Staffordshire Rugby Union - July 2014 Newsletter No.31 - July 2014

Staffordshire Rugby Union - July 2014 Newsletter No.31 - July 2014 Inside this issue: Iain Haley elected SRU President Womens World Cup, Lichfield girls get shirts SRU Committee reports for 2013/2014 season Rubgy1st replacement system training 2 3-17 16 Funding Opportunities 16 RFU Cup draws from 18 Age Grade Competition Review - Progress 19 Humour 20 Walsall RFC Under 14 s require coach 21 Dates for Diary 22 At the recent 2014 Staffordshire Rugby Union AGM held at Burton Rugby Club, Iain Haley (Newcastle RFC) was elected SRU President for 2014-2016. Links: SRU Web site RFU Touchline magazine Rugby Club magazine Rugby World magazine Staffs RDT on Facebook Iain has served as Vice-President for the past 2 years to the outgoing President Mr Michael Procter. In the words of Iain it will be a hard act to follow Michael, but he welcomes the challenge and looks forward to the next 2 years, building upon the work put in by Michael. With the Rugby World Cup 2015 falling in Iain s term of office it will surely be an exciting time. 1

Lichfield girls get their England shirts before the World Cup game against Spain: Sat. 9th August- see England v Samoa live at Lichfield RFC. Fun starts at midday. L/R - Vicky Fleetwood, Sarah Hunter, Emily Scarratt and Natasha Hunt Click on links below for more info on Womens Worl Cup. BBC coverage England Team News Team by Team guide The Women's Rugby World Cup gets under way in August, holders New Zealand take on Kazakhstan in France. The Black Ferns have won the last four tournaments and are favourites to lift the trophy again at the final in Paris. Wales and Ireland will compete in the 12-nation event, with England, runners up at the last tournament in 2010, hoping to go one better. England flanker Maggie Alphonsi said: "I want people to recognise us as the best team in the world." The Red Roses have lost the last three World Cup finals to New Zealand and the hurt of 2010 has driven Alphonsi and the other 11 survivors from the defeat in London on. The Six Nations Grand Slam winner said: "Losing in that World Cup was horrendous." England play Pool A rivals Samoa on Friday in Marcoussis and Spain on 5 August, before a duel with Canada on 9 August. Wales finished ninth in the last two World Cup tournaments and had a disappointing Six Nations in July with just one victory. But captain Rachel Taylor sees signs the Welsh team are closing the gap to the best teams in the world. "We have put some massive performances in against some of the best teams in the world," Taylor told rbs6nations.com. "If I can take a little bit of every game and make one game out of it, we'd have a really good strong team." Wales play hosts and 2014 Six Nation Grand Slam winners France in their opening game of Pool C, followed by Australia and South Africa. All pool fixtures will be played across three match days - 1, 5 and 9 August - on a series of pitches at France's National Centre of Rugby in Marcoussis. Ireland head into the finals having won the Six Nations in 2013 and hoping to better their seventh-placed finish 2010. The semi-finals and final will be staged at the 20,000- capacity Stade Jean Bouin in central Paris, the home of Stade Francais rugby club, on 13 and 17 August. Winger Grace Davitt said: "I'm so excited for this one, it's definitely been the best preparation for any of the three World Cup's I've been involved in so I'm just really looking forward to getting over there and getting stuck in." The Irish open their campaign against Pool B opponents USA, before facing world champions New Zealand and Kazakhstan. 2

