THE coach who guided Hereford Rugby Club into National 3 Midlands is leaving after seven years in charge.

First-team coach Mike Stubbs has resigned in the wake of Hereford’s Midlands 2 promotion play-off win at Scunthorpe.

Stubbs, who lives in Cheltenham, wants to spend more time with his wife and two young children.

He has just been promoted to second-in-charge of PE at the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School.

“Leaving Hereford Rugby Club is going to be a big loss for me and it’s hard because I feel I am letting people down,” said Stubbs.

“It’s heartbreaking because I have invested so much time into it. But my priority is my family and my job - and my pleasure has been Hereford Rugby Club. Due to a combination of things, I don’t think I can give 100% to the players. If you can’t give that, then it’s not fair on them. The players deserve at least 100% commitment.”

Stubbs joined Hereford from Worcester Under-19s towards the end of the 2002 season.

“I had a nice little number at Worcester but Guy Griffiths asked me why I didn’t come to Hereford, where I was teaching, and put something into rugby locally,” said Stubbs, who has been a popular figure at Wyeside.

“It made sense because I had been involved at Hereford before, a long time ago, and I have not ruled out going back at some stage in the future.”

Hereford were relegated from Midlands 1 in 2002 and then suffered an exodus of players.

“The first two years were cruel,” said Stubbs. “When I arrived at the club, it felt like it was at the end of its life. A lot of players went to Luctonians and others retired.”

But Stubbs said the club showed tremendous spirit to bounce back.

“It’s been a collective thing - we have been fortunate to get great coaches. No person is bigger than the club. There have been ups and downs but the last five years have all been ups. I think I have done a good job at Hereford with great support and great people around me.”

Stubbs, a former Lydney player and assistant coach, praised the Hereford captains who had played for him.

“I have had five fantastic captains in Andrew Johnson, Wilf Rees, Jerry Grisman, Ceiron Griffiths and Matthew Pritchard. They have each given 100%.”

He added: “Guy Griffiths has been brilliant as chairman and has supported me throughout. Peter Archer, Nick Vaughan and John Watkins have also been fantastic and given me tremendous support. What we have done together has been a magnificent achievement.”

Club chairman Guy Griffiths said he was very grateful to Stubbs and proud of the coach’s achievements.

"Mike joined the club towards the end of the 2002 season and it was a new start for the club because we had just one team at that time.

"We had a difficult three years but I never looked at the results because I knew we were going about things the right way.

"We now have four teams for the first time in 25 years and Mike has told me he is leaving with a very heavy heart.

"On the positive side, we have won promotion and we have got to look to consolidate our place. It's going to be tough but the players have got to step up."

Hereford now want to appoint a senior coaching co-ordinator and team coaches.

They also need a new first-team manager to replace Colin Preece who is stepping down after seven years.

Anyone interested in the roles should contact Guy Griffiths on 01432 268906 or 077900 22665 or e-mail: guy.griffiths1@btinternet.com