Ansbro keen to make his mark

It’s not often we get to celebrate a new international name from the Lancashire stable, far less one who plays in the blue shirt of Scotland!

Leading out the Stonyhurst 1st XV.
Picture courtesy Stonyhurst College

For this quiet spoken young man, hailing from Dumfries and Galloway in the Scottish borders, it would seem natural that he would play for the country of his birth. Fate however, sent him to the red and white of Lancashire, through his schooling at Stonyhurst College, deep in the Ribble Valley.

His rugby abilities came to the fore during his time there, and he was selected to play at county Under 16s and Under 18s; from where he was selected for the North of England, in a squad alongside Sale Sharks’ Matthew Tait, Scott Armstrong of Leeds Carnegie, and captain Rob Webber, now hooker at Wasps.

It was while he was at university studying at Cambridge that he continued to play, with two Varsity match appearances, as well as a place in their side against the touring Samoans of 2005. It wasn’t his greatest moment, being knocked out after 30 minutes, but nonetheless, he earned himself some good reviews among watching scouts.

On tour with Stonyhurst in Australia, 2004
Picture courtesy Stonyhurst College

“I didn’t really think that I’d get into professional rugby. I never thought ‘Oh, I’ll wait for three years and then go back to it’. I had pretty much thought it was curtains as far as professional rugby was concerned.”

As far as international recognition goes, Ansbro was selected for Scotland A squad to play at the 2009 IRB Nations Cup. A hip injury against Uruguay put him out of the final match of that tournament, and it wasn’t until October 2010 that further international recognition came his way; a place in the Scotland A side against the USA Eagles that was ultimately aborted for what would become his greatest achievement so far – a call up to the full Scotland squad for the Autumn international series.

His debut against the South Africans on 20 November 2010 was a proud moment for the Saints back, never having expected the call.

“I didn’t expect it” was all he could say about a moment that has changed his standing in the game!

“I had lost alot of momentum when I went back to Northampton (after the Nations Cup), and didn’t play much club rugby. This year, although I’ve playing alot from the bench, I feel that I’ve been playing alot better.”

“To get the call was nice, but to play was something that I would never have imagined.”

His recent appearances for Northampton Saints have seen him gather more game time, where has taken his chance after an injury to team mate Chris Ashton. Best known as a utility back, he has started at outside centre and on both wings this season at Franklin’s Gardens.

It’s an exciting time at Northampton right now; a great position in the Aviva Premiership, the first side through to the Heineken Cup quarter finals, and winners of the 2010 LV Cup. Ansbro is keen to make his mark even further at his club, and being named Man of the Match in last week’s Heineken Cup match at Castres is also a great recognition of his regular first team starts.

Now that he has been included in the Scottish Six Nations squad, he will be looking to add to his two caps, and cement a place on the flight to New Zealand for Rugby World Cup.

Preston North End announce Phil Brown as new manager



Brown wants "to put smiles back on faces"

Preston North End have unveiled former Hull City boss Phil Brown as their new manager.

He takes charge at the club following the sacking of Darren Ferguson on New Year’s Eve.

The 51 year old has taken training with the players this morning, and will be in charge for the next match, the FA Cup Third Round match at Deepdale against Former boss Billy Davies’ Nottingham Forest.

“I’m more than excited to be here. We are trying to get the club out of the situation they are in, with 22 games to do it in.”

Brown takes charge at a time when Preston are rooted to the bottom of the Championship, having lost their last three matches, including the relegation dogfight at Crystal Palace on 3^rd January. That result has left the Lilywhites four points behind second-bottom Scunthorpe, and seven behind fourth-bottom Sheffield United.

The new management team at their first press conference

Alongside Brown was his assistant, Brian Horton, a man who has been in football management for almost 30 years, with Manchester City among his former clubs. He was equally positive about the challenge ahead.

“We’ve seen the players today, and we like what we’ve seen so far”

When asked about the prospects of climbing to safety, he was as positive as the new manager: “Seven points is nothing, there are 66 points to play for”.

Between them, they are looking at a target of winning half of their remaining games, which should see the side remain in the Championship come the end of the season.

Caretaker manager David Unsworth and his assistant Jamie Hoyland have been asked to stay on to work with the new management team, but as yet, there are no firm commitments.

One main concern is the current size of the squad, made threadbare through the return of five loanees to Manchester United and Stoke City, as well as the loss of talismanic striker Jon Parkin to Cardiff City.

When asked about the opportunities for new signings, Brown said: “Assurances have been given, and we have five or six places to fill, so we need to have the conversations with the owner and chairman.”