July 2014 Page 3 SRU President and Chairmans report 2013/2014: As you are all aware I have just completed my second, and final, year in office as Staffordshire Rugby Union President. I wish to thank; both Walsall Rugby Club and Trentham Rugby Club for my nomination, the past presidents for their wisdom and advice, and all of the committee members for their efforts behind the scenes to make Staffordshire operate in an exceptional manner. Over the past four years, along with members of the management team, I have moved around the county, and it has been a pleasure to witness how clubs operate. Some clubs have plenty of volunteers, others have just a handful, but all ensure that rugby throughout the Constituent Body thrives. I extend my gratitude to you all. My county schedule throughout the year has been well recorded, but here is a taste of some its events and achievements which have taken place: A Sportsmen s Lunch hosted by Wolverhampton Rugby Club for five hundred guests 2015 Rugby World Cup launches Golden oldies lunch revisiting Staffordshire s 1970 County Championship victory U7s-U12s Festivals 1400 children taking part across the county U13s-U17s League and Cup competitions 26 teams competing in 13 finals Senior Cup Competitions hosted by Newcastle Rugby Club and Stoke Rugby Club County representative games across both genders and all age groups Presentation of four Staffordshire senior XV caps (awarded for competing in five county championship games) Seven Accreditation Presentations to clubs (meaning fifteen of the county s clubs are now accredited) Recognition and thanks shown to eighteen volunteers from our county s clubs at a Valued Volunteers dinner Developing Player Programme (DPP) for U13-U16 year olds. Increased support for safeguard management Investment into and development of club Facilities Investment into and development of student recruitment On the playing front, I have had the great pleasure of presenting caps, ties and broaches to players representing our county. Some of these have had their first taste of rugby at a county level, others are more experienced, but all have acquitted themselves excellently. Our county representative teams are committed to making sure that the player experience is at the fore. I can only hope that clubs continue to facilitate progress by allowing players the opportunity to play on a stage greater than at club level. Back in November I had the opportunity to attend Cheshire v Staffordshire U15 girls and U18 ladies rugby at Birkenhead Park. This was a fantastic afternoon of rugby. The manner, attitude and spirit with which these young ladies played took me back thirty years, reminding me of the way in which rugby was intended to be enjoyed. Rugby is about participation, respect, discipline and enjoyment; this must be acknowledged if our game is to progress. Perhaps it would be remiss of me not to mention one item which grows ever nearer, the 2015 Rugby World Cup, the official launch of which saw the creation of a number of initiatives. Firstly, all Constituent Bodies have been linked with a European nation and as such our Constituent Body has been linked with the Czech Republic. Also, a network of Club Champions and Young Rugby Ambassadors has been established in our county. Next season this network will really begin to enable clubs to make the most of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Lastly, I d like to thank a school teacher of mine who first gave me the opportunity to play and get involved in rugby. I hope I have repaid you in full. Michael Procter President and Chairman Staffordshire Rugby Union 3

Page 4 Staffordshire Rugby Union - July 2014 SRU Hon. Secretary s Report 2013/2014: Several Staffordshire clubs have had an excellent season, winning more than their fair share of trophies, but I want to put things in perspective for those clubs which have had a far less successful season. You may have lost more games than you won. You may have lost to your bitterest rivals. Not only that, but they absolutely thrashed you. At least it was all over in 80 minutes. Now imagine following England s cricket team on their last Ashes tour to Australia and being hammered five games on the trot (no pun intended), spanning 20 days spread over seven weeks. It wasn t a cheap trip either! On the plus side, the fifth and final Test was over in just three days so we were able to consol ourselves with a trip to Bondi Beach. As Eric Idle sang, Always look on the bright side of life. I dare say that England s travelling footie fans have the distractions of Copacabana Beach but with the Rugby World Cup just over 12 months away what are we left with if England lost their pool games to Wales and Australia? It doesn t bear thinking about does it? Much of the CB s work with the RFU and increasingly with our clubs is geared towards RWC 2105. Club representatives have been able to attend presentations about the expected impact the tournament will have on the game in general and on rugby in England in particular. Clubs have been given the opportunity to provide nominees for The Pack, the RWC Volunteer Programme. Each club should have a RWC Club Champion, someone whose role will become more prominent as the tournament approaches. Each CB is part of a RWC Legacy Group. Staffordshire form part of the Area 5 Group with Fran Cotton as its Chairman. In April he hosted a dinner to launch the Legacy Group activities. The dinner was attended by the Club Champions as well as CB and RFU officials and sponsors. The RWC Community Rugby Priority Access to tickets has just closed. There has been a high take up rate of the ticket allocations despite the prices of tickets to attend the matches at Twickenham. There are also funding opportunities linked to RWC 2015 along with an increased provision of courses to cope with the expected influx of people wanting to play a role in our great game. However, the attraction of newcomers to rugby union, though very welcome, also presents challenges. Those of us involved in the game already get it but what we need to do is pass on the core values of the game; teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship and not be afraid to do so. The increasing interest in rugby, particularly in attending matches at Twickenham, where even the Army-Navy game is virtually sold out, means that club officers who deal with tickets need to be extra vigilant. The Twickenham matchday experience is becoming much sought after and with the RWC the demand will only intensify for club members to obtain tickets for a friend of a friend. If tickets fall into the wrong hands or appear for sale on unauthorised websites ticket sanctions can follow whether the offender is an international player, a CB or a club. With regard to a couple of items mentioned in my report last year, firstly, the RFU Corporate Governance Report was completed and accepted without too much fuss at grassroots level. Likewise, the RFU Competitions Review finally came to its conclusions. Following a series of amendments, its recommendations were approved at the last RFU Council meeting. Clubs will probably become more aware of the Review than the Report although the full implications may not be apparent until season 2016-17 when the changes in the league structure kick in. More immediate changes will be apparent in agegrade rugby next season with the decision taken by the county s Mini/Youth Rugby Committee to dispense with leagues at U13s to U15s. It is pleasing to see that several clubs took up the invitation to apply for small grants from the Staffordshire RFU Rugby Development Fund, a new initiative announced at last year s AGM. The invitation remains open for other clubs to apply next season. Having written last year about the importance of communication links for a CB or club secretary, I would like to acknowledge the work of John Atkin in launching the new county website and also continuing to develop the online monthly newsletter. The link between a CB and its clubs should be a two way process which is fundamental and mutually beneficial in all sorts of ways. Input from club representatives is always welcome. Remember, those who serve on CB committees are probably just those club reps who attended one too many meetings. Finally, going back to my opening remarks about putting things in perspective, as a resident of Burntwood I have just two words Stephen Sutton. Rob Forsyth Hon. Secretary 4

