We can confirm that the Midlands Hurricanes has agreed to release prop Sam Bowring from the remainder of his contract so he can pursue an opportunity with fellow Championship outfit Salford RLFC.
Bowser, 34, first joined the club in 2021 during its last season as Coventry Bears (and at the Butts Park Arena). He had previous experience at League One level with Newcastle Thunder in 2014 and 2015 before returning to the community game between 2016-2019 and signing with Championship outfit Batley Bulldogs in 2020 before the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He would juggle his rugby career alongside his full-time jobs as the U18 Lead Performance Coach for Wolverhampton Wanderers (2021) and Head of Sports Science at Doncaster Rovers (2022-2024), which would understandably limit his game time opportunities mostly to weekends where neither Wolves nor Doncaster were also in action. Notwithstanding that, Sam would regularly feature when available and proved popular with the fans, being sponsored by the Supporters Club since 2022 and winning the 2023 Supporters Club Player of the Year award.
He would also make his first appearance for Wales that year, in an uncapped game v Cumbria for Kyle Amor’s testimonial fixture, before going on to earn his first, second and third official caps for Wales a year later in a friendly v Jamaica, as well as in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Serbia and France.
He had an unfortunate 2025 season, suffering a near-season-ending injury during our 1895 Cup First Preliminary Round win over Whitehaven before returning for our last game of the season over Newcastle Thunder at The Alexander Stadium where he would score a try. He would also go on to earn a further two caps for Wales last Autumn as he featured in both of the two-game series v Ireland.
Sam has appeared once for the Canes this year – from the bench during our 20-20 draw against Whitehaven – but has had three further appearances on loan at Salford alongside Ethan Newboult in January and February. Clearly enjoying his time at the CorpAcq stadium earlier in the year, Bowser has opted to make this permanent and the club, fully understanding his desire to get regular game time, do not wish to stand in his way.
We spoke with Bowser about his time with the Canes:
Thanks to everybody during my five seasons at the club. I am massively grateful for the opportunities and memories I have gained whilst being a Bear or Cane. Thank you to Mark for allowing me to leave and understanding my reasons behind that decision. I appreciate the staff behind the scenes for helping me throughout my time at the club.
It’s been a privilege to share the field with my team mates who have been hard working and a tight-knight group. I’m proud of what we achieved together and how they will progress this season
Lastly, to the Hurricanes fans and volunteers, your support and loyalty mean more than you know. Whether at home or away, you backed the team with passion and brought the energy to every game. Thank you for making my time here memorable and always chatting after the match win, lose or draw.
Bowser leaves the Canes after just over five seasons with 49 appearances and eight tries to his name. He has been a great servant to the club during the club’s formative years and we wish him nothing but the best for the rest of his career.
