MINI MATTERS Week 13

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1 MINI MATTERS Week 13 Sunday 26 th November Vs Enfield Ignations Hello Datchworth Mini Section Coaches, Managers, Players, Parents and Supporters, This week was a busy one at the Club. Things got underway on Friday evening with the Age-Group quiz! The quiz proved to be a tense affair with the reigning quiz champions, (the U8s), coming from behind against a strong U9 team to win again and retain their quiz champions title!!! Hot on the heels of the Quiz; 50 people from the Mini Section met at the Club for a visit to Twickenham HQ to watch the England V Samoa game. The coach trip was somewhat quicker than many expected which provided a generous couple of hours for the kids to enjoy the Twickenham experience and the parents to enjoy the Bars! The game was a good spectacle and everyone enjoyed the trip. The new banner was also given its first outing and was seen extensively around Twickenham! On Sunday, we got back to some Rugby at Datchworth; we hosted our friends from Enfield Ignations on a fresh morning where all the age groups enjoyed an evenly matched fixture. The stories of this weekend s rugby are set out below

2 U6s Training at Datchworth: The U6s player roster is increasing week-by-week and this morning we were pleased to welcome Samson into the squad. Despite the cold and frosty start to the day, 19 children trained this week which was a fantastic turnout. The first 20 minutes of the session we spent getting everyone warmed up, coaches included, with the bean game to start, followed by a game of tag, and then moving straight into the obstacle course to keep everyone moving. It was great to see the increased enthusiasm over the past few weeks for tagging and falling and understanding how to fall and meet the ground safely. We then continued with our focus on passing and catching practise with a couple of different running and passing drills. These involved the children passing to the coaches and to each other. We finished the session with some seriously competitive bulldog, with some members of the squad particularly keen to defend. There were notable performances this week from Archie, Samuel and Lewis who survived to the end in both games. This week the player s trophy was awarded to Fin who impressed the coaches with his catching technique after listening and responding well to advice at the start of the session. Thanks also go to the additional parents who helped this week. U7s Datchworth V Enfield Ignations Fantastic morning for the U7s with some outstanding play and teamwork that makes these cold mornings worthwhile. With visiting teams, the most important thing is to make them welcome and have fun so we paired Enfield with Datch kids and had them in a joint warm up which started a good mornings tag rugby. Enfield brought 3 teams and we could match splitting our teams across our coaches Ric, Adam and Wes with 2 playing matches and 1 team doing some skill work or just having a rest. All our players showed great improvements. On Coach Wes's team Bailey and Kyran continued to progress well by supporting their team mates in both defence and attack; Nathan continued to prove the shortest distance to the try line is a straight line regardless of what was in the way and Charlie used his speed and determination to take the Ziggyest route to score. For Coach Ric Tommy and Kieran again showed more involvement especially in defence with Kieran always forward in the line and Tommy putting in the hard yards to stop everything. With all that desperate running, around again Martha controlled, organised the team to produce the best set off 10mins so

3 far this season. Coach Adam was lucky enough to have the Datch Globe Trotters to look after. In one breath taking piece of work Bo turned one player inside only for a desperate lunge to see a tag go but in the same movement passed it out to agile in boots Felix who was tagged on the line for James to score. Like the previous weekends, Jasper continue to not let players in his way stop him showing great footwork to swerve past players. A joy to watch and a very difficult week to pick a player of the week but we did and Lenny picks up the award this week for his work in the games but also in the technical areas showing a talent for the accurate pass. Our appreciation goes to our Enfield Ignation coaches who were excellent in their support and cheeriness. For now place your money on which U7s will make their full international debut before they're 20. U7s Green Army! U8s Datchworth V Enfield Ignations A good effort to the U8 parents at the quiz on Friday! I understand the U8 teams had some tough matches against two good teams from Enfield! U9s Datchworth V Enfield Ignations A very very very cold Sunday morning. We arrived a little earlier this week (5.30am) as the England cricket team had surrendered tamely to Australia overnight. The watch towers and barbed wire to keep the parents off the First Team Pitch had been dismantled from the week before, so it was lucky we got there early to get organised. Another fantastic turnout from the U9's with two special guest coaches Ollie and Cameron who between them play for the county and Saracens U18 academy, big thankyou to them.

