Gowerton Match Report

13 Players and parents, captained by Ed, braved the icy cold to take on Gowerton this morning. It was their first ever game, but you'd never have guessed as they were a good side who had clearly been training hard and it took Luca's hunger for the try line to separate the sides, I think 6-4 in the end. Player of the week is Matz for a wholehearted effort in attack and defence. Move of the day came from Connor taking the tap and running straight, finding support with an excellent pass which led to a try in the corner.

Things to work on - spread out in defence and attack, don't bunch up and get in each others way. When you are tagged make a quick pass to the first player in support.

Wednesday: training Astroturf, 4:30

Next Sunday: Penclawdd at home (Underhill Park) or training if they don't have a 7s. Time to be confirmed.

Record turn out for astro turf training!

Thanks to all that turned up last night for the Astro training. I felt it was a good session and slowly but surely the boys are begining to see the benefit of listening carefully and using the skills practised in the drills during the games. Keep it going lads!

Back to the Beach

A welcome return for the boys to the beach this morning. Well done all for picking up the change of plans on the blog. In the end Underhill was playable - but it was still a bog. Unsuitable for the silky running skills possessed by our lads.

Some good news for next week. Our Gowerton neighbours have been building up their 7s team and are keen for a match. There is a good setup at Gowerton and this has been a great fixture for the juniors recently so we look forward to accepting their challenge.

Dates for the diary
Wednesday: Astroturf 4:30
Next Sunday: Gowerton Match. Away. Meet 10:00 at Gowerton RFC. Directions can be found on this Google Map. You can either go through Fforestfach and head towards Llanelli on the A484 and turn left at the Gowerton Roundabout onto Victoria Road (B4296) you will find the club on the right, near the Harvester and Golf Range, surrouded by a blue fence just before the bridge. OR head up through Sketty and Killay towards Gowerton, and you'll see the club on Victoria Road, on the left just after the railway bridge. As usual, parking is a pain, but we have an early kick off so should be OK.

Sunday (25th) Training !!MOVED TO CASWELL!!

WIth all the rain last week and overnight, we run the risk of Underhill being cancelled at the last minute - or even being moved off the park in the middle to training by the Parky. Even if we are allowed, it will be a bog anyway. SO WE ARE TRAINING THIS MORNING ON THE SAND AT CASWELL BAY. MEET AT 10:00. It is easy to park and we play just in front of the steps, nice and close to the cafe for the parents!

It's usually a good alternative and we used it alot last year. The tide will be out. Only trainers are needed, not togs. Matthew and Ian will go straight to the beach to get set up, and Mike will go via the park and pick up any stragglers who didn't get the message in time. Patience appreciated as always. See you later.

Sunday Blues

Apologies to all for late cancellation this morning. Your patience is appreciated, as we have no control over the permissions for the pitches. It is especially difficult when the pitch was OK yesterday but it rains hard over the Saturday night. The Parky called the games off at 9:15, and also any training off the pitch - which is what we were counting on. It is a feature of mid winter rugby for all the clubs - but at least we have training on Wednesdays at the Astroturf - come rain of shine see you there at 4:30. Plans for next Sunday are training again, although we are trying to arrange a match. Details to follow.

Other news - Sky TV is back on in the Rugby Club. So you can go along and watch the Ospreys cling on to desperate Heineken Cup straws for another week (or so) .

Sunday 18th Training at Underhill

No match this weekend. So we will train at Underhill Park (Bishopston still out of action) at 9:30. Check for weather updates.

Rough and tumble. Another good turn out in the wind and rain at Astroturf last night, and all players are improving fast. The boys must remember not to be too over-enthusiastic when playing tag rugby. No handoffs or barging are allowed, you can only grab the tag and there is no diving on players allowed when they are on the floor. All these will result in penalties against them in matches. But we must also remember that contact will, before long, be a major part of the game and some knocks and falls are part and parcel of the game of rugby.

Uplands Report

Thanks to everyone for their support again this morning, and for a great turnout. Uplands again proved very tough opposition for the Wildcats. We think Uplands edged the scoreline, but a draw was fair on the effort put in by both sides and was agreed with the ref. Special thanks to Paul for encouraging the game to be played in great spirits and reffing the game so well. We are on the start of a rugby journey and we know that many such tasty encounters with our neighbours lie ahead.

Ian and Matthew will provide the full report, as I sneaked off to see Arthur's older brother in the under 9s clash. I'll quickly mention Myles' Man of the Match performance (for positioning, straight running, keeping the line, and tagging), and Sam's Champagne moment (for a show and go that Ian could only have dreamt of during his days on the wing).

Sunday Match Plans: GAME ON.

GAME ON. Just got confirmation from Uplands that the pitch is OK. See you there 10:30

Meet at Uplands promptly by 10:30 we will hope to get the 7s underway asap after that.
If the match is on - these are the directions. Swansea Uplands RFC is on Fairwood Lane, Upper Killay. It takes about 10-15 mins from Mumbles. Go all the way up Sketty Lane and turn left onto Gower Road (A4118 signposted Gower). Drive along Gower Road for just over 1.5 miles. When you get into Upper Killay, Fairwood Lane is on the left, directly off Gower Road (it is the left turn after the Summerland Park left turn). The club and pitches are at the bottom of the lane. See Google Map for full details here.

Remember training is back on, every Wednesday, 4:30, Ashleigh Road Astroturf. Well done to all the boys who braved the cold last night!

ALL RUGBY OFF THIS MORNING

Due to frozen pitch. Unfortunately there is no suitable spot for training either so everything is off. We'll be back in Astroturf training this Wednesday at 4:30 and for an away fixture with Swansea Uplands next Sunday.

Happy New Year - Plans Confirmed

Rugby is back this Sunday. The fixture is Penlan at home, but we don't think they are bringing a 7s side. We are hoping for a replacement match to be organised, but if we can't we'll do some training anyway. Due to some groundwork at Bishopston, the matches this weekend will be played at UNDERHILL PARK. Meet there at 10:45.

Wednesday rugby training also returns this week. We have 7 sessions booked at Ashleigh Road Astroturf, every Wednesday at 4:30.