Our coaching ethos and approach is:

1. COACHING ETHOS & APPROACH

Our priorities will be:

Rugby should be fun but competitive
It should be inclusive.
It is about the team not individuals
Respect for the laws of the game, the club and those we play against is paramount.
We aim to be a successful team
All players should continue to develop and improve through the season
All coaches should continue to develop and improve through the season (if they keep playing as they are we are in danger of being left behind!!!)
Keep it simple

2. SELECTION PRINCIPLES

In friendly games all boys should be given fair game time (NB – we cannot guarantee ‘equal’ game time due to squad numbers, positions and injuries etc etc. We will base our judgements on availability, attendance and the game situation)
County Cup will be selective and based on form, fitness, commitment and attendance (at matches rather than training as we know some boys cannot make training through no fault of their own).

3. MATCH DAY ROUTINES (building the team spirit)

HOME GAMES:

ARRIVE – 1 hr before kick off – kids to gather in shirt (tucked in), tie and black or grey trousers/jeans in the club house, corner of the smaller bar. This allows them to bond, get all their silliness out the way when they meet (we have to manage this in the changing room at present) and then to get ready for the game with a clear head. I know this is a slight departure from what you have got used to but ask for your understanding on this.
POST GAME – we will do MoM presentation on the pitch unless the weather is foul.
Kids back into shirt and tie in club house please

AWAY GAMES:

ARRIVE – 45 mins before kick off in shirt (tucked in), tie and black/grey trousers. Straight to the changing room.
POST GAME – as home games.

4. BUILDING BLOCKS in TRAINING

Key areas for development in the coming months are:

Carrying the ball into contact
Communication
Ruck and Maul skills – i.e. the breakdown area
Running Lines
Defensive Patterns
Subduing the ‘freak’ (i.e. the 5’10” outhouse!)
Free Kicks and Restarts

In addition to this we will be doing some separate work with backs and forwards and will try to build in some capacity to do some one to one development especially with the half backs and full back. We are hoping to introduce a couple of guest coaches if we can as well – this is to give the boys a different perspective and to bring some specialist advice in.

5. DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOUR

We will be:

Respectful at all times – to the club, our peers, players, coaches and supporters.
Respected and looked up to by other teams
Honest
Supportive of Each Other
Friends – on and off the pitch