Bedford Blues announces new forwards coach

Bedford Blues are delighted to announce the arrival of highly experienced former hooker, Tom Cruse as the club’s new Forwards Coach from the upcoming 2024/25 Championship season.

The 35-year-old – who announced his retirement from professional rugby earlier this month – will take his first steps into full-time coaching at Goldington Road and joins following an illustrious playing career, including a nine-year stint in the Premiership.

Speaking about his impending arrival, Cruse said: “Bedford are a big, traditional club and I’m very fortunate to have this opportunity.

“It’s one I feel very privileged about, there’s a few familiar faces at the club – one of those being Michael Le Bourgeois from my time at Wasps.

“It’s a really exciting challenge for me as I begin my coaching career, in a league that’s highly competitive. I’m a massive advocate of the Championship, it’s a great place to help talent grow, and I’m eager to put my stamp on things to aid that.”

Cruse spent last season twinning playing at Northampton Saints with coaching opportunities – most notably being part of the Chinnor set-up which secured promotion to the Championship this term.

“When I met Mike Rayer to talk about coming on board at Bedford, he spoke a lot about development; and that’s not just the players, but the coaches as well,” Cruse added.

“This being my first full-time coaching role, it was important to find the right fit. I’ve done a lot of coaching already in my journey, but that was whilst still playing, and it was that chance of development that really stuck out for me.

“Knowing how James Craig and Jake Sharp developed here is a great example and they’ve both been brilliant for advice going through this transition and preparing to join Bedford.”

In terms of his playing career, Cruse began at his local club Stockport, before impressing at Macclesfield to earn a shot in the Championship with Rotherham Titans.

He spent two campaigns in the second-tier at Clifton Lane, part of a Titans team which finished in the Top Four on both occasions, and was named in the Championship Dream Team prior to his move to the top-flight; firstly with London Irish.

His real breakthrough came at Wasps, making 114 appearances and scoring 21 tries across six seasons – appearing in two Premiership Finals, a European Semi-Final and winning Players’ Player of the Year along the way.

Following the sad demise of the club, Cruse found himself at Edinburgh alongside a spell with the world famous, Barbarians, before spending the last 18 months with Northampton Saints.

Throughout his career, Cruse has worked with a variety of different characters and personalities, and hopes to implement that learning to mould himself into a top-quality coach at Bedford.

He continued: “I’m very relationship based in my coaching. It’s important to be approachable and that the players feel they can come and speak to you if there’s something on their mind.

“I’ve played under some great coaches and with some great players, so I think I’ve been able to assess what works and what doesn’t. I’m excited to put all that learning into practice with Bedford as I try to help the club achieve its ambitions.”