Carl Rimmer brings his skills to Albion
Former Exeter Chiefs prop Carl Rimmer, who played more than 100 games for the Premiership club, will bring years of rugby experience with him as he joins the new coaching line-up at Plymouth Albion.
New head coach Ben Gulliver has strengthened the backroom team with the appointment of a series new coaches – Carl and his Exeter Chiefs teammate, Gareth Steenson, are the first to be announced. Gareth will coach the backs while continuing to play for the Chiefs and Carl will be in charge of scrums and forward play.
Carl, who joined Exeter from the Cornish Pirates in 2012, was forced to retire suddenly from the game last year after suffering a stroke during training. The 32-year-old had a nick in his artery during contact in a January game against Newcastle and collapsed two days later during training.
Carl admits it’s been a difficult year. Having started playing rugby at the age of seven, it’s been hard to leave the playing side behind, he says.
“It’s been tough. I’ve been one of the lucky ones to play top-flight rugby and I’m proud to have been at Exeter at the period I was. It’s true that you don’t realise what you have until it’s gone. But I’ve been coaching part-time at Bridgwater and I’m pleased to be joining Albion. Ben will use me as he sees fit and it will definitely broaden my horizons.”
Ben and Carl actually grew up a few streets apart in Coventry and they kept in touch when they moved on.
“What Ben has done at Albion in the first couple of weeks is great,” says Carl. “He’s reaching out and asking for help when a lot of coaches you see want to have control of everything. You get coaches who will say ‘it’s my way or the highway’ but not Ben.
“It all looks very positive. Albion are a great team. When we were up against them, we always used to say ‘Oh God. It’s Plymouth this week!’”
Ben Gulliver says Carl will be bringing his experience to Albion to help develop the team.
“I’m building a group of people around me I trust who will support me. Carl’s knowledge and playing experience will help improve the skills of Albion players.”
IMAGE CREDITS: Exeter Chiefs / JMP
