School rugby

[AVB]

I am quietly chuffed. My 8 year old has been selected for the school U9 Rugby team. I was 11 when I first represented my school so he has done better than me.

 

Mind you I think they are in for a beating. They are playing Bedford and they are a very strong school.

 

 

[hedd-wyn]

Congrats to him, rugby has the best sporting community IMO and hope he sticks to it.

I was taught to throw a rugby ball before I could walk.

[g fletch]

great sport, well done to your son.

[Big Mat]

Well done to him! I still remember the first time i was picked for a rugby team! Only stopped earlier this year after doing it for my whole school career, with abit of club rugby thrown in as well!

[NickS]

That's great! Involvement in any sport teaches self discipline, responsibility and commitment - all just as useful off the pitch as on. The interest you show as a parent is also very important so look forward to many cold, wet Saturday afternoons!

 

Nick

[cockercas]

I used to play for my school. Never picked up a rugby ball since I left.

[AVB]

Cheers. I played from the age of 11 and gave up when I was 40. Still think I have one game in me but I am 50 this year. I am not convinced Charlie will make it as he is quite small and one of the younger kids in the year but is willing to throw himself into it.

 

 

[derek.snr]

both my lads -20-25,play in the national leagues ,union not the dark side (league)and neither came played in school ,footy only schools.mates that your lad plays with now will be his friends for life,just try not to get too excited when he plays.

[rimfire4969]

Cheers. I played from the age of 11 and gave up when I was 40. Still think I have one game in me but I am 50 this year. I am not convinced Charlie will make it as he is quite small and one of the younger kids in the year but is willing to throw himself into it.

My lad has been playing since he was about 6, started with tag so size does not matter, now in under 14's for the same local club side and also his school. He is not the biggest but has great technique and has been made captain this season. He is a better player than I ever was.

 

Avb will still have one guy who turns out for our 2nd team he has just turned 62. We still have a number of players in the 2nds who are in there 40 and 50's who turn out for a match or half a match during the season.

[buckaroo23]

I loved school rugby, we had a good team and z good time playing, it put me on the path of a local team then I had the chance to play discret and a few county games, I wished I'd carried when I left school, started back up a few years later but knackerd my knee up and gave up, can't go and watch the lads as I always want to play 😢

[lumpy]

Good on him, Best ball game in the world IMO, played loads myself, my cousin's son play's Hooker for Cardiff Blues U18 and has been on trials for Wales U18.

[leeds chimp]

only gave up playing when i moved to Norfolk due to working Saturday now. I do miss it tho

[Aled]

Good stuff, great game rugby, even if he does not go on to play professionally as you probably know rugby has a great social life. I retired at 37.

As an aside, i played quite a bit at school until i was about 13, then overlooked by the 1st XV until i left...however after i left school i found club rugby, & uni rugby a lot of fun, but what really surprised me was how few guys who played a lot of school rugby carried on playing after leaving school. It seemed that quite a few could not cope with the toughness of club rugby. Quite a few of us who were overlooked in school enjoyed a long club carreer, that still makes me and a few of my mates smile..........

Tight Lines

Aled

[AVB]

I enjoyed it the older I got. All those years of experience really helped (I was front row!).

 

Wish I had taken it as seriosuly when I was younger and got decent coaching.

 

Mind you I wouldn't want him to take it up up profesionally (he won;t he is too small!). I have two friends whose sons are in Saracens Acadamy setup (and England U16). They have no life other than rugby. Far too serious.

[pegasus bridge]

my brother in law played from the age of 6 in school, not the tallest of players at 5'9", played for wales u16, u18, wales 7's, old albanians, saracens and now playing pro for a club in france.

 

the school i attended didnt even play rugby! - it was all football.

[Fatcatsplat]

Good stuff, great game rugby, even if he does not go on to play professionally as you probably know rugby has a great social life. I retired at 37.

As an aside, i played quite a bit at school until i was about 13, then overlooked by the 1st XV until i left...however after i left school i found club rugby, & uni rugby a lot of fun, but what really surprised me was how few guys who played a lot of school rugby carried on playing after leaving school. It seemed that quite a few could not cope with the toughness of club rugby. Quite a few of us who were overlooked in school enjoyed a long club carreer, that still makes me and a few of my mates smile..........

Tight Lines

Aled

 

Very true on the school vs club front - I was put at number 8 at school and got the odd game here and there - Left school and started playing club rugby, they switched me to hooker and i was then playing plenty of 1st team rugby in London 3 (as it was back then), Eastern Counties and finally Essex 1. Stuck the chunk on and switched to prop, retired at 40 and missing it like mad!!

 

Best game in the world to teach you about the importance of team ethics and responsibility

[leeds chimp]

I enjoyed it the older I got. All those years of experience really helped (I was front row!).

 

Wish I had taken it as seriosuly when I was younger and got decent coaching.

