URC Origin Round: The wandering career of Rory Jennings

When it comes to his rugby journey, Rory Jennings has a longer tale to tell than most.

It’s fair to say he’s had something of a wandering career - one that has taken in spells at Bath, Jersey, London Scottish, Ealing, Rotherham, Coventry, Clermont Auvergne, London Irish and Newcastle.

Now he’s at Cardiff Rugby and having his first experience of the BKT URC, with a trip to Dublin to take on unbeaten league leaders Leinster Rugby coming up this weekend.

Reflecting on his path up to this point, the 29-year-old centre says: 

“My rugby career has been here, there and everywhere, playing for a few different clubs.”

Born in Oxford, he attended Bryanston School in Dorset, an academic establishment which has produced a number of rugby internationals over the years, including the likes of Charlie Ewels, Phil de Glanville, Henry Pyrgos and Ollie Devoto.

“My old man was in the army, so we moved around a little bit and then settled down south,” he explains.

As a youngster, Jennings played his rugby at fly-half, so the identity of his sporting hero doesn’t come as too big a surprise.

“Early on, I wouldn’t look too far past Johnny Wilkinson,” he says.

“It’s pretty classic for someone my age. I remember the 2003 World Cup pretty clearly.”

Jennings’ obvious talent led to him being picked up by Bath and then capped by England at age-grade level, which saw him play a pivotal role at No 10 in the U20s finishing runners-up in the 2015 World Championship out in Italy, going down to New Zealand in the final.

Then came the wandering, amid a variety of loan deals and permanent moves, as he switched back and fore between fly-half and inside centre.

In 2020, he headed out to France to play for Clermont Auvergne for a year which was something of a surreal experience.

“I loved it out there, but it was a bit odd because it was during Covid and in that period where you were without crowds.

“Usually when you go to Stade Michelin, it’s all about the crowd. But it was still a really cool experience. It’s a great country to play rugby in. They absolutely love it.”

Next came a couple of seasons at London Irish, where he figured regularly before the club collapsed in the summer of 2023.

“It was a shame to see them go under like that.

“It’s obviously tough for anyone losing your job. Luckily, I was only out of work for a few weeks.

“I think most of the guys managed to pick up jobs quite quickly.”

For Jennings, that meant joining Newcastle where he spent last season, making 18 appearances, before moving to Cardiff.

Explaining how he has ended up in the Welsh capital, he says: “I first met Jockey (Matt Sherratt) a while back when I was at London Irish.

“He came in for a day. I met him there, so I guess that’s when the connection started.

“Then, half way through last year, there was some contact. I had seen a few of Cardiff’s games and the way they played and spoken to Jockey, so I jumped at the opportunity.”

Things didn’t start too well for Jennings as he suffered ankle ligament damage on his debut in a pre-season game against Ealing, consigning him to some seven weeks on the sidelines.

He eventually made his competitive debut in the BKT URC clash with Edinburgh in mid-October and has now been involved for eight games on the trot, starting the last four at No 12. In the narrow defeat to Connacht a fortnight ago, he provided assists for a couple of tries, showing the passing ability of a converted fly-half.

“After the injury early on, I am enjoying getting back into it and getting a run of games,” he said.

“The Arms Park is a great place to play rugby. We’ve got a great young squad and a good coaching team.

“There are some cracking players here and some seriously good talent coming through. It’s a case of competing with them and also using the experience I have gathered along the way to help them and help the team win.

“It’s a good environment and I am really enjoying it here. It’s refreshing and an exciting place to be.”