St Albans Centurions have announced their new head coach is Andy Champ.

Club secretary Tony Bottomley confirmed current Cambridge University head coach and London Broncos Under-19s assistant coach Champ will be taking over at the helm of the Cents from next month after he has taken his Cambridge University team to the Varsity Match against Oxford.

The Cents have been searching for a replacement for long time head coach Shane Rampling, who returned to his native Australia at the end of last season after nearly a decade with the Hertfordshire outfit.

Bottomley said: “We are extremely lucky to get a coach of Andy’s ability. His credentials speak for themselves. He played hooker for Hemel Stags and was a Scottish international.

“He has played rugby union and coached rugby league at Bedford Tigers, Cambridge University and Super League side London Broncos. He is recognised as an up and coming young coach.

“I went down to Wembley stadium to meet him and found that whilst we had been doing our homework about him, Andy had been doing his homework about us, and liked what he found.

“He was as keen to join the Cents as we were to have him. He believes there is a great deal of potential in our club, and wants to be part of it. I look forward to working with him in the future.”

Champ has wasted no time in preparing the squad for the new campaign, with pre-season training due to begin in February and all players being issued with training regimes ahead of the first session.