Barbarians

I am reflecting on the fun I had through the ups-and-downs of what was, I suspect, a fairly typical season of junior rugby that ended with the annual Barbarians match between the University Home of the u14 boys and the Barbarians made up of parents, coaches and all-comers, including mums, sisters and brothers.

The match was won by the Barbarians who broke into the club song including some derogatory lines about the u14s lack of quality play and physical prowess, or lack thereof. I am told that the only alternative result is a draw since a draw is declared if the Home side end up ahead of the Barbarians. Included in the mostly-irrelevant score were a pair of mother-and-daughter tries after great setup work by the rest of the team. The u14 boys had several great runs through the game culminating in some impressive tries. More discipline in their ranks would probably have seen the boys win, umm draw, against their older, more-experienced opposition where intelligent play was the order of the say.

Some words about the modified laws of play. Nobody can run more than 20m in any direction without passing. No kicking except for penalty restarts. Enjoyable, balanced play without rough-house tackling - not to take the fun match too seriously. The referee laughably managed a couple of scrums with an Irish jig by the front rows and a short line out with the forwards on their knees. I refereed the first half and caused some commotion when I accidentally intercepted a wayward pass, oops. In a show off magnanimity, the whistle for the second half was handed to the boys who shared it among several hands, each with differing and sometimes interpretation of the law.

Followed by a barbecue, certificates awarded to the notable boys in lieu of trophies to be handed out at the proper, junior club presentation day later this month. I had a great, old time and I am fairly sure so did everyone else involved. The previous night we had the parents and coaches wind-up dinner at JB O'Reillys where we say the Wallabies defeat Wales I the group rounds of the World Cup. Several members of the club establishment were in the stadium in Cardiff, their luck!

Time to think about next season and how to stay involved during the season break - maybe a once-a-month touch rugby game to keep the boys coming together and to introduce new players to the game of rugby.

A Winning Start to the Second Half of the Season

The Uni u14 boys smacked Joondalup White 31-13 after a shaky start. The first 15 minutes of rugby weren't pretty but hardly unexpected coming back from two weeks of school holidays. The cold, prematch warm ups in pouring rain didn't help either.

The distinguishing feature of the play today was the great teamwork in open and running play. In other matches, some fellows seemed duty bound to retain the ball in hand when the better choice for the team would be to pass the ball. Today the ball went through several pair of hands for each scoring action. Some standout driving runs by Jacques, Rupert and Sam allowed others to score, great tackling (as all season) by Lochie and support play by most of the team paid handsome dividends. Special mention to the forwards as a group retaining possession from our own line outs with Nick jumping in his now-regular number two position, and Dougie throwing as hooker.

Behind at the half time break, the addition of fresh legs into the field equation of Clay and Kevin from Wests provided a much-needed boost to set off a try-scoring extravaganza in the second half. Even playing into the wind did not dent our sails as the boys went from well behind to a point in front then sealed the result by making the most of their opportunities. Continued pressure in the rucks and multiple phases - now that the boys have learned not to turnover possession cheaply - led directly to a couple of tries scored through strong drives to the goal line.

Well done! A winning start to the second half of the season cements our team goal to win a few more and to make team work a key element of play.

Colin from 1st Grade helped us out with more work on the tackle and ruck just before the mid season school break. This sort of input from experienced and technically adept players is extremely important to developing the best skills in the youngsters. While my own coaching has improved through the season - mirroring the boys own lift in game - the regular input from Tony, Dom, Gordon and others like Mitch, Patrick and Colin makes a positive difference.

Rounds to Date

The u14 boys did themselves and us proud with a well deserved win defeating Rockingham Jesters today in a 4 try to nil whitewash. All converted by Rob including a glorious kick from near the 10m line to give a final score of 28-0 after several weeks of steady improvement and growing signs of the skills and will to win. In particular the boys' play at the breakdown has come forward in leaps and bounds to the point where they confidently contest for opposition ball and show some much-needed desparation to retain their own ball and to make distance over the advantage line. Well done, to the boys, supporters and coaches, and well played.

