The Grassroots Thread

[goodNumber10]

Yeah, it went ok for the team i help coach - they won our league having moved to a new competition - we dropped one game in the league all season - so 13/14, and we're promoted to the first division.

We lost to a first division side in the QF of the cup (they won the cup).

Then in the championship (play offs from the league) we went straight to the semi-final and smashed an old foe 42-10 to reach the final. Which we then won, against the only team to beat us in the league 25-10 in about 34-35 degrees. They were not happy, we were winning 25-0 at half time, then second half turned into a yellow card fest and we played 30 minutes with 14 men. This was two weeks ago - long season.

It's no where near the standard of clubs like Redruth etc... it's purely social rugby, mainly corporate teams but it throws up some decent rugby and the boys enjoy it.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Well done gN10. As you say, that certainly is a long season, particularly for social rugby. The season in the Cornwall 1 and 2 is ridiculously short by comparison, particularly if you lose in an early round of the cup.

For fear of being super lazy (my excuse is that I hate the RFU website with a passion), do you know how Barking got on. As I said previously, I've watched many league matches between them and Redruth so took no pleasure in seeing their fall from grace. Hopefully they are starting to be competitive and will rebuild and rise back up the leagues.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Not having to go to Dings is a good thing. That pleasure falls to us next season I see

Yes and no. The facilities could be better, but everything else about the club more than makes up for it to me. I visited a few years back to watch Reds play on an unseasonably wet March day, Dings would have preferred to postpone the game, but Redruth were very keen to get it played. This resulted in ten or so hardy locals spending close to six hours working on the pitch and the game going ahead (despite a threat from one of the ARs to sue the club if he fell over!). The game itself was a typically attritional affair which Redruth lost, but the rugby spirit shown by the home side and their friendliness more than made up for that. Personally I'd much rather visit Dings and clubs of the similar ilk than be surrounded by stripy blazer clad people called Rupert and Giles who are just there because the rugby club is the "place to be seen".

If you visit next season, ask the locals about the planned move - a developer is interested in their ground (Barratt home I think) to tie in with the rest of their development near by, so in years to come, the facilities could be as good as the welcome.

If Dings retain most of last season's squad I believe they will be a thread to bounce back up (although I must admit that I don't know all that much about N3SW) - their pack is likely to be without peer in the division, Woodrow at fly half has backs of experience and know how and will kick goals reliably. With the addition of Simon Hunt, the back line had more cutting edge than I usually associate with Dings.

 

[Every Time Ref]

We (Quintin RFC) had a nightmare season. Didn't manage to put 2 sides out all year, seriously struggled for players and were on the wrong end of some thrashings. Some great days as well but relatively fewer. Future is looking bloody tough to be honest, and I'm captain for it...

We did get really ****** quite a lot though so that's good, including a blinding tour to Lithuania

 

[RedruthRFC]

Pity E T R. I guess in your neck of the woods, attracting / retaining players must be a nightmare.

 

[goodNumber10]

Well done gN10. As you say, that certainly is a long season, particularly for social rugby. The season in the Cornwall 1 and 2 is ridiculously short by comparison, particularly if you lose in an early round of the cup.

For fear of being super lazy (my excuse is that I hate the RFU website with a passion), do you know how Barking got on. As I said previously, I've watched many league matches between them and Redruth so took no pleasure in seeing their fall from grace. Hopefully they are starting to be competitive and will rebuild and rise back up the leagues.

Barking came 5th, so that's good news, the halted the slide at least - though worryingly the 2nd team and 3rd team came 12th in their respective leagues/merit table - having said that the 3rd team were promoted the year before last so that puts a little perspective on it.

Barking are a nice club, they have good people there and the club was just too ambitious - they were paying people all the way back in the early 90's even playing 2nd team you got boot money... just silly for a small club like that and it fell apart. I was very sad to see them fall so rapidly through the leagues.

Interestingly, and a bit of schadenfreude moment, in that my old old club Romford & Gidea are in the same league and had a shocking season won 4 - lost 20.

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We (Quintin RFC) had a nightmare season. Didn't manage to put 2 sides out all year, seriously struggled for players and were on the wrong end of some thrashings. Some great days as well but relatively fewer. Future is looking bloody tough to be honest, and I'm captain for it...