Page 5 Staffordshire Rugby Union - July 2014 SRU Hon. Patrons Secretary Report I write this report reflecting on England s recent tour to New Zealand (3-0 defeat). Despite this loss I feel we should look back to the beginning of summer 2013, which saw the Lions tour Australia and England tour Argentina. Whilst many English players were instrumental in the Lions tour, many experienced players were rested, giving a chance for young talent to flourish in Argentina. England s talented youth and back room team were given the opportunity to step up and make their mark, which they duly did, taking on and winning two tests for the first time since 1981; a fantastic achievement. The autumn QBE internationals saw England host Australia, Argentina and New Zealand. Our ticket allocation for these games was met. For those who were able to witness the Twickenham games first hand, the support was very special. Every effort was employed to ensure that England supporters got behind their team to CARRY THEM HOME. England were victorious against Australia 20-13 and once again defeated Argentina 31-12. In their final game of their Northern Hemisphere tour, despite an impressive England display, New Zealand won 22-30 regaining the Edmond Hilary Trophy. England was left thinking of what might have been. On the home front our county clubs and county teams continue to improve. Our U20 county side advanced through the group stages and into the 1/4 finals of the RFU U20 competition. Both our club and county representative teams, spanning the genders and age groups, continue to improve and their progression is right on your doorstep, there for all to see in both evening and weekend fixtures. Over the years some memorable and epic games have been enjoyed and with the retirement of Jonny Wilkinson be strengthened. Back to our clubs, congratulations to Leek Rugby Club who won the Midlands Cup and advanced through the national competition to experience playing at Twickenham. I know that many patrons were able to witness this achievement. My special thanks go to Richard Nadin, our RFU representative, who helped out with tickets when demand, yet again, out-stripped availability. Richard s continued support is much appreciated. Our website and monthly newsletter continue to inform all about what is happening throughout Staffordshire. I encourage you to please have a look at this. You will also find a new page Staffordshire 2015 to highlight events taking place throughout the county for next year s World Cup. As I mentioned at the beginning of my report last year, the opportunity to be both President and your Patrons Secretary has been a true pleasure and enabled me to meet many of you personally. Thank you, Michael Procter Hon Patrons Secretary Please see our new county website www.staffsrfu.com for up-todate fixtures, venues and events. Your local teams need your support! On to the six nations, with two away games England had not the easiest of starts with a 26-24 defeat in France. However, moving ever-forward England did not lose another match. Wins against Scotland, Ireland and Wales gave them their first Triple Crown since 2003. Yet again the Six Nations came down to the final games of the championship. England s 52 11 win over Italy in Rome was not sufficient and the honours went to Ireland. 5

