Coaches Corner - Ladies Day and Preview of OPs

Welcome back to another weekend of rugby at Windsor End. With the 6 Nations in full swing and multiple reserve weekends within our respective leagues it seems ages ago since we have a home game.

We took the rare opportunity as a senior section last week to take a week off from training. In my mind a mental and physical break was well earned before we head into the final five games of the season. The expectation now is 8 weeks of high quality work to make sure that all of the good stuff we have done this season is cemented.

It was really cool to see the lads organise their own social event (as ever supported by Angie) on Thursday evening as they hosted a curry and quiz night. Ensuring that we take the time to socialise and bond away from the rugby pitch is so important to us building a close knit squad who value and appreciate the time they spend together. I firmly believe that our togetherness as a group of friends has helped us get through some challenging moments on the pitch this season.

Looking back to our previous fixtures it was another excellent set of results for our 1st and 2nd XV’s. Teddington away was a tough match and they showed some incredible attacking quality in the first half that we struggled to contain. We managed to go in at half time relatively even though. This was largely due to an impressive carrying display from Braiden Broughan (playing at 8) who Teddington found impossible to stop. In the 2nd half we needed to make some adjustments to the way we attacked, largely based on Teddingtons back field set up and we had a hugely fruitful start to the second half where we camped in the opposition 22 and as they proceeded to give away penalty after penalty the referee rewarded us with 2 yellow cards and a penalty try. This period of the match really took the sting out of Teddington and from there we were able to control the game and finish in a relatively comfortable position. I must make mention to the coaching of our forwards coach Lee Goodall as our lineout is improving significantly. We scored two catch and drives against Teddington and Lee’s coaching along with the leadership of Harry Berryman and Thomas Rendall in this area must take credit. If we can add a strong attacking lineout to our toolbox of threats then we can make another step to being one of the best teams in the league.

The 2nd XV had a strong victory over Hungerford running out 36-5 winners. They are currently sat in 6th position but have a very realistic opportunity to finish in the top 4 of their league. This would be an incredible achievement and they have already amassed more league points this season than the previous 3 seasons combined. Boys continue to impress and it’s great to see players such as Alex Spring, Harvey Hewson and Matt Holyland step up to 1st XV level following excellent performances in the 2nd XV this season.

So it’s Ladies Day at the club this Saturday and what a wonderful opportunity to show our appreciation to the amazing Women who make our club tick. I have mentioned Angie before but she is the heartbeat of our squad. She works so hard to ensure our players are looked after and well fed and she genuinely cares about how we take the club forward and make it an amazing place to be. I see how hard she works on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturday match days and then I see her on a Sunday morning at the club making all the kids feel welcome as she looks after our mini and junior players. Thanks Angie for everything you do for us.

Then we come to Tiana and her physio team, Charlotte, Dr Gemma and Rosie (Connor as well). The physio team not only do an excellent job at rehabbing and getting the boys back on the pitch but the physio’s are always the ear of any squad. They build strong connections with the players and often act as psychologists as they hear all the gossip as lads try to avoid fitness/contact/training, or all of the above! Tiana and her team are invaluable to us coaches as they understand how individuals / the team are feeling. We are very lucky to have such a professional and caring physio team.

Wendy Boyd has just taken on the role of Head of Women’s Rugby. Speaking to Wendy, what an amazing advocate for the women’s game she is. Full of passion, energy and ideas I know that she is going to have a massive impact on driving rugby at the club forward and I am excited to work with her as we ensure all of senior rugby at the club (1sts, 2nds, Bandits, Women’s and 3rds) continue to progress.

Finally, Jane Wood who has hosted and prepared the pre-match lunches for many years. Jane has decided it is time to hand over the responsibility and it is a testament to her how well attended our lunches have been so far this season. I am incredibly grateful to Jane as she has been so welcoming and caring since I have joined the club. Hopefully Jane will now take the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality that the club has to offer and we can show her how grateful we are for years of service to the club.

So briefly to today’s game. Away against Old Priorians we emerged as 36-29 winners and we look forward to welcoming them today. They have been on a good run and have won their last five fixtures including an impressive away win against Belsize Park. We are certainly going to have to be at our best to get a result this weekend. With selection we will unfortunately be missing skipper Henry Revill who continues to recover from a shoulder injury. Thankfully we have lots of great options and we can be confident that whoever fills in has the potential to impact the game in a positive way. In the pack, we continue with Braiden at number 8. He was hugely impactful in the previous game and this is an easy decision to make when we consider the huge strides taken by Louis Graham at tighthead prop. I really like the balance of Rendall, Broughan and Brindley in the back row as it has a great mix of pace, power, aggression and skill. I’m excited to see the boys play and compete this weekend against one of the form sides in the league.

I hope to see plenty of you down at the club on Saturday. It’s due to be cold so do wrap up and be sure to go see Clinton behind the bar and get a couple of pints in you to keep you warm!

Have a great rest of your week.

Russ