We did get really ****** quite a lot though so that's good, including a blinding tour to Lithuania

a good tour can really turn things around

 

[Every Time Ref]

Pity E T R. I guess in your neck of the woods, attracting / retaining players must be a nightmare.

Yeah player turnover is really high. It's a blessing and a curse, in my decade at the club we've had some really good seasons, including a league trophy 4 years ago, but the times we've had a strong side has been based largely on Kiwis Aussies and Saffas on 2 year visas so it's never likely to be sustainable!

I'm being a bit overly negative though, at the end of the day we're a social club and we've always been a tight group who welcomes people in and provides a welcoming environment to get horribly drunk and embarrass ourselves in public. GN10's got it bang on, it's all about the carnage that is tour!

 

[Peat]

We once had a very rich run in the 2s after some lad started driving up his Fijian mates from the Fusiliers every week... didn't last long, for some reason they didn't find it very challenging...

Our 1s got relegated after using my name to cover a first team ringer getting a yellow card and discovering that, despite ten years with the club and two joining forms, I wasn't actually registered with the club by the RFU. Still slightly fuming at that one tbh.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

We once had a very rich run in the 2s after some lad started driving up his Fijian mates from the Fusiliers every week... didn't last long, for some reason they didn't find it very challenging...

Same happened with my club - we're named after the villlage (just outside my town) that houses a barracks - used to get army guys nipping in and out when they were based there, including a couple of fijians and a guy who plays RL for the army.
They were scarily good

 

[Every Time Ref]

We once had a very rich run in the 2s after some lad started driving up his Fijian mates from the Fusiliers every week... didn't last long, for some reason they didn't find it very challenging...

Our 1s got relegated after using my name to cover a first team ringer getting a yellow card and discovering that, despite ten years with the club and two joining forms, I wasn't actually registered with the club by the RFU. Still slightly fuming at that one tbh.

Registration's a joke, if we actually followed the letter of the law we'd have folded years ago. I understand the reasoning behind it but at our level it's an active hindrance to small clubs keeping themselves afloat.

 

[BRSTLDRGN]

So how did our teams get on yesterday on opening weekend?

Hornets won 38-27 against Cleeve, with all squad members being a graduate of the Mini and Junior setup. A fanstastic feat and testament to the coaching and overall setup of the club. Elsewhere Weston beat Camborne 23-21 in South West 1 and my other club I plyed for Nailsea and Backwell got humped 43-0 at home to Winscombe.

 

[GazzaJAnimal]

The only thing that I dislike about grassroots rugby is that the majority of clubs use the Pitchhero template for their website. I know it's very easy to use and enables a lot of small clubs a presence of the net, but it all looks the same.

 

[BRSTLDRGN]

The only thing that I dislike about grassroots rugby is that the majority of clubs use the Pitchhero template for their website. I know it's very easy to use and enables a lot of small clubs a presence of the net, but it all looks the same.

Know what you mean, but its a cheap way it so it suits clubs whose budgets are tight.

 

[RedruthRFC]

Good bump SelimNiai. I can't say as I've really got my finger on the pulse in National 3 SW, but looking at the weekend's results, there look like there were a few upsets and that it will be a competitive season with Dings, Lydney and Exmouth losing. Who do fancy to be fighting it out at the top of the table at the end of the season?

Redruth had a cracking opening to their National 2 South (level 4) season, ending newly promoted Redingensians' 26 game home winning streak by 37 points to 16 (a rare away win for Redruth in recent seasons). Southend (who had a good win against much fancied Chinnor themselves) visit Reds for our first home game of the season on Saturday.

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Know what you mean, but its a cheap way it so it suits clubs whose budgets are tight.

I've made my peace with it on that basis, but I agree with GazzaJAnimal (strange as it is for a Redruth man to agree with a Camborne man) that Pitch Hero is horrible. I do find it amazing that clubs can't find a member with sufficient expertise to set up a Wwordpress based site who is prepared to give a bit of time to the club. My suspicion is that it's a reflection of the ageing membership of most clubs and the attitude of their committees who ignore the fact that it's an important part of any business' marketing mix.

