Easter Plans: Week 1

Training as usual, 4:30 on Wednesday.

Next Sunday, match at Gowerton. Meet 10:30 at Gowerton. Directions Here. Note that this will NOT be a contact match. With all the rain recently we have not had enough practice sessions to take the boys into a match situation and we will be sticking to tag (apart from at training). I am sure the lads will be disappointed but there will be plenty of that action next season!

Don't forget the Lucton arrangements (details below). I have had some replies to the invitations - but not from all. Please respond by Wednesday.

Lucton

We are finalising our plans for the Lucton Tournament. This will be our first venture out of our country! I need to register the players, so if you have previously said you were coming, but have changed your mind please let me know asap. We also have limited places, so please let me know for definite as you might be taking up someone else's spot.

The following 12 players are currently on my list and have expressed the wish to go: Tom R, Arthur, Sam, Dylan, Luca, Ike, Eddie, Duncan, Ethan, Cam, Owen, Josh B.

The cost is £25 per player. This covers most of our costs for travel and registration. Spectators travel "free" but adults have to pay an entrance fee at the ground (I think £4).

The Tour Itinerary is as follows:
Sunday 18th April
07:45 Meet outside Mumbles Rugby Club
08:00 Depart by Coach to Luctonians RFC (near Leominster) (Nice coach with DVD and toilets!)
09:00 Short break on route
09:45 Arrive Lucton
11:00 Tournament Starts
16:00 Tournament Finishes
17:00 Depart Lucton
19:00 Approx. Arrive back Mumbles RFC

During the day we will play about 5 matches, against some very strong English teams. Please bring plenty to eat, picnic lunch etc. Although the facilities at the Tournament are excellent. There is a play area, a BBQ all day, and a bar. If someone brings a gazebo we can set up camp for the day, hopefully in the sun. Any questions, ask Mike 07846 334962.

Refereeing

Next season all matches will require a qualified referee. The coaches will be registered. But if anyone else has a burning desire to take up the whistle please let us know. It is very useful having a few reffing options, because we will sometimes split the squad into two matches, and also because at the younger age groups many other teams haven't yet got organised, putting an extra burden on us to ref if the game is to go ahead. There are several nearby courses coming up in June and August. The course takes a full day (a Saturday or Sunday) and is paid for by the club.

Gorseinon Report

First up - thanks very much to all the parents for getting into the swing of teamer so quickly. I hope everyone saw the benefits this morning, with full matches for everyone (and less travelling). We probably won't split the squad again this year. But it will be a fixture next season.

Matthew's Bont report is below. I can echo his sentiments. With no subs, everyone had to put in the effort and we are very pleased that the whole squad is developing so well. While Matt's team took to the road, the rest of the Wildcats welcomed Gorseinon at Bishopston. A relatively new team, Gorseinon were nevertheless a very good side, with some exceptionally quick lads. Mumbles responded through some excellent teamwork. The gameplan was to run straight and look for quick passes to the wingers in space. This was executed perfectly by scrum halves Jamie and Myles, and by Connor and Eddie as first receiver. The chief beneficiary was Sam who tormented the red defence and ran in 8 tries! Owen chipped in with a couple and organised the tagging for the day. Viking Mats made a welcome return to Wildcats for the morning. It was no surprise to his old teammates that he was outstanding in the tag and ran in two tries. The match was entertaining at both ends, and we thank Rob and Matthew for bringing the team at short notice. Definitely a fixture to look forward to next season.

On a final note, it was great to see Arthur make a return to action. After a very nasty month of post-viral illness he looks like he needs some big hot dinners, but managed to last the game and even nipped over for a couple of tries. Thanks to everyone for asking after him over the last few weeks.

Bont Match Report

Luca, Dylan, Duncan, Ike, Luke, Lloyd, Ethan and Cam led the Wildcats this morning in an eagerly anticipated encounter at Bont Comp. The boys agreed to play 3, 10 minutes thirds as the Bont squad was large.

With all the team given targets, and told that discipline was key to a good game, they all responded superbly. With the strictest, "to the letter of the law" reffing we have encountered in our tag rugby stage, the boys had to quickly adjust. This was something that we can all be proud of, the response was great.

With tries coming from Dylan (4), Duncan (1), Ike (1), Lloyd (2), Ethan (1) and Cam (1), the running, support play and passing from all was magnificent.

Special mention today goes to Lloyd who captained the side superbly and was always keen to get the ball and restart. Also Cam who did everything asked of him and more. He kept focussed and concentrated throughout the match.

Well done boys, I am proud of you all!

Sunday 28th

Don't forget the clocks go forward tonight! 1 hour less in bed.

Please try the teamer site and accept / decline depending on your availability. Go to www.teamer.net and log on with your e-mail address as your username. Or just reply to the text that was sent.