The past few weeks have involved intensive work on the breakdown, rucks and mauls for the forwards and specialised work - many thanks for Buddha and Mitch alongside Tony - for the backs. We had a bye followed by an unworthy loss to Palmyra last week when cooperative team work would have won the day. However the disappointing play and dropped passes was eclipsed by some physical and even brutal interplay from a couple of the opposition directed specifically to one of our bigger and stronger players. To his credit, the lad held up well and kept his frustration in check to stop from lashing out at the aggressor in spit of heavy bruising and cuts to his back, chest and arms. Stays on the field and its over; Palmyra are our friends and we are borrowing some of their surplus players to make up our numbers. Hearty thanks to Paul, their coach, and the club!

At training the u14s have become more focussed largely because the leaders have encouraged and coerced their team mates to pull their heads in and to work hard at training. Recognising that training for one and a quarter hours, once a week is not much however a solid effort, paying attention to their coaches, positively supporting each other physically and mentally in their preparation is paying dividends. Rucks, for example, often start off scrappy without adequate player support until the group switches on. Similarly, the backs may lack commitment onto the ball in attack and readiness to leap forward in defence. After several passages of skill play using a variety of configurations the team steps up and delivers, driving in support and repositioning for multiple phases of play. Still need a lot more work in the restarts for scrums and lineouts; tough getting a full set of forwards at training or even a regular tight-five to the match.

It was most gratifying to see the same kinds of positive behaviour reflected on the field. Good physical support in rucks and mauls. Great mental support, positive play, communication and encouragment. From potential winners to knowing how it feels to win.

Round 3

In the spirit of the game Palmyra kindly loaned us several players to make up u14 numbers. In theory we have a full complement of players now but reality bites with injuries and no-shows so extras are welcome. Since Palmyra has a surplus of players the opportunity to give them a run with our Uni boys is worthwhile all around.

Today our boys put in a much-improved showing against Joondalup White going down by three points in a try-by-try extravaganza of scoring - 4 tries plus 1 conversion won over our 3 tries plus 2 conversions - 22-19. The boys demonstrated great heart in solidly working the ruck and getting the ball out to their fast running backs, especially in the second half, along with solid tackling and good support.

Credit to tony for doing all the work managing the team and running the touch line today while I stood quietly by since I am mildly afflicted by a cold and an annoying cough meaning I also skipped refereeing. At training on Thursday night where I deferred to Tony and Dom someone commented that I looked like the ManU manager Sir Alex Ferguson standing on the sidelines in my suit and tie absent chewing on gum!

Round 2

I have tried to avoid talking about the Western Force because there is already a healthy band of professional commentators who do such a great job. As the season wound down to a disappointing loss to the deserving Blues last night at Subiaco Oval I reflect on how much I have enjoyed the rugby being played over this, their second season, and their first season last year.

As a whole, the Super 14 competition has not displayed a great amount of grand, free-flowing rugby - most of what we have seen of that flavour has been from the New Zealand teams compared to the dour brand of rugby in favour with South African and Australian teams. I believe the Force has demonstrated strength as an Australian province and built their own, unique brand of running, driving rugby, albeit with a fair sprinkling of solid defence as demanded by todays game.

Great kudos for RugbyWA for making this happen at the professional level and I may voice my enormous appreciation for how this has flowed on down into community rugby via the likes of Mitch Hardy, Manager of Community Development and Patrick Hannigan, one of the RugbyWA development officers I know from Uni Rugby Club, and others like them. Except for last nights games, the exceptional quality of coaching and technical development has been evident in the quality ball handling of the players. The next generation of players coming through local club will deliver even better skills as a result of these grassroots efforts that help to deliver quality coaching to club players.

Uni u14s had to forfeit yet again because we were short players but the boys hammered the opposition in the scratch match that the good-natured opposition elected to play anyway - good for the boys confidence and show their good skills. We have actually been relegated to the Black (second) division at our request after being promoted on last seasons performance to the Swan (first division) based on form in the second half of the season. Noticably the team is starting to gel as a unit rather than simply playing as individuals - apart from the odd, selfish, winding run across and up field - and the preparation from playing the top two teams in the Swan division over the past two matches prior to this one means the boys are playing a cut above their opposition. Many thanks to Kalamunda Red for sharing their players and being so friendly.