 

Mind you I wouldn't want him to take it up up profesionally (he won;t he is too small!). I have two friends whose sons are in Saracens Acadamy setup (and England U16). They have no life other than rugby. Far too serious.

i use to play for Leeds tykes (as was known then) from U17 to U18 on a Sunday and my other club yarnbury on a Saturday open age games. Had 2 trials for Leeds academy but did not take it serious enough to be doing "rugby" 6 times a week either training outside or in the gym.

[Scully]

Well done.A proper game!My son has played football for our local team since he was 9(and fair chuffed he is with this new seasons kit,sponsored by British Gypsum)is 13 now and also plays rugby for his Grammar team.He also represents our local team at cricket...he's never in!Super slim and super fit;when he shows off his six pack it's like looking in a mirror......I wish!

[Fatcatsplat]

Food for thought - I'm reading "Engage" at the moment - It's a bio of Matt Hampson who broke his neck during an England training session - Worrying and desperately sad, but very inspiring in a number of ways. Human fortitude is a wonderful thing

[Aled]

Another ex front row forward here, trouble is you only mature as a front row forward after a a good few years of playing.

Missed it quite a bit recently, however as i am now over 40 and have not trained properly there is no going back. I am retired. I will however play in a Lads v Dads match if my son plays for the U19's for my local club.My Dad donned his boots for one last time. Younger brother (who played professionally for Harlequins, London Sccottish & Llanelli) had given Dad some grief, "you won't see me for dust" Dad absolutely clattered him with a try saving tackle. I was on back crying with laughter. However how about a bit of poetry...

 

Why We Play The Game

 

By Rupert McCall

 

When the battle scars have faded

And the truth becomes a lie

And the weekend smell of liniment

Could almost make you cry.

 

When the last rucks well behind you

And the man that ran now walks

It doesn't matter who you are

The mirror sometimes talks

 

Have a good hard look old son!

The melons not that great

The snoz that takes a sharp turn sideways

Used to be dead straight

 

You're an advert for arthritis

You're a thoroughbred gone lame

Then you ask yourself the question

Why the hell you played the game?

 

Was there logic in the head knocks?

In the corks and in the cuts?

Did common sense get pushed aside?

By manliness and guts?

 

Do you sometimes sit and wonder

Why your time would often pass

In a tangled mess of bodies

With your head up someones ****?

 

With a thumb hooked up your nostril

Scratching gently on your brain

And an overgrown Neanderthal

Rejoicing in your pain!

 

Mate - you must recall the jersey

That was shredded into rags

Then the soothing sting of Dettol

On a back engraved with tags!

 

It's almost worth admitting

Though with some degree of shame

That your wife was right in asking

Why the hell you played the game?

 

Why you'd always rock home legless

Like a cow on roller skates

After drinking at the clubhouse

With your low down drunken mates

 

Then you'd wake up - check your wallet

Not a solitary coin

Drink Berocca by the bucket

Throw an ice pack on your groin

 

Copping Sunday morning sermons

About boozers being losers

While you limped like Quazimoto

With a half a thousand bruises!

 

Yes - an urge to hug the porcelain

And curse sambuccas name

Would always pose the question

Why the hell you played the game!

 

And yet with every wound re-opened

As you grimly reminisce it

Comes the most compelling feeling yet

God, you bloody miss it!

 

From the first time that you laced a boot

And tightened every stud

That virus known as rugby

Has been living in your blood

 

When you dreamt it when you played it

All the rest took second fiddle

Now you're standing on the sideline

But your hearts still in the middle

 

And no matter where you travel

You can take it as expected

There will always be a breed of people

Hopelessly infected

 

If there's a teammate, then you'll find him

Like a gravitating force

With a common understanding

And a beer or three, of course

 

And as you stand there telling lies

Like it was yesterday old friend

You'll know that if you had the chance

You'd do it all again

 

You see - that's the thing with rugby

It will always be the same

And that, I guarantee

Is why the hell you played the game!!

[AVB]

 

 

Very true on the school vs club front - I was put at number 8 at school and got the odd game here and there - Left school and started playing club rugby, they switched me to hooker and i was then playing plenty of 1st team rugby in London 3 (as it was back then), Eastern Counties and finally Essex 1. Stuck the chunk on and switched to prop, retired at 40 and missing it like mad!!

 

Best game in the world to teach you about the importance of team ethics and responsibility

 

Who did you play for? I played for Maldon in London NE 3/Essex 1 and Bishop's Stortford in London 2 before moving to HK and Singapore and finishing my 'career' there. I was Hooker/Prop at a chubby 16 1/2 stone. I am a bit lighter now at around 13.

[NickS]

There are plenty of positions where brains and ability matter more than size. My son is loose head for his school U16A and loves it whereas a friend's son is about half his weight and power and plays fullback. Horses for courses...

 

Nick

[NickS]

As anyone who who went to Harrow School will remember, The Song of the Forwards was always popular at House Songs:

 

Song of the Forwards

 

The threes they may stand in a graceful alignment,

The back may be shivering cold:

But forwards know none of such dainty refinement

Eternally rolling and rolled.