4 So, to the business end of things...enfield arrived with two teams, we had numbers for four plus teams so two playing pitches plus a training pitch were set up. On the practice pitch the Datch boys were put through passing, tackling and positioning drills. The two matches we agreed with the Enfield coaches 20 minutes continuous rugby so no players were standing around. The matches produced some great rugby from Datch against some feisty Enfield play. Credit to our boys they stood up and dished it back, within the laws of the game...well almost!! We don't score however, we were comfortable!! The speed of play and fitness from our boys and girls is something to enjoy and week on week we get stronger. Congratulations to Player of the Week Luke who displayed TREDS Teamwork, Respect, Enjoyment, Discipline and Sportsmanship. I would like to also mention coaches Duncan H, Duncan A and Jason L who all stepped up this year and have already added so much. Finally, in Lions tradition, George handed out new Datchworth beanie hats to his team mates. Big thanks to his dad Stuart. U10s - Datchworth V Enfield Ignations A chilly but bright morning presented itself for the visit of Enfield Ignations to the mighty Datchworth. Unfortunately Enfield had a number of drop outs and could only manage one team which allowed us to do some extra rucking drills! We split into two groups with each side having a chance to play against the visitors. We won one game and lost one game with some good rugby on display from all. Defence was strong as always but we lacked a little finesse in attack with the ball in hand to finish off the chances we created. The guys need to trust their team mates and move the ball rather than the first instinct being to tuck the ball under one arm take on the opposition single handed. We had two men of the week one from each Group with Fin G and Mackenzie deservedly taking the honours.

5 U11s - Datchworth V Enfield Ignations Our U11 s took on Enfield Ignations on a very chilly and windy morning. We played three games and rotated in subs, with a bit of training on the side to keep the kids as warm as possible. We started off playing our strongest players, up against an Enfield side we know well with one particularly large first strike player. The first half was a bit slow to get going, with it being level at half time. However, in the second half we started to get out backs game flowing eventually and managed to run in a series to tries finishing 7-2, as well as Troy doing an exceptional job of chasing and tackling as ever. It was great to see the training ground moves come off and fox the opposition, highlighting the value the midweek session add. The second game saw some of our blues come into the mix and put in an exceptional performance right cross the team. We soaked up a lot of pressure in the first half and, whilst a few tackles went amiss, managed to keep in touch 1-2. However, they excelled themselves with a spirited second half, running in three tries and including Grace putting in a fantastic tackle on their big player to demonstrate how size doesn t matter if you get your technique right. Well done! We ended up winning that 4-3. Finally we finished with a short game as everyone was getting cold and tired. It was a close affair but as a credit to Enfield they didn t lose their resolve and managed to edge a final win 2-3. Well done to players of the week Tom Rutter and new joiner Jack Jones, and overall to everyone as the first two games really showed we are starting to get more strength in depth now. U12s Datchworth V Enfield Ignations The U12s were more or less at full strength today and it was also great to welcome Jack to the squad who played very well in his first outing for the Club. Enfield had a full side and we agreed to play two games to give everyone fair game-time. We started slowly with our rucking not being as committed or intense as the game demanded. The boys were trying to put the ball through the hands but with the wind and cold weather we did suffer a number of knock-ons during the first half which resulted in a fair few scrums. In a close fought first half with Datchworth running up the hill we came to the break 0-1 down. With a chance to reflect at half-time and pass on some feedback about the rucking;

6 the boys came out in the second half and worked very hard to dominate the breakdown pass into space and to support each-other; with a number of boys making a very positive contribution, (Nelson / Elliot and Luke), we started to get on-top and by the end of the game we enjoyed a comfortable 5-1 win. Oli G made a brave tackle on one of their big forwards and got doubled up in the process nothing too serious and hopefully he will be back next Sunday. The second game was also very tight throughout. The breakdown was evenly contested and a number of boys tackled well throughout the game, (Alex Donovan in particular). As the game was coming to end it looked like we would lose 0-1 but in more or less the final play of the game Datchworth pressure finally came to pass with a well-deserved try resulting in 1-1 draw. Well done to all. This week s Player of the week was Kobie who made a big contribution to the team dominating the breakdown and tackling well. Next week we look forward to hosting Tabard. Senior Rugby: Datchworth First XV Vs Kilburn Cosmos The difficult run of form for the First XV continued this weekend with a disappointing home defeat to Kilburn Cosmos Mini Mid-Week Training: There is NO MINI OR YOUTH MID WEEK TRAINING THIS WEDNESDAY 29 th NOVEMBER as the U17s are playing a Flood Lit Fixture Next Weekend s Mini Arrangements: Next Sunday the Mini Section are all at home Vs Tabard RFC; meet at 10AM for a 10:30 K/O The U9s are on Parking Duty at Datchworth on Sunday. It goes without saying it will be very busy with a full fixture and U16 Youth Home Game. Youth Squads are training at the village hall The U16s have a home game this weekend so space will be at a premium and we may have to adjust pitch sizes accordingly to fairly accommodate all age groups.