With returns from injury and being away we should have a full team for the first time next week. It would appear that the boys are likely to stay at the top end of the ladder in the lower division instead of remaining in the bottom half of the higher division. Perhaps they will do better next year as u15s when they may be physically and mentally ready to step up again.

I reffed again this week and did a better job this time so I am showing improvement - still got significant and welcome feedback from the referee-coach on where I can improve. My hand signals and whistle blowing need improvement for one thing. I have overcompensated from last week being off the attack line to running back and forth as the ball travels from players hand to hand - when I should be staying in line with the ball until tackle, ruck or maul forms when I should seek out the attack line. Similar for lineouts where I tend to overmanage and place the players (like a coach) rather than give simple instructions to, for example, form up on the 5m line and other players to step back to 10m.

One area I showed good improvement - similar to other beginner refs - was signalling and playing advantage, calling penalties for offside and ruck infringements - none I which I managed to do last week while having narrow focus on the ball. While I played advantage, on more than one occasion I did so when there was no opportunity for the nonoffending team to gain an actual advantage so I should have blown the whistle immediately. Thanks to Jeff for his coaching suggestions on my efforts. I should also mention that Wanneroo Green and Arks both put in a great effort to score four tries a piece and were only separated by two conversions - it does not matter which way!

Round 1

T'was a big day for me and the boys. The Uni u14s were playing short of a team - all's the pity we can't field a full 15-man side - but can hold their heads high after scoring a try and holding last years u13s finalists Kalamunda to a win margin that could have been larger - about the same as the Western Force in NZ *grin* - the u14s fought valiantly to frustrate several more attempts by the well-oiled and experienced Kalamunda team.

Due credit to Kalamunda who showed great spirit in loaning Uni a few of their players and putting in a good showing. A few of their boys clearly have great potential that is enhanced by playing midweek in the CSC - Community Schools Competition. So Round 1 of the season proper is a second trial for the Uni u14s and we need to find a few more players and to get the team training and playing together in order to demonstrate the strong, winning match results that the positive play, running and ball skills of the backs deserve.

The forwards are great boys but not a proper unit having only practiced and played twice together without contested scrums and without eight or more full-time players in forward positions. Being a forward myself, I know it takes time and practice to build a unit that can function at the set pieces - scrum and lineout - and excel at the ruck. The boys rucking skills, by the way, are moving onto excellence largely as a result of the skills work done by the boys in training under Dom's supervision.

Some of the holes in play are a result of a lack of positional awareness, for example, the backs standing too deep in defensive alignment and the forwards not covering restarts and the field width fully effectively. Of course it's tough to dig yourself out of a ruck and run behind the back line or loop behind from the centres to the wing in order to cover the touch line but it has to be done properly and covered in training if we are going to save the easy tries down the touch line.

Great preparation in the Gold division the team will revert to the Swan division next week where they should dominate, if we can field a full team, having been tested by the top two teams from last year in the trial and first round matches.

Today I refereed a rugby match for the first time - Neddies vs Kalamunda in the u12s - and I appreciate all the support from Rugby WA and the Referees Association, the coaches players and parents in giving me the opportunity. It was tough out there in the middle and with Charles' ref coaching I improved in the second half by a small margin but my efforts were not really up to scratch - missing knock forwards, offside players, odd hand signals, not properly playing advantage, and so on. Rather than give a blow by blow account of the match instead I will note that I have a lot of improvement and a little potential to be a good ref - the boys from both teams, however, fought a well-matched contest that looked like going down to the wire until Nedlands upped the tempo to outscore Kalamunda in the second half.

Perhaps I will put down a few words about the work of Anthony O'Shea in vesting me with the small confidence to take to the field. On Wednesay evening a week ago, Anthony led a bunch of adults and youngsters through a course of preparation to assist us taking to the field - building on the Foundation Course earlier in the year - to emphasise the practical knowledge we need to conduct ourselves as referees. W/S/T or whistle-signal-talk is is good mnemonic for a ref to remember - along with field positioning, prematch preparation, scrum engagement, lineout and T/R/M or adjudicating tackle-ruck-maul.