Plans for Sunday - you should have had a teamer txt with times and venues. Please log on or txt back with your availability - you can also change this at a later date if your plans change. Well done for those who have logged on already! We appreciate your help with this, it will make our organisation much, much easier in the future.

Half the boys are at home against Gorseinon. Meet at Bishopston at 10:30. Team is: Connor, Arthur, Sam, Josh B, Josh R, Jamie, Myles, Eddie, Owen, Tom H, Tom Ch.

Team for Pontarddulais. Meet at Pontarddulais Comprehensive School playing fields at 10:30. Address: Caecerrig Road SA4 8PD. Directions HERE. Team is Lloyd, Tom R, Dylan, Luca, Ethan, Luke, Duncan, Ike, Cam.

Teamer

You should shortly be receiving an invite to join the Wildcats "Teamer" site. This is a team organisation website that is very useful for notifications, last minute cancellations and for organising the squad next year when we might split into 2 teams more often. For each event, you can either 'accept' or 'decline' depending on your availability (via text, or by logging on). So that we, as coaches, know the number of players to expect. Replying to teamer by txt costs the usual txt amount. Replying by logging on to the site is free.

Please log on when you receive your invitation, and make sure your contact details are correct. The site is also useful for contacting each other to arrange lifts etc. as all our numbers / emails will be displayed (to Wildcats members only). The Blog will continue as usual and should be the first stop for updates and match reports. Teamer is useful as txts can automatically be sent to the relevant players, and is totally free.

Wednesday Training CANCELLED

Underhill is Underwater. So no training today sorry.

Some relatively complicated plans underway for Sunday. Half going to Bont, half staying at Bishopston. Please keep an eye on the blog for details. If anyone is NOT available on Sunday, please let me know now by text: 07846 334962

Sunday Rest

The fantastic turn out yesterday shows the boys are keen for tackling. Well done to Connor and Josh for quickly getting into the swing of it all.

Coaching tip of the day (in fact we'll be banging on about this for years!) Stay on your feet at the ruck.

This Sunday - Loughor do not have an 8s team, and a couple of the coaches are absent so we will have a break from rugby. Lie-ins all round for a change!

South Gower Match Report

On this particular weekend Mum's might not agree, but there aren't many better places to spend a Sunny spring Sunday morning than South Gower. A fine welcome as always, and the spice of the local derby. Well done to the boys for the patience waiting to play. It was great to see them relax and debate the finer points of the under 9s clash from behind the try line. I think several of them wanted to dive into the action. When our turn came, the traveling supporters were treated to an outstanding defensive display. Luke, Cam, Ethan and Tom Ch forcing the All Blacks backwards time and time again. There were strong straight runs from Myles and Eddie. Josh got himself in the thick of the action with great link work, and trademark finishing from Sam, Dylan, Luca and Ike. A great all round team effort.

Some more contact training on Wednesday. It seems the boys have a taste for it. See you at Underhill at 4:30.

South Gower Away on Sunday

A mother's day match at South Gower this Sunday. Meet there at 10:00 for a 10:30 KO. Directions to the ground at Pwll Ddu Lane here.

Just a quick thanks to all those who took part in an excellent tackling session on Wednesday. All the boys got stuck in and were very well behaved. Special thanks to Jon and Mike for stepping in help coach and allow us to focus on small groups.

Tackling has arrived...

First Contact Session. Wednesday 4:30 Underhill

NEWS! Several tickets have become available from the club for the Wales Italy match at the Millenium Stadium on Saturday 20th March. £65 each. Text me if you are interested.

Penlan and Bony report

Another great morning of rugby today. First up Penlan, with the clash of the cousins. Followed by Bonymaen. They turned into games of contrast with Penlan's passing skills and Bonymaen's runners. All the boys should be very proud of their efforts again, as they grew stronger as the morning progressed. In both games they adapted to the opposition, finishing ahead after close early exchanges. Second half performances were outstanding as they rose to the challenge, and listened to the coaches!

Contact Meeting

Main messages from last night's meeting:
1. Tackling training starts this Wednesday
2. Gum shields are very important. Please bring one to training sessions so the boys can get used to them. For the rest of the season, we will be introducing tackling and aiming for light contact, so a gum shield for this can be bought at any sports shop (e.g. H Sports in Uplands) for about £5. When the team moves up to u9s, and plays competitive matches, a custom gum shield is recommended. We have an offer from Luke's (dentist) dad to fit gum shields for the boys as a group. This will take place in August, in time for the start of next season.

Match on Sunday. Bonymaen and Penlan both coming to Bishopston. Be there at 10:15 for an early KO. Hot dogs at the cricket club afterwards.