UNDER 12s MINIS RUGBY

2009/10 Season NEWS

21.03.10 Middlesex Festival

I arrived at Wasps early but by 9.30 we were still waiting on a few players. Texts and phone calls were flying around and it wasn't looking good. Lewey showed me his players plan but as the minutes wore on we were crossing more and more names off the list. No Alessandro so Harry's our new number 8. Usual suspects in the front row with Charlie in second row alongside Aaron.

The first game was against London Scottish and they looked to have some rather large players. They had beaten us last week so the boys were a little apprehensive. The whistle blows and, within the first few minutes, Aaron gets some momentum up and scores a bludgeoning try. It's looking good so far but let's not get cocky! As the game goes on two more similar tries from Aaron. Our forwards are dominating the rucks, mauls and our scrum is rock solid. We are winning most of the scrums with great hooking from Elliott and Matthew getting the ball out well to Andrew. Tadas scores another typical forwards try.

London Scottish get one back as we lose concentration and don't make the tackles stick. It's half time and we're 28 - 7 up, all our tries being converted by Harry and Andrew. "Wow!" is what I'm thinking. The boys are well and truly up for this!

The second half goes just as well with Andrew going wide with a long scything run to score our fifth try. We are all over them and it's our new, and very effective, number 8 - Harry, who gets the next one, ripping the ball from a maul and driving over their line. The last try goes to Andrew. The final whistle blows and we've won convincingly with 49 points to 7!

It's London Welsh next and they had beaten us in the league game earlier in the year. This however is a very confident Grasshoppers side that walks out onto the pitch. Oh dear - Andrew's first kick does not go well and the whole team go too early anyway. Everyone is offside. Has the bubble burst? Fortunately not .The boys are playing well again .Our forwards are on fire, winning virtually every scrum. The first try comes from an attacking scrum with Mathew getting the ball out to Andrew who goes over in the left corner to score. He converts. 7 - 0 up. Our second try comes as the ball goes loose from a ruck, is picked up by Ben and it's a foot race to the line. Harry converts 14 - 0 to us and the whistle blows for half time.

London Welsh come out fighting in the second half and get close a few times but our boys are making tackle after tackle. We are still dominant in the rucks. The boys must have finally had enough of me yelling "ruck over" from the sideline and are doing it just to shut me up. We have some more chances to score but are just stopped short. Ben makes the last play and gets high tackled close to the line. The final whistle blows. WE'VE WON. YEAAAAAH!!!! The crowd go wild.

All that's left for us to do is pick up the medals and trophy. A huge thanks to the whole team and parents who brought them along. I felt so proud to be your coach. It was a real team effort with not one of you giving less than 100%.

WELL DONE GRASSHOPPERS UNDER12S.

30.01.10 v Twickenham

Game scores;
42-12 For!

This was the grandstand game, playing in front of the clubrooms to an audience so big that all the seats were full and it was standing room only - and wow were the guys pumped for the occasion!

Our entry to the game started with a guy that is now realising the power he possesses, head and shoulders above the melee hanging off him and a newly attained attraction to the ball, Daniel scores a bludgeoning try. (Harry converts)

Hey ho, one back at us, there’s a real threat in their backline and he’s drifting positions. He’s got 11 on his back but he takes the ball openside in a good attacking scrum and goes blind – and blindingly fast, around Matthew, around Ben and also around Andrew to score in the corner. This guy is sharp! (they convert)

Taz and Jake now have been given a job for the game – close down number 11 before he can get going – in this they achieve majestically as that is the last we really see of number 11 (playing mainly at centre) and this is epitomised in an absolute case of rush defence by Jake when he charged out of the blocks and nullified the threat.

Alessandro straightens things up and finds the try line in a show of strength, speed and agility. (Harry converts)

At this stage we are all over them and defensively they try to get a kick away in which Harry charges down to be also fortunate in the bounce and score! (Harry converts)

They get back a soft try by their big guy that we don’t pull down too well. (their man rushes the kick and misses)

Alessandro gets another from a tap penalty and scythes all the way through to score. (Andrew converts)

All over them again, our defence is aerobatic, well at least Bens tackle is as he flies at the waist and slides down the legs with both players at full pace (have we taught them something?)

After half time we notice the presence of Aron as he grins his way over for a trademark try. (Andrew converts)

Tadas runs half the field and is unfortunate not to score as they bring him down just short (that reminds me – Matthew did the same early in the game!)

Alessandro tied up his hat trick with another. (Andrew converts)

Andrew tackled everywhere on the field, Alessandro was a 15 point machine – but man of the match in my opinion would be the team – they went out there with the will to win, and everyone pulled their weight – to everyone I did not mention – your combined effort won the game for the flash boys above.

Thanks also to the crowd which was worth 10 points for sure!!

11.11.09 Grasshoppers Minis B Festival

Game scores;
V Finchley 5-0 against
V Ealing 10-0  against
V Bank of E 35-0 For!