Check the field, boots and mouthguards for each player, brief the front row on crouch-touch-pause-engage, the toss, touch judges, 20min halves for u11/12s and 25min for u13/14/15s. Position self on the Attack line, not the Middle line and certainly not the Defence line - watch offside, "get back" or "step back" and in the ruck, "hands gold off". In the u11/12s the scrum half must stay half way and not follow his peer on the other team all the way around the scrum. Max push 1m for u11/12s and 1.5m for others, "no more push" - scrum must not rotate more than 45 deg - reset and same team feed. Uncontested scrums - no contest for hook or pass by half back.

Tackle. Tackler must release player, roll away and make an effort to get on his feet - penalise if prevents tackled player from playing the ball. Tackled player must play the ball - place, pass, pop or roll the ball - roll away and attempt to get on his feet, "release the ball" or "let go." Arriving players must enter through the gate, stay on their feet and play the ball. In a ruck the ball is on the ground and two players, one from each side, are bound above the ball. Player arriving looks like plane landing - negative, denying the ball - or like plane taking off - positive, taking player out.

Ruck. Ball is on the ground, players bind on back feet, "we've got a ruck"; unsuccessful end to a ruck - ball goes to team going forward. Maul. Three players; collapsed mauls are dangerous - blow it (safe environment, same for player popping up in scrum); lots of 'em - tackled players not brought to ground. Lineout. 5 players in lineout, 10m defenders, gap 1m, pregripping allowed, support - not lift.

That's all - a few helpful tips fron Anthony that a ref should know in addition to good knowledge of the laws - thanks!

Trial Match

The u14 trial match was played at the Uni Junior Rugby Club home of McGillivray Oval against Cottesloe. Falling short of a number of players, their coach showed great spirit in allowing three of his boys to join us in both halves of the match to allow both sides to field the full complement of 15 players on the field. Nothing to be gained by giving a blow-by-blow account of proceedings so I will summarise that Cottesloe was the superior team by a good margin - demonstrating reasonable skills, good speed and creativity in the backs with able support from their forwards. By contrast, Uni was a bit slow off the line and the forwards did not offer consistent support in the tackle zone and ensuing rucks.

The positives were several and outweigh the negatives - notwithstanding a massive winning margin to Cott by the score. The only try to the Uni u14s was the culmination of half a dozen phases of solid, attacking play - the half dozen plus tries to Cott we mostly easy, due to lapses in Uni defence and admittedly some great individual running by the Cott boys. When the Uni boys set themselves to attack they made good progress until a turnover - due to weakness in support at the ruck - followed by the wonderful set of hands in the Uni backline. The ball handling and running skills of the Uni backline outshone the Cott backline and the Uni scoreline would have fared better if the backs had been delivered more clean ball.

Nevertheless, a great learning experience for the boys. We could not expect a better result since we only fielded 10 of our own, regular players - some of whom had not trained together for three weeks because many were absent from the training leading into Easter followed by the school holiday break of two weeks. Unfortunately, I missed the three day coaching clinic for regional trials because I was in Melbourne for a Software Engineering conference during the first week of the Easter break. On Wednesday I attended a referees orientation course at RugbyWA so it looks like I will join the ranks of whistle blowers during the first round next weekend.

Lineout and Scrum

The lineout and scrum set pieces to restart play were the focus of today's u14 training - with a reduced turnout going into Easter and the school holidays. Last week, Dom carried out another excellent training highlighted by Patrick from Rugby WA (and the UWA 1st Grade Premiership side) carrying out specialist tackling coaching for the boys in every junior age group.

