Happy New Year

Everyone's had a good christmas break so we need to get back to training in January. There will be no session on Friday, but we will have a full training session on Sunday 4th starting 10:30 at Underhill. Please be there, we have lots of hard games coming up in the new year.

A general note - please everyone keep using teamer so we know about numbers. If you don't want to text back to the invite, you can just log on and do it on line. We will be moving to a new Mumbles website soon, which has similar features (run by the WRU) and I will let you know when the changeover happens.

Xmas Break

This weekend there will be NO TRAINING on Friday.

On Sunday we plan to have training at Underhill. Time to be confirmed.

Our annual parents v boys match will take place on the beach at Caswell some time between Xmas and New Year, when the weather and tides are right.

Back in action in Jan with a massive challenge against Ferry Steelers. Enjoy, mike

Free weekend

Training OFF tonight. Ben is away, and the weather awful

Lie in on Sunday - no match

Don't forget the social at the Newton on Saturday. See you there.

Social

***** The big tree has now fallen on the junior pitch! So yet again the Gowerton Match Kick off has been moved, so please now meet at Underhill Junior pitch at 9:15!!! We will play a curtain raiser before the u16 cup match so there should be a good atmosphere even with an early start *****

Money and food orders for the Social at the Newton on Nov 22 needed by this Sunday. Please give the cash to Helen or Sian at training or Friday or at the Gowerton match at the latest.

Public meeting

An important notice here. This is not just about the rugby, but about providing decent facilities at Underhill Park for the first time in very many years. In comparison with parks all over the country it really has poor facilities and not what you would expect given the extensive use for wide catchment are and the role of the village as holiday/recreation destination. Plans have long been on the agenda for Underhill, but are now closer to reality than we have been for some time. This public meeting will air some of the issues and support of the community is going to be crucial. All support welcome. Here is the official club announcement calling for people to attend....

A Public Meeting has been called by Cllr Tony Colburn and Cllr Miles Thomas to take place at All Saints Church on Monday 10th November 7.00 p.m. to discuss the proposed developments at Underhill Park which are
 
1. For Mumbles Community Association, a newly formed charitable incorporated organisation, to take a long lease (for either 99 or 125 years) of the Park and therefore be responsible for it's upkeep
 
2. To seek planning permission to construct an all weather pitch paid for by the Boys & Girls Club of Wales
 
3. To build new changing rooms with function rooms and bar facility subject to grant funding

Simon Tse will be making a presentation on the company's behalf  and we would ask as many people as possible come along to show their support  

Regards

Clive

November

First up, best wishes to Lloyd who's shoulder injury is taking much longer to heal than expected. We know how much Lloyd will be frustrated missing out on his rugby and hope to see him back in the line before long.

Match on Sunday is away at Waun. Meet 10:15.

The week after that we are back at home against Gowerton.

On the weekend of 22/23 we have a free Sunday so far, but the social is going ahead on the Saturday at the Newton. Money and numbers to Helen or Sian at training or a match day.

Social

First - no training this Halloween Friday. But match at home again against Tonmawr on Sunday.

The proposed Lucton Tour is postponed. We will aim for something similar, with a bit more warning, in the new year.

But we do have a social coming up.....Family Evening. Saturday 22nd November at the Newton Inn. from 4:00. Children's meal £6. Names and payment to Helen Thomas or Helen Williams. All welcome.

Tour Info

Update - please respond to the Lucton teamer invite asap!

[note: kick off for sunday moved back a little, so meeting time is 10:45]

We have the opportunity of a mini tour, to coincide with an invite to Luctonians for a Sunday festival of u13s rugby. The timescale is short though, so we need firm answers to the teamer quite quickly to make sure we have enough numbers.

Here is the proposal:

Saturday 22nd November meet outside Mumbles RFC about 12:00
Coach to Brecon for outdoor Laser Tag
Coach to Hereford for evening meal (something like a Harvester)
Overnight at Hotel in Hereford
Sunday 23rd Nov, coach takes us short distance to Lucs for the rugby
Coach leaves Lucs about 4, return to Mumbles by 7.

