Rugby- going forward

The first HKTTRA Touch tournament was a great success for all our teams. The Boys 'C' Grade team had a great time and showed me that they are really starting to understand the game and how to play it. Their defence and organisation across the field were excellent. In Touch rugby, if you start with a strong and organised defence, the attacking and scoring will eventually take care of themselves.

The Girls 'B' Grade team also had an excellent tournament. Again, it was great to see their real understanding of the structure of the game and their outstanding defensive positioning. What they need now is to learn how to score, and I've already given them some direct targetted feedback on that from the tournament. What's great about this team is the depth- we have nine really strong players who learn fast and work hard in every session.

The Boys 'A' team excelled themselves by going into the semifinals of their division. We should take a moment and reflect on this achievement. The 'A' division is for boys aged under-13. In fact, our Boys 'A' only has one under-13 in it. The rest of the boys range in age from 11 down to 9. They were playing against teams six twelve-year-olds and beating them. This is a huge testament to how much they have put in to their team. I am sure that as they continue to play, learn, and train, they can expect more success in the future.

I'd like to hear feedback from parents on how we can go forward with rugby. What I would like to do is to divide the rugby ASA into two separate training sessions on two different days. For example, the Boys 'C' team on Tuesdays, and the Girls 'B' and Boys 'A' on Thursdays. I think this would give all the teams the best opportunity to develop before the next tournament.

However, this would mean dropping the Cross Country/ Distance Running ASA for at least a term. Or perhaps moving it to another time-slot, like early Saturday morning. I'm really not sure how a schedule might be worked out, but I'd like to hear what parents think before I make any changes. So please contact me through the usual channels or talk to me when you see me around the school!