After stretches and warmups led by Tony, where everyone took turns picking an exercise, we did an exercise in running straight between cones while passing the ball along the line to reinforce the tackle-ruck work we have been doing week by week. For lineouts, we started with throwing the ball in pairs - elbows close to body, smooth throw mostly using the arms overhead with some body movement, feet side by side for balance or leading foot forward. Fast, low throws and loopy, high throws - it's more difficult than it looks. Lifting and support, push the player upwards grabbing his shorts at the thighs and below the buttocks. The jumper must jump unsupported then lift and carry him to ground, ideally holding the ball to his chest, the players closing together to stop the opposition breaking through the lineout, for the ripper - the receiver - to take the ball. Alternatives being to knock the ball down to the receiver or catch the ball and pass it directly - okay but not as safe as carrying the ball safely to ground.

The backs aligned themselves at 10m to carry the ball forward, the ball carrier pretending to the tackle and going to ground in order to simulate multiple phases of play - the ball carrier stretching back to place the ball, someone clearing out the opposition from the ruck to make time for the scrum half to clear the ball to the first receiver. Options to go to the backs on the open side, to the other winger or forwards on the blind or short side, or to throw a cutout pass, or loop passes or to add another player, for example, the number eight forward to drive through the backs. Kicking options include chip kicks to make tactical advantage ot kicking for touch to take field position.

Scrum practice from basics, 1-on-1, 2-on-2 (difficult) and 3-on-3 to give a front row had some success but the boys could not form up square, backs straight - not as easy as it looks and a lot more practice needed, especially with contested scrums 5-on-5 or 5-on-8 - it is still preseason, even so that is our whole team... Some discussion and practice of kicks for centre restarts, 22m dropouts, 5m scrums in preparation for the trial game in a couple of weeks time.

Coach and Referee

U14 training was pretty good - I got to stand back and watch Dom and Tony take to boys through a run and stretches before Dom led them through an excellent hit drill. The defenders stand in a line holding shields and an equal number of attacker lie face down on the ground 10 metres away. "One-two-three" calls the first attacker then all the attackers jump up and drive the defenders before running back onto their stomachs. This is repeated four or five times before the ball is kicked long - like multiple ruck phases before kicking for a line out - and the attackers run the ball forward. When touched by a defender the ball carrier goes to ground as if they were tackled, a second attacker cleans out the defender-shield holder so the half back, anyone else, can pick up the ball and either run it or pass to the receiver for another phase. Plently of calling for the ball, must clean up to make space for the half back, repeat to exhaustion.

I stood aside partly because the WA Junior Rugby Super 10 has been postponed so walking through scrums and lineouts as I had planned was no longer a clear priority over perfecting the ruck. It will be good to practice these and kicks over a few weeks to get them down pat and in particular so the boys can learn where they should stand and what they should do as the ball is returned into play. Scrums usually lead to multiple phases of play as rucks are taken along one side of the field, or the first receiver runs and drives to make distance over the advantage line, and lineouts can do the same or lead to a maul forming. Skills and drills are vital to the development of the young players and I am pleased to say that Dom and others seem to have fabulous experience and good rapport with the boys in this area - far beyond my own knowledge.

For myself, my ribs are feeling better every day and after two sessions of (painful) physiotherapy, with another on Monday, throwing the ball, running and bending with a full range of movement is still not an option. It is hard to coach if you cannot demonstrate properly and participate so having the others to assist with coaching drills or to take over is a plus. As as example of good timing, a received a reply from Anthony at Rugby WA about refereeing and I plan to go prepare for Level 1 Accreditation. It is a natural path to progress from playing to refereeing in seniors and I will consider my own pathways as a coach and referee as my development progresses in both areas over the next few months.

Rugby Trial

What a week. Training the u14s went well followed by a good seniors sessions that included the 4th grade senior players becoming cannon fodder for the u19s - I must say, they show a lot of promise. The u14s will be competing in the Super 10s comp - playing two games on Saturday morning for two weeks from next weekend. So the training schedule I prepared needs to be accelerated. I played in a preseason trial match against Wests and found it hard going. Now I have two black eyes and a badly bruised rib.

