Coaches Corner - First Review of 2025
Happy New Year to you all. It’s been a while since I last wrote to you before our home fixture against London Scottish back on the 14th December. I hope you have all had a good festive period.
Reflecting on our previous two games they were mixed in terms of results. The London Scottish game was one we really could have won. It was an even contest and came down to a matter of moments in which had we executed things slightly differently we would have come out on top. Of course the opposition will look at it in the same way knowing that a few things different for them and the game would have been more comfortable but we can take heart in competing hard across two fixtures against one of the stronger sides in the league.
The Marlow game was outstanding from our point of view. Challenging conditions should have meant that whoever was playing with the wind in each half would have the dominance and in the first half we built up a 25 point lead using the conditions to our advantage playing some excellent rugby. Sam Mark capped the half with an outstanding acrobatic finish in the corner that would have been fitting of the Premiership.
Half time was interesting as we headed back into the changing rooms, as we always do to go through our halftime process and we came out to a round of boos from the opposition crowd. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the level to which we wound them up but that certainly is not a consideration for our half time protocol. In the laws of the game at this level we are entitled to a 10 minute half time and I was always taught through my level 3 award that managing the half time period as a coach is important. It is the main opportunity once the game has kicked off for a coach to impact the game. Going inside allows us to control the clock and have consistency in that period of the match. It also allows us to reflect and solve problems away from the elements and away from the pitch environment. We will continue to do this because I feel it works for us and if we are to go to level 5 every team does exactly the same.
So we came out for the second half expecting to be pinned in our 22 by a Marlow kicking game but for some reasons they had other ideas and tried to run it from all areas of the pitch. This allowed us to get our defence set and we put in a magnificent 2nd half performance to pull further clear picking on their mistakes and playing with patience to secure a final score of 40-19. A pleasing result against our closest rivals in this league.
Another really enjoyable element of these two past fixtures were the social atmosphere in both our own and Marlow’s clubhouse. For the Scottish game our own senior players put on an awesome show with a nativity and some adapted carrolls that everyone enjoyed. The club is fast becoming an excellent venue to come and have a good time on the weekend and I have to credit Clinton and the bar staff for the excellent atmosphere they are helping to create along with everyone else involved.
This Saturday we face Hemel at home. Earlier in the season the away fixture was our first away win of the season. We ground out a win 34-29 win against a well organised Hemel side who had some strong ball carriers and a sharp number 9. We are looking forward to starting 2025 with a strong performance. It is pleasing to see our game continue to progress with the work we are doing in training and we hope that our constant development means that teams won’t be able to cope with what we throw at them. We hope to put on a show come Saturday for our loyal supporters.
With regards to selection we are without our talented young prop Rafe Sadleir but we are lucky that Tom Field is around to fill the void. We also have Lewis Jones on the bench who is a new recruit. Lewis played for me previously at Maidenhead and is an experienced front row who can cover all three positions and has lots of experience at level 5 and 6. We know that Rafe will be heading off soon as part of his masters course so we wanted to bring someone in who could provide quality in a key position for us. I know everyone at the club will make Lewis feel welcome.
In the backs we have been able to stick with the same lineup and in a similar situation to Rafe we know that Barnaby Howells (9) will be off travelling at the end of the month. This means we need to prepare and look at alternate 9/10 combos over the next few games so expect to see some changes throughout the game. Although we’d love to have Rafe and Barnaby around for the entire season we appreciate that life gets in the way and we hope they choose to return to play for us for next season as they have been integral to our success.
With it being the New Year it seemed pertinent to finish off this message with some New Year’s Rugby Resolutions. In terms of my coaching I want to work to be able to provide a more enjoyable and supportive experience for our players both on and off the field. I want to improve my knowledge and understanding of the game so that I can consistently stretch the team and help individuals push the boundaries of their potential. I want to find ways to support my team of coaches throughout this year. I want to be able to give them the space and support to try new things and make the necessary mistakes for them to get better at their craft.
In terms of the team I want to ensure that the rugby we play is enjoyable to play and watch, this can become compromised if we focus too much on results so needs to be at the forefront of our minds. I also want to create a culture of consistent recruitment so that we can deal with the ever changing player base and hopefully this will lead to us being a consistently strong level 6 side that in future can compete to win the league. Finally I want to put plans in place for next season that strengthen the connection between the seniors and the rest of the club. I've got some ideas so watch this space!
I’m excited for Saturday and another competitive game at the club. I look forward to seeing plenty of you on the touchlines.
Happy New Year.
Russ