Water Polo, love it I do. So did Mark Andrews the Springbok who was capped 77 times, in fact he went back to water polo after his rugby career finished – he would have done well on Sunday.

It wasn’t that there was much surface water, in fact the grounds are in great condition and the coaches from the other clubs commented so.

I think sometimes I am smarter than most and Sunday was no exception, I decided that because it was wet but warm (hmmm) that fast drying shorts and gumboots were the call, however it rained so much that it (rain) simply ran off my legs and by 1pm my boots were almost full. – smart I am.

Oh yes Rugby.. The first game was as per usual a slow start for our boys, however the game result should have been 0-0 at the end but with a questionable try it turned out to be 7-0 – unfortunate considering that they made many mistakes and we were unable to capitalise on them.

In the second game against Ealing our trope awoke and closed down the attack especially from the fringes where their small, quick scrum half sniped away most of the game – Jake was onto this and after that threat was cancelled their dominance came from their support play in the tight and also their ability to clear the ball away from congested areas. What improved for us was our driving off the ball and our scrum held better and better as the game progressed.

Game three against Bank of England started with Matthew charging down the centre of the field thinking wow I am still going! The game result was 7 tries to nil and they came thick and fast (1 try every 2 minutes) My apologies to whom I forget but I do remember 2 from Andrew, 1 or two from Jake and between him and Luna had a field day of wrong footing most of the opposition. Kian followed on from last weeks try in practice with an identical one where in support of Andrew charged over the line late in the game, and this time his dad was watching! Tres scored a typical forwards try but you could see how happy he was as he rose from the over the line, you can see this from the photos of the event which are on this page then you need to register then click grasshoppers, 2009, festival, U12’s. – some good photos of Matthew, Andrew (2 hands!) and Jake with  poise, stance and vision.

But my pick of the day was the sound of a bunch of our guys late in the game laughing and joking away, and to me that’s what Rugby should be – even in those conditions – fun.

11.10.09 v High Wycombe

Game scores;
7-12 against
7-lots against (2nd half 7-7)

Oh dear, they have a lot of players don’t they? An A and a B squad – sure we can play 2 half hour games we have and A and B squad rolled into 1!

So after a fairly spectacular first game we were unlucky to let in an unconverted late try in at the end against their B’s – the game seemed to go on a little longer than needed, with a few injuries starting to appear.
The tired young bodies marched solemnly from Verdun to the fields of the Somme to face an entirely fresh team. Battle weary and up against a very strong opposition our lads were very brave soldiers and actually rallied when we went over the top in the second half to hold them out to a second half draw. Injury count included E. Mead, T Arkinson (shell shock) H.Fox, T.Hook (limb) A. Salomon (neck) M.Pickett (head) L.McCann (Shrapnel) and A. Mason (tear gas)
The big positive to come out even though we were missing our heavy artillery of specialist forwards including Aron, Peter, Kian and Tadas - the enlisted forwards drove the opposition off the ball 10 times more than the previous week, perhaps a more mobile light cavalry on the day worked well until face to face with the new tanks that they used in their scrum.

Well done guys, the result didn’t show the effort (comme Verdun et le Somme)

Lest we forget!

04.10.09 v London Welsh

Game scores;
5-7 against
14-7 for

Good turnout for the first away game of the year (nice sunny day!)
London Welsh had been a very strong team but were a little depleted on numbers.

The first game was a bit of a wake up to remembrance of competitive rugby, especially Taz’s try off our kick off with a pick up from a lucky bounce and then straight through the guts of their team caught napping! A bit unlucky on the conversion though...
Game 2 saw plenty of tackling opportunities for the backs as we seem to lose the ball in the tackle or were driven off it time and again. Special mention to Elliot whose tackles shone and Jake who managed to beat Andrew up to the defensive line. However it was Andrew who scooped the ball under one arm (we wailed on the sideline) and bounced out of tackles, wrong footed opposition and scored well.
I believe it was Peter who scored a bulldozing try as well (or was it Aron???). Although the results were good, I believe we had a thing or two to get right before next week. (possession, dynamism and driving forward play)

 

UNDER 12s LAWS

• 13 a-side – 6 forwards, 7 backs. Match squads of 15.
• Mini rugby with contact.
• Size 4 rugby ball.
• Maximum pitch size is 60 metres x 43 metres, plus 5 metres for each in-goal area.
• 20 minutes each way – no longer than 40 minutes.
• Scrum – 3 player front row and 2 second row locks binding around hips and number 8.
• Offside line (Scrum) – Scrum half behind hindmost foot of scrum until ball is out.
• Lineout (contested) – 2-5 players lineout between 2 metres and 7 metres from the touchline, 5th player throws in. A quick throw is permitted.
• Offside line (lineout) – 7 metres from line of touch.
• No hand offs, fend offs, scrag tackles or barging.
• Maximum of 14 fixtures and 3 festivals.
• Mouthguards and shin pads mandatory.
• Under 11s and under 12s may play together utilising the mini contact game format.
• Under 13s and above cannot play at under 12 or below.

Download the official RFU rules (PDF format / 76KB)