The u14s worked hard as we train to a plan - mirroring the need to play to a plan if we are to be successful this season. In juniors it is traditional to tackle and run however as the boys and their opposition get bigger and stronger the ruck cannot be ignored. So, following on from the tackle last week, we introduced the tackle zone and how a ruck forms - when two players from opposing teams bind over the ball. Then players must enter the ruck from the gate, the narrow area on the players side that defines the extent of the tackle zone. The offside line runs parallel to the goal line through the feet of the rearmost player in the ruck. The first point to make is that the ball carrier must release or play the ball immediately - when the tackler rolls away - generally by stretching as far back towards his own goal line to place the ball. The second point is this requires great support from his team mates who must join the ruck to clear out opposing players and give time for the scrum half - or half back - to pickup the ball out of the ruck and deliver it to the first receiver, usually the fly half - also called 5/8. The plan for next week was for the scrum, review the basics, then practice two-phase play onto a ruck. This minimal plan has been thwarted by the impending 10-a-side competition so, having two assistant coaches, the next training will include scrums and lineouts continuing onto ruck and clearing out into open play, including a bit of kicking for starts, restarts, dropouts, free kicks and penalties. A lot for one training but it promises to be a busy and satisfying one.

The seniors training was timely in also being preparation for the weekend trial matches including scrums from basics, and lineouts. After the tackle and ruck drills to exhaustion with two sore ankles and other bruising I limped away as the guys continued onto lineout practice. In a game, the only time I will join a lineout is to make up number in any case since I am a bit too short (5'7) to be a strong contender for the ball. Before my last retirement I shifted to loose forward or wing instead of the hooker position that I played in juniors and colts. As usual, we are short of front rowers so I have again been drafted into the hooker position. I am almost ideally sized for the position, I must admit, being solid and strong - 85kg, used to play between 72-75kg about 12-15 years ago (sigh) - able to play as a loose forward in open play, and a bit shorter than the props.

The trials match yesterday was hard going in the mid-30s heat and a bruising physical encounter. Even with uncontested scrums I got wiped out and hammered several times when cleaned out of rucks by Wests players. I barely suspect that my bruised left eye was a fist or elbow intended to intimidate me - I could not get up for a moment and then had to recover my bearings - second black eye to match the right one acquired in training. My right ribs are badly bruised from a heavy take down, his full body weight on my ribs, that was surely dangerous and if not deliberate than indicative of poor skills and coaching, the full body weight through elbow or knee into my side. Maybe both of these incidents were random, unrelated and it will get better week-on-week from here. Otherwise my playing career will be over before the season has started because I cannot continue to take this sort of beating and to continuously be carrying injuries on the field and at work.

UPDATE: Undergoing physiotherapy for badly bruised ribs and intercostal muscles. Cannot train for at least 10-14 days. Will remain painful while taking deep breaths (eg. while running) and to the touch for many weeks.

Bruised but not Beaten

The full contact drills in seniors last night have left me bruised but not beaten. Several of us suffered the kind of lower leg injury that is common inside the tackle zone during rucks, and even mauls, when a boot slides down and across the leg or foot of another player. The bruise and blood drawn on my left ankle and a real shiner around my right eye from an elbow are typical of bruising as a direct result of physicality in the contest.

My sore shoulder, triceps and quadriceps - worse on the left side - are less typical and are probably age-related. The balanced, bent knee, semi-squatting position loads up the legs, driving into rucks and mauls, sprinting off the mark contribute to muscle soreness in the legs. Poor tackling technique on my part coupled with the speed and strength of the ball carrier led to me left arm being partially extended in a tackle, causing immediate concern at the time but only lingering soreness. Yesterday I could not lift with my left arm however today I have full range of mobility. The difference in speed of the younger fellows, 10 years or more my junior, in getting into position is quite pronounced; as is their size, often a foot taller and 20kg heavier than I am.

