenge, and we will be in discussions with clubs in the coming period to embark on a new adventure next season with the same passion and ambition.”
Michiel and Barro
Whoever succeeds Michiel and Barro will find a group of hungry, enthusiastic, and talented students eager to welcome them. The new coaches will be greeted warmly and will continue to aim for the highest possible goals for this ambitious, social, and lively student club!
The board is also proud of the recent years: “Of course, we are saddened that Michiel and Barro are leaving. They have helped us significantly raise the rugby quality at our club, and our ambitions have never been higher. Together with them, we have re-established RSRC prominently on the Rugby Netherlands map. The success we have achieved was beyond our wildest dreams, but Michiel and Barro made it possible, and we are deeply grateful to them. We will carry forward the ambition they instilled in us and look forward to the new challenges with our new coach.
Michiel and Barro will, of course, say their goodbyes to the players and the club in a fitting manner at the end of the season. Details of how and when this will happen will be communicated through our usual channels.