Based on the quotes I have so far, and based on 20 players + 20 adults travelling the cost will be about:
£50 adult (travel, hotel, breakfast)
£70 child (travel, hotel, breakfast, laser tag)

The additional costs will be Saturday evening meal and burgers/drinks etc at Lucs on the Sunday.

If this goes ahead, this will be our tour for this season. We all know what a good bonding experience it has been for the boys in the past.

Please respond to the teamer and send any comments to Mike (07846334962) or give them to Ben/Ian on Friday training. We need to book this asap if it is to happen. 

Bont at home

We are lucky to be back on the senior pitch again this Sunday, with a match against Pontarddulais. We will be meeting at 9:30 for a 10:15 kick off, so players from both sides can get up to the Liberty easily afterwards for the 1:00 Ospreys KO.

Setting up the pitch
Can all parents and players be aware of the help we need on a Sunday morning setting up the flags (there are 14 to put out on the main pitch) and post protectors. This is especially important after a game when people tend to forget and drift away.

Tour Hosting

Well September was every bit as tough as expected, and this reflects how physical the game gets in the teenage years. But for the moment we can put local rivalries aside and look forward to hosting a touring side from Bromsgrove School. As we had a fixture with Dunvant planned and with Bromsgrove bringing 2 sides we have rearranged for the following at Underhill Park, on the senior pitch.

10:30 KO Dunvant vs Bromsgrove 1
11:30 KO Mumbles vs Bromsgrove 2

It is something different for the boys to really look forward to, and we hope as many as possible can join us back in the clubhouse for food afterwards. The Bromsgrove group will be coming back for a couple of hours before they go to the Liberty Stadium to watch Ospreys v Cardiff. We all know the big game will be Wales v England in the morning at the park though.

When September Ends

A quick word on the huge effort put in by the boys for the first 2 games of the season. The defence has been fantastic. It will not get any easier though in the next 2 matches against the powerful Morriston (away this Sunday) and Loughor (home the week after) sides. Rest assured not every game will be like our September start, and it is always an important challenge to test yourself against the best out there. Keep it up boys.


Matrix Redux
Last year we ran the Matrix for match invites, and rotated within each game according to a complicated formula of quarters, which proved difficult to design and implement, especially when players dropped out at last minute with coughs and colds etc. So for this season (at least until we come up with something better) we are taking team selection and all rotations / substitutions on a game by game basis. One of the reasons for this is that there are increasingly specialised positions we need to fill each week, right from the front row to full back, and a huge variation in the strengths of teams we take the field against. We can't promise a perfect system, but luckily we have set up another packed fixture list, and we remain committed to giving all the boys in our large squad lots of time on the pitch over the course of the season.

Cracker 7s Rugby Festival

Rugby is back this weekend, 22nd to 25th August.

Friday 22nd u13s Training 4:30 Underhill Park, followed by Mumbles 1st XV v Swansea
Saturday 23rd Senior and Youth XV take on Resolven in two games. KO 12:30 and 2:30.
Sunday 24th the 25th annual Cracker 7s Senior Tournament starting at 12:00.
Monday 25th Juniors Family Fun Day. Starting at 10:30.

There will be a BBQ and beer tent up and running over all 4 days in Underhill Park, so let's hope for some decent weather to get the season underway.

Just to highlight the Monday event organised by Jon Price. All the facilities from the weekend will roll over for this (BBQ, drinks etc) and Jon will be running a fun round robin 7s tournament. Teams should be 7 a side and a mixture of minis, juniors, youth, adults, mums and dads. If anyone wants to put a team together then registration is 10:00 on the Monday. If anyone wants to play but does not have a team, you can join one in the morning or create a new one on the day.

There will be fundraising stalls, and if anyone wants to run one (with proceeds to u13s) they are welcome (let me or Jon know).

More Touch Rugby

Grant and Phil who coach the Vikings (u11) are running touch rugby at Underhill on Fridays at 5:30. Some of the Wildcats have been down the park and joined in, and Grant has extended the invite to anyone in the u12s who fancies some summer rugby. It is purely for a bit of fun, fitness and handling skills. It is definitely an informal event, but I will still be sending out teamer invites. This is just because if everyone is busy doing something else and there are very few takers, then Grant can cancel so no one wastes time (and we can use the teamer cancellation notification). It is also a great opportunity to learn some real Touch skills, as Phil is a recent international on the seniors circuit, and played for Wales at the last World Cup.