The mental toughness and confidence needed to fully commit to the tackle contest has been hammered into me by my own experience. The concept translates directly into the u14s I am coaching where some of boys have a natural trepidation about tackling. Next week we will explore the tackle zone, technique and laws governing the ruck but yesterday afternoon we concentrated on the tackle itself. As I was shown in the Rugby Foundations course, we decomposed the tackle into several steps, with the tackler only grabbing the ball carrier at first while concentrating on shoulder strength and head position beside the tackler. Thumb to your ear, boys, keep your shoulder strong. Then grabbing the ball carrier's leg and finally executing the tackle to bring the ball carrier to ground followed by the tackler rolling away. We had mixed success trying this out in a variation of touch rugby at 50% of full contact - gentle take downs, no elbows or knees - where the ball carrier had to allow the tackle rather than try to break through the tackler.

The basics of passing, picking and placing the ball in pairs, picking up the free ball - front hand first, then rear hand to avoid knock forward, two-handed for good ball security - makes us ready to move onto the ruck next week. To encourage joining the ruck, giving the best chance of retaining possession and allowing time for the back to get into position is the next challenge for the young players. Master the ruck, clean out and ball-receiver roles to win games with positive play - everyone has to know where to go and what to do. Forwards join the ruck through the tackle zone; backs onside and in an attacking line. Juniors can be prone to kicking away possession under pressure and that is something to be avoided.

The set pieces of scrum and lineout are next off the block after rucks, then mauls, before we address start and restart kicks, dropouts and conversions. Kicking in free play comes last reflecting that kicks are usually the last option. By all means kick for distance from your goal line in defence; but rarely use ground or chip kicks in free play. Tactical kicks are difficult to execute with a high chance of losing possession but strategic kicks, for touch or distance to make time and space to regroup, have merit only if executed properly.

Twice as Hard

Being the first week of junior rugby training the turnout was less than complete, as you would expect, so u13s and u14s trained together under Chris' then Tony's experienced eye while I played the part of assistant coach. After a warmup run, stretches and a reprise of passing drills learned at the Rugby Foundations course, we moved onto a classic game of touch. Bit scrappy but fun and a great test bed for those skills that are hard won and necessary to become a competent player.

Also for the group of players to transition to being a team rather than a group of individuals. The catch and pass is so important and fundamental to the game - the boys mostly have good skills already and many a great eye, rarely does a ball get dropped - technically the intent of hands high, fingers to the sky, diamond thumbs to catch the ball, swing pass I saw reasonable adeptness, some are very, very good. Reminded to boys to use width, make space, quick and early move forward with the ball carrier, a couple of new boys shown to lower their centre of gravity. Warm down stretches and we are done.

My role as coach is to create the coaching plan for the season. During preseason training we should cover each of the skill areas and phases of the game at least twice, more for passing and tackling, focussing on techniques and safety for tackling, scrums and lineouts. The individual adeptness and team work to be comehighly effective at rucks and mauls takes a lot longer. Specialist work for kicks, start and restarts, drop outs, conversions, field goals and tactical kicking in free play. Five week basic program before the trial match before the season opener will be spent no these areas, using the same pattern every week of warmup run and stretching; running and passing; new skill description, demonstration and practice; minigame based on skill; warm down run and stretch. There is time enough during the season to refine this basic training pattern while exploring and practicing each phase and the many facets of the game. Have to learn the boys names, invite their preferences for positions and try it it, keeping horseplay in check and having plenty of fun along the way.

Hey, are those the seniors training over there? Let's join in and see how it goes. Geez, that drill looks hard. Hi there. Rick? You were club President, I should know that. Just hop on the end. But what are they doing. I will watch a bit. New guy Peter knows Tom the lock, follow him. Overs and unders. How does that work? I am over, right - go that way. Head for your man, then sharp turn right into the gap. The backs are very cerebral, especially the centres and this is a centres drill. Fast and hard, make space, drive through the gap, make a line break, cross the advantage line. My skills have eroded, my speed is fine, my autonomy is poor. Maybe I took a couple of reasonable lines but I feel like I am just pretending.

Forwards and backs in separate drills - forwards for lineouts. Ball throwers, over here. I used to throw, over a decade ago. You will do. The calls are... not for public ears. Jumpers, lift and support in the lineout. More to learn and remember. My throws have marginal accuracy, too slow, not enough spin, need more loop. Do I want to play hooker again, anyway? I had a bruising experience and a few dangerous scrums in the past. I moved to loose forward, breakaway or flank, or used my speed to run the wing. Maybe I don't have the skills, hands or feet, to exploit the ruck and be an effective flanker. The backs are fast and mobile. The hookers are solid, strong and mobile. I have been able to keep up so far with fitness from gym and running but I am out of position in almost every phase and drill.