7 Datchworth RFC Holt Tour 2017 TOUR TO HILLTOP AND HOLT RFC April th 2018 Bookings are now being taken for our annual tour to Norfolk. The Mini Section Tour is open to age groups from U7 U12. The tour will be the same trusted format as the previous years; we have sole occupancy of the Hilltop outdoor centre in Sherringham from Friday evening, outdoor activities on the Saturday and entry into the Kingswood rugby festival hosted by Holt RFC on the Sunday. Last year the Tour was a sell out with a waiting list! Bookings forms are included in this week s from you team manager and are also available from Nicola (mrsnicolahoward@outlook.com). To hold your spot I will require a 25 deposit per person, the total cost per head (adults and children) is 135, (there is a reduced rate for younger siblings under the age of 6 ( 66) who are too young to take part in the activities) full details about the weekend, forms and payment details are included in the Tour information pack. If you do have any questions regarding the tour please do not hesitate to contact Nicola. Please read the information pack if you are new to the tour as there are a few quirks to the tour for example due to the nature of the accommodation sharing rooms is common! Please complete the forms from the Tour information pack (all of them please!) pass these to you team manager or to Nicola and arrange the payment for your deposits! I look forward to hearing from you and to booking this great weekend in again for the minis section

8 Other Club News & Event Information: Christmas Jumpers 2017! On Saturday 16 th December, the First XV are hosting Welwyn at Datchworth. This is the biggest local derby in our calendar and will also be the back-drop to this year s Christmas Jumper Evening. There will be festive nibbles and mulled wine available; some fantastic rugby to enjoy and a bit of Christmas fun in the evening. These events are usually fantastic and I cannot recommend enough for you to come along. We will also be looking for a guard of honour for the First XV from the Mini Section. Here are some pictures from the last few years!!! 2018 Datchworth Rugby Club - Mini and Youth Dinner and Dance: The Dinner & Dance is more or less sold out. We are still waiting for a couple of final confirmations so please feel free to contact Nicola if you are still hoping to come along as there is typically movement. nonetheless a mighty positive sign for the Club to sell 180 places out! The 2018 Rugby Club Mini & Youth Dinner & Dance Summary:

9 Venue: Knebworth Barns Date: Friday 9 th March 2018 Timings: 7PM drinks on arrival 1AM carriages (bar closes at 12:30 Format: 3 course meal, speeches, auction, raffle, dancing Entertainment: Live Music Dress code: Black Tie / Club Blazers Cost: 55 per person Squad Photos The Photos will be available to view again on Sunday and the first few have now been delivered to parents. The mounted photos will be 7.50 per print this season. Please order these squad photographs, they will be high quality prints and 100% of the profit will be reinvested in Mini Rugby Training and equipment at Datchworth RFC. Mini Section Fixtures Plan October & November 2017/18 Season: Please note changes from the Start of Season provisional fixtures plan the 10 th December is going to be an early training morning as our fixture with Enfield Old Grammarians has been cancelled and the Youth Section are hosting 3 games at 11/11:30: Week Date Datchworth RFC Mini Section Provisional 17/18 Season DRFC Parking Duty Dec DRFC Minis Vs Tabard at Datchworth U Dec Dec EARLY Training at Datchworth (all Minis) Minis were due to play Away at Enfield Old Grammarians but this is cancelled Youth are hosting 3 games Mini Training is 9:30 till 10:30 Final Training of 2017 at Datchworth + Santa (might) Visit the Mini Section at Datchworth!!! Ho Ho Ho U8 U Dec Xmas Eve NO RUGBY - Winter Break N/A Dec New Year s Eve NO RUGBY Winter Break N/A Training at Datchworth U7 / U8 / U10 / U11 / U Jan DRFC U9s Away Vs Harpenden (Single Age Group) U12

10 20 14-Jan TBC Hertford & Saracens 3 Way Fixture 1 or 2 agegroups at home but details still TBC TBC Jan DRFC Minis Vs Barnet at Datchworth Jan DRFC Minis Vs Stevenage at Datchworth Closing Notes & Roundup Last weekend was again busy and successful for our Club! On Friday, the U8s Quiz Team retained their age-group Quiz Champions title! On Saturday, the Twickenham trip was a great success, England Won songs were sung and everyone had a good time! On Sunday, we enjoyed some great rugby with Enfield Ignations. As detailed above there is no mid-week training session this week so the next rugby will be next weekend when we look forward to welcoming Tabard to Datchworth for our final Mini Section of The following two weeks will be back on the Training pitch before the Christmas and New Year break. I hope you all have a great week and we see you all on Sunday best of luck to everyone for next weekend s games, I will see you there! Best wishes, Andrew Andrew Howard Chairman Mini Section