 

[HowieLO6]

Joys of the location of my outfit - SW London - means that we've got web developers coming out of our ears. Does make life particularly smooth when you're pumping out five teams week in, week out.

Our 1s have gone up from the county level to the London level this year, so a big jump in expectations. While we do have a whopping pool of players (140+ turned out last year), its tough on the 1s in terms of training, especially as we don't have floodlit pitches for winter evenings. Fortunately, we have the edge in terms of player recruitment, getting early dibs on various antipode imports.

Its also good that all teams - barring the Gentleman's XV - have very competitive league offerings, with 18+ fixtures a piece. Can take its toll on weary bodies as the season goes on, but the joys of having a steady stream of additions year-round.

 

[Every Time Ref]

Joys of the location of my outfit - SW London - means that we've got web developers coming out of our ears. Does make life particularly smooth when you're pumping out five teams week in, week out.

Our 1s have gone up from the county level to the London level this year, so a big jump in expectations. While we do have a whopping pool of players (140+ turned out last year), its tough on the 1s in terms of training, especially as we don't have floodlit pitches for winter evenings. Fortunately, we have the edge in terms of player recruitment, getting early dibs on various antipode imports.

Its also good that all teams - barring the Gentleman's XV - have very competitive league offerings, with 18+ fixtures a piece. Can take its toll on weary bodies as the season goes on, but the joys of having a steady stream of additions year-round.

What club do you play for?

 

[HowieLO6]

What club do you play for?

Ironsides, you?

 

[Every Time Ref]

I was actually talking to someone about coming and getting some coaching experience at Ironsides last season as I'm planing to do the Level II course. I didn't get it sorted in the end but was hoping I might find time this year. SOunds like a good kids setup you've got from what I've heard.

I play for Quintin. We're struggling really badly to be honest, got a committee meeting tomorrow to basically sign off on officially dropping our 1sts from the league and playing in the Merit Table (dropping the 2nd team completely) as we can't get enough players together for two teams, and the ones we can get mostly aren't above Merit Table standard.

 

[HowieLO6]

Well, if you need a name of someone to approach, I'm happy to find the details. I know we do a lot of coaching support sessions, especially given we've 800 kids on the books as of last season. By level 2 you've got rid of the Wandsworth Common daddy's all trying to get an edge for Milo in the U8s team too. Great opportunity to get involved, although I'm not sure what will happen when they reach senior level, seeing as we don't actually have any of our own pitches.

While I like the big club, I miss my old days at Streatham and Croydon. In a VERY ghetto area of London, yet one of the oldest clubs in the world AND used to play the likes of Bath, Leicester, and all that until the 1960s. 11 XVs is now down to 3, but always a very welcoming atmosphere. Not that Battersea isn't, but its far more competitive. We were lucky to be top-2 in all four leagues last year, but it means there's now less room for those who can't train twice a week, myself included.

How did the drop go? Can't imagine it was an easy decision to make.

 

[GoTheNaki]

Well... Seems as this is the grassroots section I thought I'd have a little bit of a go at it...

I'm a Kiwi, a Taranaki man, and I've been fortunate enough to see quite a lot of grassroots rugby in my time as a rugby fan.

I guess as a region we do alright... As of the last well, "regional" season, Taranaki were the best in the country in the ITM Cup, being winners. But up until then, I mean, honestly... I thought we were on a downer. I had us being technically, "relegated", in this competition and being part of the "tier 2" regional teams, right up until we started winning games, the season that we won. We started poorly and I was in the "here we go" phase...

But to be honest, as I said, I thought we were really struggling. Our school teams were definitely not succeeding, well, one did quite good, but the other one hadn't for years, our local rugby teams sure as hell don't hold a candle to the likes of the big Auckland and Wellington senior men's teams, and our overall talent pool seemed to be fading. Just as a note, at the Taranaki club level, we have 8 teams, in the Senior A Men's competition, which, is terrible numbers, they play around 14 games a season. A lot of these teams have "Senior B" and "Senior 3rds", which struggle to get players.. And the Senior A teams that did have some talented young players, they were actually bought from other regions, normally straight out of school... So I really thought we were in for it tbh. We use to have quite a passionate, strong, rugby league competition here in the 'Naki, but that's gone, there is only really 2 teams that compete... But besides this... There have been little sparks of extreme talent...