Left-or-right , receiver passes or pick-n-place out of the ruck, from touch-to-touch, work to exhaustion. Clear, bind, only one scanner for each ruck, move to next ruck, open space, runner, take the tackle. Feels good to tackle - need to look after my weak shoulder, must keep my hand up, shoulder muscles tight not extended. Ruck and maul drills - first group of three, ball carrier to ground from man with tackle bag, next man clean out the opposition, scanner in tackle zone, then pass to new ball carrier, stay on feet for maul, bind, bind, bind. Great drill. Have to switch on to get into position quicker. Translating these basic moves into support during a game takes practice.

How much work do I have to do to be ready to play a game of rugby? How much more to be an asset to the team? I must be able to play fourth grade, surely, but could I make second grade? Questions to be answered at training next week and the week after. Ideas for my other role as coach, focus on competition in u14s versus winning in open rugby; simpler drills, same skills, smaller pieces for the boys to digest, more repetition, keep it interesting.

A day and two days later I am recovering from muscle fatigue due to running, crouching, driving, clearing, throwing like I have not done for many years. It feels good to be back.

Hey, Coach!

I expect to hear something like "Hey, Coach!" during my first session as coach of UWA u/14 on Thursday night, 1 March next week. I started off without a club affiliation and recently completed the Rugby Foundations full-day course for coaches and referees, having aspirations for achieving Level 1 accreditation and moving on to coaching seniors. At the course, I mentioned I had played colts (u/19) and seniors with University after being introduced to rugby by a South African headmaster I was lucky enough to have at senior high school. Tony, already a coach with UWA, suggested I might enjoy the atmosphere and energy of the club and, having thoroughly enjoyed myself during the Foundations course, coaching a junior side with him. So I rocked up to the Junior Rugby registration day with the intention of meeting and chatting with a few club officials and parents so I could adjudge how well I would fit it. I tell you, one and all made me feel welcome and I am encouraged to turn up to first training on Thursday night to take up the reins.

Rugby WA has done an amazing job in the development of community rugby in WA and encouraging the grasroots support that is the foundation for premier amateur and professional competition. Personally, I have a strong, emotional interest in the success of Australian national rugby team, the Wallabies, and the Emirates Western Force who respresent Australia in the Investec Super 14 competition, arguably the toughest rugby competition in the world bar none with 14 southern hemisphere teams battling it out in the three participating countries of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Perth, Western Australia owes the success in attracting the Super 14 franchise to Perth to the support of expats from the two other countries and the UK since, like the other southern Australian states of South Australia and Victoria, WA is traditionally supportive of Australian Rules Football; rugby, like the round ball game of football, has a long way to go in building a rival support base.

The philosophical basis of building all-round skills that I subscribe to is good for juniors in the game who really do not yet know what positions that will take up in their senior careers. Forwards become backs; locks turn into centres; wingers into flankers. It is unfairly restrictive to box youngsters into positional roles based notionally on their developing body shapes or favourite players' positions. So while solidly-built young players are directed into the forwards, taller players into the second row or the centres, ball quicks and those fleet of foot into the wings or the halves, some positional flexibility should be retained. The 8s, 9s, 10s and 11s focus on the running and passing game, with tackling introduced bodily into the 9s and 10s, then field kicks, these basic and essential skills should continue to be developed and reinforced throughout the playing career. In the modern game at all levels, backs play as forwards to scavenge the ball from the breakdown after a tackle, say, ruck or maul; forwards join the backline in crossover defence, additional wingers or to power over the defensive or goal line.

That is to say that the modern player is more-rounded than the traditional, poisitional roles and in the fast and mobile rugby we mostly see played each person on the paddock is an all-rounder contributing to the contest and continuity that make rugby so great.