Message from Simon ffitch
Training on 5th September at Hervines ParkSee Message below
The new rugby season is upon us, so time to check that you have a gum shield that fits and a full set of studs in your boots!
Rugby training starts this Sunday at 10am at Hervines Park. Could you all please ensure that you arrive by 9.45/9.50 so that we can make a prompt start. For the first few Sundays this year we will be training at Hervines Park due to pitch congestion at the club.
We also plan to have a mid-week session on Tuesdays at 6.30pm-8.00pm. Matt Allen the Club’s Director of Rugby, will run the first half of this session each week with the usual coaches taking over thereafter. Matt is an excellent coach and I am sure the squad will benefit greatly. To keep a strong squad going, attendance at mid week sessions will be very important.
We are now entering the world of junior rugby. Matches on the full pitch and 25 minute halves will make a huge difference to the game. We will therefore focus on fitness in the first few training sessions. As we enter junior rugby the RFU continuum is no longer applicable and there is a shift of emphasis more towards performance away from inclusiveness. We have kept a large squad together by being inclusive as far as possible. We will now pick more often on merit but with the need to field an A&B side on a number of occasions a large squad is still very important and we hope this will give as many as possible a chance to show what they can do and get some good game time. At the time of writing seven of the squad have qualified for the School of Rugby which will take them out of the squad every four weeks or so. Others will have school or family commitments on some Sundays. This should ensure most players will get chances to play. As we will sometimes need to put out 2 sides each with 5 subs that is a player requirement of 40. We are also likely to lose some players from last year.
Congratulations to the seven players picked by School of Rugby. They are:
Bucks SoR
Jamie Anderson
Oliver Smart
Max Collingbourne
Nathan Kemp
Harry Sutherland
Bill Hughes
I believe only 11 were selected and so A&C is providing over half of the squad
Herts SoR
As Tom ffitch is at school in Herts he has been selected for Herts School of Rugby as well as the Saracens Elite Player Development Group. (they train mid week so Tom should be available every Sunday)
Garry Waller has done a sterling job as fixture secretary and has secured us a good list of matches. The A team will enter the Bucks Cup and an informal merit table. Most clubs do not run 2 teams and so we have focussed on getting the B team fixtures against the A teams of weaker clubs e.g. Hemel Hempstead. The Club fixture card is attached however as Gary is securing more fixtures all the time I will forward an updated fixture schedule as it develops. Please try to be available on the key fixture dates particularly the dates on which we field 2 teams. It is also particularly important to put out very strong teams for the Bucks Cup and Merit table fixtures.
Mark Williams has decided to stand down as AGO as Charlie is moving to football on most Sundays. We would like to thank him for all his great work over the last seven years and good luck to Charlie too. We are on the look out for a new AGO. Volunteers welcome.
Other Admin
- As we are losing Mark we only have Jonathan Hughes as a forward coach. Matt Allen will cover this on a Tuesday but we desperately need another parent who can coach forwards. Come on Phil Morrice!
- There will be a First Aid Course pre-Christmas. We would like some parents to attend as we need more qualified first aiders.
- We also need someone to offer to help out with the second hand kit sale on Sunday 12th September – Click here for details.
Regards
Simon