We were on tour in Skeggers with a strong showing of 12 young warriors who were chomping at the bit to play some hard and fast rugby.

We were able to field two strong teams the Rhinos and the Sharks.

Rhinos
Logan Parker
Lily Hayes
Flynn Eardley
Harrison Baker
Emma Wells
Ryan Simecek

Coaches: Matt Platt/Jo Eardley

Sharks
Alice Lawlor
Fred Manda
Gracie Brown
Jan Platt
Ethan Castelino
James Elliott

Coaches: Tony Elliott/Alex Manda

We had a packed schedule over the two days with both teams playing five 10-minute games per day. We had strong opposition with teams being fielded by Boston, Old Coventrians, Berkswell & Balsall and Bourne Juniors. From the off, the players showed an eagerness and willingness to run teams down in defence, whilst running and passing through the opposition lines in attack.

Every aspect that we have worked on week in and week out in training was on display. They tagged brilliantly, they passed superbly, and they scored relentlessly. At one point, Tony and I were on the sidelines and we both got goosebumps from the rugby being played by our teams. We could also see a natural urge from the players to play more physically. They look like they will be more than ready come next year when they move to full contact.

We could see after the first or second games that the teams had gelled. There was plenty of communication between the players. They made simple and easy passes to each other. They were following the ball carrier. They were well spaced out defensively and moved forward as a unit with players watching the runs and moving accordingly to head them off. An excellent effort by all players.

I was amazed to see how much every player gave. Initially, I was concerned that the fixtures would be too much, and the kids would start to flag and tire but that wasn’t the case. They played right up to the last whistle of the last game and left everything on the pitch. Truly impressive.

A big “Hip, Hip, Hooray!” to all the kids, who played with real heart and joy on their faces. I can’t tell you how spiritually rewarding it is to coach them and get to know them and see them develop into excellent rugby players. They are a real rag-tag bunch of bright, intelligent, and funny souls.

A big “Hip, Hip, Hooray!” to all the parents also, who braved some adverse weather and muddy conditions to come and support the players. Your level of commitment is truly heart-warming and very much appreciated.

A massive “Hip, Hip, Hooray!” to coach Tony who helped facilitate the tour for the U8s. His dedication to the kids, coaches, and club is inspirational. Legend. “Thank you, coach Tony”.

A few words from Tony:
“Just wanted to say how proud all the coaches felt with the performance of our players both on and off the pitch, they all really did the club proud. The weeks of training and playing matches in the lead-up to Tour have paid dividends as the quality of play was amazing.
We also wanted to say a massive thank you to all the parents as we can see a true bonding of relationships starting to develop that can only further support the players and club as we move forward to next season.
Finally, a “shout-out” to Dave Russell who without his commitment and hard work, the best tour ever would not have been possible”.
Thanks,
Coach Tony

Bring on the next tour! Onwards and upwards.