Summer Touch Rugby and Thanks

Thanks all for the support during another all action season. Bring on u13s.

In the meantime, if you are over 14 and want some fitness over the summer, then Jon Price has entered a Mumbles team into the Summer WRU Touch League. He is looking for players, so if anyone is interested (male/female/mixed ability/brothers/sisters) please contact Jon on 07837223848. It is intended to be a fun and social way of getting and keeping fit. First game is Wednesday 21st May, games at Ashleigh Road University pitch. Meet 5:30 for 6:00 start.

Presentation night On

Weather looks good for the presentation night plans. Meet at 5:00 at Underhill park for a run about then back to the clubhouse by 6:00. Don't forget to 'bring a plate' so we can tuck into a buffet and the clubhouse will be open from 5:45 for those going straight there or wanting to drop off food.

No training this Friday

....and best wishes to Ben on his operation. See you at the presentation evening next Wednesday.

End of Season Presentation (bring a plate to the club)

Our final event of the season will be the Presentation evening on Wednesday 14th May. Weather permitting, we will meet at Underhill Park at 5:00 for a game of touch rugby, and then head down to the clubhouse at 6:00 for the actual presentation. If you can't make the rugby at the park, meet us at the club at 6:00 and you will not miss anything important.

We will have a quick season review starting about 6:15, followed by presentation of new jerseys and team year photo. After that we will have some food....

Food will be an informal 'bring a plate' buffet at the club. Please bring along a contribution to the clubhouse at 6:00.

USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Important message from the Chairman:

Dear Parent                                                                                                                

It has come to my attention that there have been incidents of ‘cyber bullying’ between boys of Mumbles RFC and boys playing for other local Junior teams. I understand this is done by using Facebook and in some cases Twitter.

While I understand it is always difficult to monitor everything that is put on the Social Media network, it is concerning as to how much children are allowed to use these programmes without parental guidance. I do understand that this type of socialising can be great fun and very helpful, however I believe it can also be very dangerous when used to tease and then abuse others.

When your children join a rugby club they do so not only to develop their rugby skills but hopefully to develop their social skills as well. They should be enjoying themselves and developing friendships not only with their teammates but with players from other clubs. Messages that carry threats and abuse prior to and after a game are not only dangerous but have no part in this great game.

I would like to take a common sense approach to this problem and would ask that you, as Parents, remind your children that getting involved in abusive messages on Social Media networks is not appropriate and should not be allowed to develop. Indeed if they are a victim of such actions they should tell you straight away so that the issue can be addressed before it has a chance of doing any damage.

I sincerely hope you are with me in trying to stamp out this form of abuse and you and your children continue to enjoy being part of Mumbles Rugby Club.

For your information I have sent a copy of this note to local clubs in the hope that they share my thoughts in trying to solve this issue. While I appreciate we are never going to get rid of the problem we can at least try and minimise the effect it has on children.

Yours in Sport

Martin Rodwell

Chairman

Mumbles Rugby Club

Team Photo!

As we wind the season down we will have our team photo this Friday. Meet at 4:45 for the photo. Please try and make it, even if you can't stay for the training afterwards.

Training will be touch rugby again. But Ben will also be taking a group of the forwards off to start lifting in the lineout. The rules we are trying to follow for out touch rugby session are 'international' touch rugby laws and can be found HERE.

Thanks to Tonmawr on the weekend for coming down at the very last minute. It turned into a great Barbarians style end of season try fest, with tackling optional.

We will have touch rugby (and lifting) training on Friday 9th May. And we are aiming to have our final event of the season: a game of touch followed by presentation of new jerseys on Friday 16th May (at Underhill weather permitting). Teamer confirmation will be sent out asap.

Last Game of Season

We have had a last minute arrangement of a game with Tonmawr. Meet down underhill park at 11:30 on Sunday and we will play on the main pitch after the under 15s match against Dunvant. The visitors are missing a few boys because my invitation was so last minute, but they are still keen to come. We might have to take turns to share out the players a bit , but it should be a great way to finish the season with some proper rugby and action for all. After the match it will be food at the club. As this is the last game it would be great to get the majority of the boys back there (and the Cardiff football game will be on!)

