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U10's Twickenham visit
Matthew Padgham17 Oct 2016 - 21:52
The U10's are a competitive force!
A horribly rainy Sunday morning saw us make the trip to Twickenham RFC - I needn't have worried about the weather as it soon tool a turn for the better as I was doing up my boots!
A smaller turn out had the U10 squad numbering 12. We joined in with some rucking and mauling drills and it was great to see how well the players integrated themselves with the Twickenham hosts. The emphasis on clearing an opposition player off the ball was hammered home and we looked forward to seeing the honed skills being put to good use in the matches that were to follow.
With the reduced Harrow numbers, we fielded one team that allowed for quick substitutions and a chance for all the players to get stuck in.
It was immediately clear that our players have learned an incredible amount over the last few weeks, they were really showing signs of being able to play good rugby!
The first few games did see the inevitable flurry of missed tackles, but as the morning progressed, more were being made. In particular it was really good to see that by the last game, several defenders were working together to block a runner.
The rucking practice was put to good use and it was clear that this part of the game is starting to come together - the players just need to remember that the nearest player to the opposition ball, rucks or mauls.
Some fantastic attacking play saw many trys being scored and a much better use of space to draw the opposition away.
Kevin and I were really impressed by the way the U10's played, all the games were well contested (I'm not sure we lost any), and it was really great to see other players in the team begin to engage more and flourish.
With that in mind, our player of the week went to a young man who was a transformed player on Sunday! Congratulations go to Tiernan and the drive and determination and enlivened engagement with the game he showed, especially when rucking! Well done.
I must make a point of thanking Kevin for refereeing most of the games, it was a luxury for me to be able to watch from the sidelines and see what a positive and inspiring presence he was on the field. I also learned a great deal by watching him.
Many thanks again for those of you that made the effort to bring the youngsters down to Twickenham - I'm sure you were as pleased to see the improvements as we were.
Back at home next Sunday!
A smaller turn out had the U10 squad numbering 12. We joined in with some rucking and mauling drills and it was great to see how well the players integrated themselves with the Twickenham hosts. The emphasis on clearing an opposition player off the ball was hammered home and we looked forward to seeing the honed skills being put to good use in the matches that were to follow.
With the reduced Harrow numbers, we fielded one team that allowed for quick substitutions and a chance for all the players to get stuck in.
It was immediately clear that our players have learned an incredible amount over the last few weeks, they were really showing signs of being able to play good rugby!
The first few games did see the inevitable flurry of missed tackles, but as the morning progressed, more were being made. In particular it was really good to see that by the last game, several defenders were working together to block a runner.
The rucking practice was put to good use and it was clear that this part of the game is starting to come together - the players just need to remember that the nearest player to the opposition ball, rucks or mauls.
Some fantastic attacking play saw many trys being scored and a much better use of space to draw the opposition away.
Kevin and I were really impressed by the way the U10's played, all the games were well contested (I'm not sure we lost any), and it was really great to see other players in the team begin to engage more and flourish.
With that in mind, our player of the week went to a young man who was a transformed player on Sunday! Congratulations go to Tiernan and the drive and determination and enlivened engagement with the game he showed, especially when rucking! Well done.
I must make a point of thanking Kevin for refereeing most of the games, it was a luxury for me to be able to watch from the sidelines and see what a positive and inspiring presence he was on the field. I also learned a great deal by watching him.
Many thanks again for those of you that made the effort to bring the youngsters down to Twickenham - I'm sure you were as pleased to see the improvements as we were.
Back at home next Sunday!
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