Glad to be back with St Just team

16 Feb 2024 | 3 min |

As many children do, Dave Beardon began playing rugby as a youngster because his big brother Justin did.

But unlike many of his peers, he used the game as an outlet after his dad died when Dave was aged just nine.

Dave said: “My big brother used to play, and I copied him, I guess! My mum used to take us and watch us every week.

“After my dad passed away, rugby was a good outlet for me. I enjoyed running into people and being able to channel my feelings into something positive.”

Then, diagnosed with blood cancer at 18, Dave stopped playing rugby, going through relentless chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, before moving to Cornwall to build a new life.

“After moving on my own to try and recover, I met my lovely girlfriend, Jade. She gave me a nudge to come and watch St Just and as soon as I did, I was hooked! I think she might regret it now as I’m playing every Saturday and am sore every Sunday!” he says.

“St Just is a lovely club. Everyone’s really good to each other. That’s what I missed when I was out of the game. I feel I’ve found a part of myself again. It’s given me my character and personality back – I lost myself but now I feel like I’ve got this part of me back.”

This weekend, Dave and his team St Just will take on Newquay Hornets and the game will be live streamed across England Rugby channels as part of the Play Together, Stay Together campaign.

With Chris Ashton and Joe Launchbury acting as assistant coaches, The Rugby Guy supporting on the sidelines and Dewi Morris commentating on the game, the clash of the Cornwall clubs promises to be a good one.