Coaches Corner - We Enter into Final Two Weekends of Regular (pre-play-offs) Rugby

I hope this finds you all well. Two games to go of the 1st XV league season, it feels like we are coming to the end but maybe in reality this is just the start of the 2nd part of the season. We will be heading to the playoffs and hopefully that will extend our season by another four fixtures. I can’t pretend that the prospect of a potential playoff final against my former club Maidenhead hasn’t crossed my mind! Whilst the 1’s have two league games left the 2nd team have 4 so we are still focused on working hard, improving our game and seeing what history we can create this season.

Last weekend the 1st XV travelled to Bushy Park to play Teddington. The main event was beers in the sunshine as the stags roamed around and occasionally tried to pick off the weaker members of our herd (I think that’s how deer operate). The precursor to that however was a really physical, tight contest against a good Teddington team. We have now won our four previous games against them but this occasions winning margin of 11 has been our biggest victory over them, that shows you the level of their team and how hard fought our victories over them have been. We started the game really brightly scoring a couple of tries through defensive pressure and that was really the story of the game. It was our outstanding defence led by Ben Smythe, Callum Saganowski and Henry Revill which provided the basis for our victory. The contest swung back and forth in terms of momentum and we had to dig really deep to keep them at bay and maintain a lead. The match was a milestone for front row Louis Graham as he reached his 50th appearance for the 1st team. Louis has been a cornerstone of our pack since my arrival. Originally one of many hookers in the squad, he embraced the challenge of learning to prop and hasn’t looked back since, making the number 1 shirt his own. A hard working player with great jackaling skills at the breakdown and an eye for a gap in the defence, Louis has shown how coachable, adaptable and committed he is as a player with plenty of room to grow. As a player who came through our mini and junior ranks and with mum and dad on the sidelines for every match Louis is the epitome of what makes our club special. I look forward to coaching him for another 50 caps.

At the other end of the scale we had Ethan Horne who made both his senior rugby and 1st XV debut. 1st XV fly half at RGS and heading down to Bristol Uni next year Ethan has made the step up to senior rugby seamlessly. On Saturday we saw the quality of his kicking game and he scored an excellent try with some good footwork and a physical finish. Ethan will be a part of the squad through to the end of the season and beyond that if things go well his future probably lies at a higher level than we can offer. We love that boys can learn to play and enjoy the game at our club and it’s awesome when the special few go on to play at a higher level. I hope that’s the case with Ethan and our job is to be here to welcome them back when they are ready whether that be after uni, or when they are in their 30’s and want to come back to the club. Either way we are excited to welcome these talented young players into our set up.

This weekend the 1st XV welcome Belsize Park to Windsor End. Earlier in the season we put in one of our best performances to beat them 43-12. As one of the teams that finished above us last season they have been on our list of things we want to achieve by doing the double over them. I am sure on the flip side they will not want to be beaten twice by us and will bring a level of physicality that will make our life difficult. They are also in the playoff places and a result over us will help them in their aim to finish 2nd or 3rd and guarantee them a home fixture in the first round. Squad wise we will have minimal changes from our last fixture. We have one absentee from the last game but several coming back to fitness who will be competing hard to get their places back. We have been working hard this week to make our defensive set up even tighter and on our backline attack where we are trying to give players greater confidence to create and put team mates in space. We had 40 players at training on Tuesday and when clubs around us struggle to put out sides I am incredibly grateful that our players are finishing work and choosing to turn towards the rugby club and not just go home. The commitment and dedication of our players is the overriding factor in any success we are experiencing, what a privilege it is to coach them.

It was 2 wins from 2 for our senior men’s sides last weekend as the 2nd XV had a comprehensive 40-24 victory over Slough 1st XV. Slough are a good mid-table side in the league and our lads played a fantastic first half to assert control. Having watched the game back it was some of the best rugby i’ve seen them play. The halfback pairing of Goss and Spring were excellent and set the platform for some great attacking rugby. This week they head to Marlow who I am sure would like to put a dent in our title aspirations and respond from being unable to put out a side against A&C last weekend. It’s going to be another tough fixture but one where I am sure the boys will put their hand up and show their title credentials.

Last week also saw the innaugral pancake and prosecco brunch hosted by our amazing Panthers side. I was away with the 1st XV but my wife who attended seemed to have had a very good time! The mix of men’s and women’s rugby at the club creates a brilliant atmosphere and I love that the club are trying to build events that happen around the rugby. These events attract different people into our club and show them what a brilliant place it is to be. It’s a lesson that the pro game has struggled to harness for many a year.

Lastly from me, a massive well done to all our junior teams that competed in the various finals last weekend. On the Thursday before Stroudy invited me to work with his U13 team and what a great bunch of lads they are. Willing to work hard and learn. To have sides across the club that compete hard in their respective competitions is a testament to the talent we have and the quality, dedication and passion of our coaches. We may not always finish 1st but the experiences we create for our players will last a lifetime.

Have a great end to your week, get down and support our teams and enjoy the final few opportunities to watch rugby at the club this season.

Russ