So, the rugby that I've watched over the last year or so, locally...

I watched these two guys, playing for one of the city's local clubs called "Spotswood". One of these players was playing in the centres, and the other, was playing on the wing. Both extremely friendly men, and they were men, like, it's hard to gauge someone on the TV with how big they are in real-life, but these guys are big boys. Seta Tamanivalu... and... Waisake Naholo... And to top it off, they also had a halfback called Warwick Lahmert, who turned out to be quite the good player for the England 7's team, once he switched, well... nationalities. This was in the days where Naholo, funnily enough, could not get a single minute for the Auckland Blues... I know, right? Have you seen the guy play? Yes, he was getting zero game time, so would come back to where he lived and played local club rugby for his club, much to the opposition's dismay, the guy is a monster athlete... So yeah, I got to witness those guys smashing up the local talent for a little bit.. Well, until Naholo signed with the Highlanders and Seta got named ITM Cup player of the year... I think with those two guys playing their points per game were up in the 30s-40s... So yeah, very exciting rugby.

Unfortunately, I hadn't come back from my time in England yet, to actually get to witness Beauden Barrett, who also played for one of the local clubs... You literally, once these guys get permanent Super Rugby game time, you won't see them here playing again, which is obviously normal, unless it's Super Rugby in the stadium.. We get Chief games, we got the Hurricanes vs Chiefs game in the season just gone, that was good.

In regards to our schools this year, one of them, like, with these schools it is such a massive big rivalry. But typically only one of them has a good season, they play in different competitions, even though they are in the same city.. One plays Hurricanes region, the other plays Chiefs region. Oh, as a thing, if you haven't seen it around on practically every rugby media site on the internet, search for "New Plymouth Boys High Haka", this is the school I'm going to talk about. They were quite successful this year, and from what I heard, in all age groups, so, as I mentioned above about the local talent pool, now I might start seeing more of it around. They were in the Chiefs region finals, which is like Top6 in the country, and their under 15 and 14 teams managed to get up in the knockout stages too... So, as a school rank, they'd probably be in the top10 this season... Which well, they have been awful for... Well... I don't think they've been THAT successful for a seriously long time.

I also watched my nephew in an under 12 year old game, and their kicker slotted two conversions from the sideline... They play full-sized fields at that age... This little Fijian boy, ridiculous.


Anyway, I don't know how much media you guys see, but we have a lot of sources of media in the country for this game, well, because it's our #1 sport. So I thought I'd just name drop a couple of players that I thought might be something to watch out for, be a link to media on their name for some of them:

Rieko Ioane - He might have flown under the radar for some of you guys, for the others, you will know that he is only 18, only just turned it this year. As a 17 year old, he toured with the NZ 7s team, he blew up at the Wellington 7s, which was his first stage, and has recently received a contract from the Auckland Blues and has already played for the New Zealand Maori team. He is not a small outside back like Tevita Li, although you just never know with him, he's only 20 and became the leading try scorer in the U20 Rugby World Championship. There's media everywhere for both of these guys.

Etene Nanai - This kid is quite eye opening... New Zealand lost a player that looked like this to Rugby League, called Roger Tuivasa-Sheck.. He's coming back to NZ Rugby in 3 years though , just more ammo to NZ's back-line arsenal.

Isaac Te Aute - This guy has just become really popular, nation-wide. The highlights are just from the Secondary Schools Final. This 19 year old has just been called into the New Zealand 7s team with his latest heroics.

Simeon Latu - It's really hard to get excited about a 14 year old playing rugby, and a lot of people outside of New Zealand might not think of this as a big deal... However. Even though this kid is just 14, he plays for one of the most prestigious secondary school rugby teams in the nation. You DO NOT make this team at 14, you have to be something worth paying attention to, it is a big deal.

Sam Nock/Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi - Probably be one of our All Black halfbacks one day. Start watching before they get big .