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.