Keep an eye out for a couple of other end of season events.
1. Touch rugby training every Friday at 5:00.
2. Team Year Photo
3. End of season presentation of new jerseys.

Easter Weekend - relax

No training or match this weekend. We hope to have an end of season event next week.

Skewen Match

Training this Friday at 17:00 Underhill Park.

Match vs Skewen on Sunday meet 10:15.

Season run in

We are starting to see the end of another season now. Even with all the rain we have played 25 games, and now have just a few left. Next week is Mother's Day, and we have a Sunday off. After that we then have Waunarlwydd and Skewen on the road, followed by an English touring side visiting which will be our last event of the season. We will need to start organising a BBQ for this fairly soon and will need volunteers for that.

Training as usual this Friday at Underhill 5:00.

Gowerton Match

Meet 10:45 at Gowerton this Sunday. Full squad invite. For everyone's information we are about half way through the 3rd matrix cycle, but we have put in lots of full squad invites in the middle of it due to various reasons, like the weather or half term or not getting round to sorting out the permutations in time!

Training Friday at 5:00 at Underhill.

Half Term plans

Training Friday at underhill 16:45.

Match vs Bishopston next Sunday (2nd March) meet 10:15. Matrix team selection has been sent out.

Ferry Steelers again

There is a ray of light in the weather at the moment, and it is looking good for a match this Sunday against Ferry Steelers at TATA RFC ground (remember this is a merged side with Briton Ferry and TATA Steel - so make sure you go to the TATA ground!) This is a well drained ground and we expect the match to go ahead.

Meet at 10:15 on Sunday. Directions here. Sat Nav: SA13 2AD

Please try and be there prompt for a good warm up as we will be very rusty.

Training Friday 4:45 at underhill as usual.

Training at Park and Ferry Steelers on Sunday

This week we are trying the park again, with a 4:45 start. If we start early then we should just about get a good hour's light and will be able to find dry areas away from the lights.

SUNDAY MATCH OFF

Friday training OFF

No training today. The pitch at the 360 cafe has portable floodlights, and it is too windy to set them up. Frankly it is horrible out, so better off with another break. Fingers crossed for the match on Sunday. Meet 9:45 on the dot so we can remind everyone how to play before kick off!

News

Loughor game is OFF due to the weather. Enjoy the mid season break.

Fundraising Call: having gone the the books this weekend we don't have any cash. That is fine, because we don't need to spend anything at the moment but we could do with a system of regular fundraising, to gradually build some reserves. It would be great if a couple of our supporters could take on this role, with the usual things like raffles at home games. If we take in about £20 per game that would be an extra £300 per season. In the past the 6 nations competition has netted us some good cash. Any other ideas welcome.

Back to the beach rugby!

Training on Friday is OFF. Due to conditions at the park.

No match on Sunday either, so we will take the opportunity to play our annual Wildcats vs Parents touch rugby at Caswell Bay. We will need some volunteers (everyone welcome) to play the boys. Just turn up with some trainers. We will be playing at 1:00. Unfortunately this does mean a clash with the football at the Liberty stadium, but can't do earlier due to the tide times. After the match there'll be time to catch the second half of the Swans at the club remember.

Training on Friday this week

Good effort everyone for training in the mud bath in the dark.

For the match on Sunday Bonymaen have been in touch and are short of a full team, so we will only take a few boys this weekend. The team is:

Connor, Nathan, Tom H, Karate Josh, Fin, TTS, Owen
Arthur, Duncan, Ike, Jacob, Luke, Cam, Lloyd

Meet Bonymaen RFC at 9:20.

Happy New Year

WAUN GAME IS  ON AT BISH THIS MORNING!

No training tonight, with the state of the pitches and also the big Ospreys match this evening.

First match is this Sunday with a visit from Waunarlwydd. We are starting a new matrix selection for the next 4 games. Team for Sunday, meet at BISHOPSTON at 10:15. At present the pitches are OK. Expect updates if there is bad rain over the weekend.

Matrix 1: Forwards: Myles, Owen, Harry, Jack, Kieran, Ethan, Neil, Tom R, Josh

Backs: Arthur, Duncan, Luca, Cam, Lloyd, Sam, Oli, Dylan