Shove, Shove, Shove, Shove,

And mind you are up and the first down to do it,

Shove, Shove, Shove, Shove,

Get down and get under, and heel or go through it.

 

Here’s wishing ’em strong, and here’s wishing ’em lusty,

Of speed and of courage no lack:

Each man in position, and all of ’em trusty,

All eight as one man in attack.

Feet, Feet, Feet, Feet,

one rush and together, let drive and let fly,

Feet, Feet, Feet, Feet,

and back up the leader and go for the try.

 

Now Nature has given you five useful senses;

You’ll find you need all in the scrum:

But pray for a sixth, for attack, like defence, is

A gift not to all but to some.

Break, Break, Break, Break,

their half has cut through, and their threes overlap:

Break, Break, Break, Break,

away to the corner, and fill up the gap.

 

When things go all wrong, and their forwards are pressing,

Go down to their rushes and fall:

The score may begin to look rather depressing –

Then go for the man with the ball.

Low, Low, Low, Low,

yes, put him down proper, and see he won’t quit:

Low, Low, Low, Low,

his back’s in the mud, and he’s there for a bit.

 

Play up! Does it matter who wins or who loses?

Play up, and play hard all the same:

There’s plenty of bumps, and there’s plenty of bruises:

They’ll teach you much more than a game.

On, On, On, On,

take strength and good temper and courage and speed -

On, On, On, On,

they’re not a bad outfit for life and its need.

 

Cyril Norwood

 

Stet fortuna domus!

 

Nick

 

[paddywack12]

Another ex front row forward here, trouble is you only mature as a front row forward after a a good few years of playing.

Missed it quite a bit recently, however as i am now over 40 and have not trained properly there is no going back. I am retired. I will however play in a Lads v Dads match if my son plays for the U19's for my local club.My Dad donned his boots for one last time. Younger brother (who played professionally for Harlequins, London Sccottish & Llanelli) had given Dad some grief, "you won't see me for dust" Dad absolutely clattered him with a try saving tackle. I was on back crying with laughter. However how about a bit of poetry...

 

Why We Play The Game

 

By Rupert McCall

 

When the battle scars have faded

And the truth becomes a lie

And the weekend smell of liniment

Could almost make you cry.

 

When the last rucks well behind you

And the man that ran now walks

It doesn't matter who you are

The mirror sometimes talks

 

Have a good hard look old son!

The melons not that great

The snoz that takes a sharp turn sideways

Used to be dead straight

 

You're an advert for arthritis

You're a thoroughbred gone lame

Then you ask yourself the question

Why the hell you played the game?

 

Was there logic in the head knocks?

In the corks and in the cuts?

Did common sense get pushed aside?

By manliness and guts?

 

Do you sometimes sit and wonder

Why your time would often pass

In a tangled mess of bodies

With your head up someones ****?

 

With a thumb hooked up your nostril

Scratching gently on your brain

And an overgrown Neanderthal

Rejoicing in your pain!

 

Mate - you must recall the jersey

That was shredded into rags

Then the soothing sting of Dettol

On a back engraved with tags!

 

It's almost worth admitting

Though with some degree of shame

That your wife was right in asking

Why the hell you played the game?

 

Why you'd always rock home legless

Like a cow on roller skates

After drinking at the clubhouse

With your low down drunken mates

 

Then you'd wake up - check your wallet

Not a solitary coin

Drink Berocca by the bucket

Throw an ice pack on your groin

 

Copping Sunday morning sermons

About boozers being losers

While you limped like Quazimoto

With a half a thousand bruises!

 

Yes - an urge to hug the porcelain

And curse sambuccas name

Would always pose the question

Why the hell you played the game!

 

And yet with every wound re-opened

As you grimly reminisce it

Comes the most compelling feeling yet

God, you bloody miss it!

 

From the first time that you laced a boot

And tightened every stud

That virus known as rugby

Has been living in your blood

 

When you dreamt it when you played it

All the rest took second fiddle

Now you're standing on the sideline

But your hearts still in the middle

 

And no matter where you travel

You can take it as expected

There will always be a breed of people

Hopelessly infected

 

If there's a teammate, then you'll find him

Like a gravitating force

With a common understanding

And a beer or three, of course

 

And as you stand there telling lies

Like it was yesterday old friend

You'll know that if you had the chance

You'd do it all again

 

You see - that's the thing with rugby

It will always be the same

And that, I guarantee

Is why the hell you played the game!!

 

Fantastic poem and oh so true.

I was still playing in the eastern counties league when I was 40 and my boy was playing U15's

I still hold out hope of playing in the same team as him one day even if its last 10 minutes of 2nd team game and my ankles can hold up.

My mate did it with his son and set up a try for him, could not stop him crying for hours after the game.

[Terry P]

I retired last year but unlike so many that just seem to walk away I did my coaches courses and have know set up a youth team and in the process of sorting a u15 and u13 teams. I enjoy it so much and the enthusiasm at the youth levels is amazing, after your playing career is over don't allow your club to lose all that experience, get involved and pass it on to the next generations, so many clubs are struggling to find coaches.