RDP Report - Robin Websdale - Chair of RDP The partnership is now in its 10th season and as we have done in the previous nine we have continued to support the development of rugby in Staffordshire alongside the RFU professional staff. Many thanks must go to Simon Hincks for all his support during the year. As always the player is at the centre of all we do whether a boy or girl and as I have said before I believe that rugby is a vehicle which enables players to develop skills that they carry with them for the rest of their lives. Over the last two seasons the New Rules of Play have been introduced to the younger players and during last season we had a meeting to look at the blueprint for mini and junior rugby. Many of you attended the Blueprint Roadshow at Sir Graham Balfour School, Stafford and listened with interest to the many suggestions and ideas coming from the RFU. Whether all those suggestions take place we will see over the next few seasons, I know a number of you had concerns over reducing the size of teams at under 13 to under 15 levels. My view on this is that we stay at 15 aside and if a team has only 12 or 13 players then we play 12 or 13 aside. As long as we have a game of rugby which the players enjoy and gain a lot from I personally would be very happy. As always I have been very fortunate in working with many dedicated volunteers especially in the County Representative sides at 16, 17 and 18, who give freely of their time. A great loss to Staffordshire rugby is the untimely death of Brian Gayton, who for many years worked hard for the minis and youth in the County, he will be sorely missed. We are grateful to the people who have stepped into his place ensuring the good work continues. There are many people in this county who I am very grateful to for all their hard work and I thank all of these fantastic volunteers who have helped the RDP in fulfilling its role. Developing Player Programme At this time last season we did not know what was going to take the place of Schools of Rugby. During the summer months I was involved in a number of meetings and discussions with staff from the RFU and Leicester Tigers. From this we worked out what was best for the players in the Leicester Tigers catchment area which involves Norfolk, NLD, Leicestershire and ourselves. We came to an agreement where the RFU, Leicester Tigers and the CB s will contribute funding into the developing player programme. This year the funding for this program came to about 90,000, approximately 22,000 of this came from the RFU, 4000 from each of the CB S and the rest from Leicester Tigers. Across the Tigers area eight centres were set up, we had two in Staffordshire one based Longton and one at Walsall, though the latter one occasionally ran at Burntwood. Head coaches Simon Robson and Anthony Nixon have worked hard at setting out the programme to improve not only the rugby skills but also the player s movement skills. There have been some hiccups but overall the programme has worked very well with many players and clubs benefiting from the high standard of coaching. Mini and Youth It was agreed at a meeting in January that we would not have leagues at U13, U14 and U15 age groups. There have been many discussions over the last few years with regards to these leagues, some arguing for some against but unfortunately there have been a number of incidences where in the heat of a league match a minority of coaches and parents have forgotten about the five core values of team work, respect, enjoyment, discipline, and sportsmanship. Therefore we felt that it was time to concentrate more on getting players to play rather than focus on the winning side of the game, where only the best players play. This year we will be going back to a cup competition at these age groups where the first round winners continue in the cup and the losers move into the plate. This means that the clubs and the players will have more opportunity to make new friends and play teams from outside of Staffordshire, helping to increase players and coaches understanding of the game. Above all it should enable the less able players to play more rugby and stop the elite players being overplayed. Staffordshire County Schools Union Under the leadership of Ian Rowlands the County Schools Union have built upon last year s hard work and continued to introduce new players to the game. The England Rugby Football Schools Union have put money into the Staffordshire PFR plan which was spent this year in developing girl s rugby in schools. Many teachers in difficult situations have continued to put out school rugby teams in their own time whilst they are under immense pressure in fulfilling their teaching role, where unfortunately the academic side is much more important than the playing of sports. In one school where a teacher died suddenly the boys U18 side continued to run due to the fact that the boys did it themselves. My congratulations go to Ian West and his team mates for all the hard work that they put in to ensure they had a successful conclusion to their school season. Throughout the season schoolteachers organised cup competitions at all age groups which all were successfully concluded even with many matches being postponed due to the inclement weather. I attended the Year 7 tournament at Longton, which was organised by George Glenn (CRC), at which 28 schools took part and had a very successful and 6

RDP Report (cont) - Robin Websdale - Chair of RDP by recruiting new players, for example Trentham gained seven new players. My thanks go to all the schoolteachers who have put in hours of work to give the opportunity to the children to experience rugby. RFU All Schools Programme At the start of this year two areas of Staffordshire were identified to have an all schools programme, one based around Longton Rugby Club and a second based around Wednesbury Rugby Club. Three schools that fitted in with the criteria set down were identified around each club and were asked if they would like to take part in the programme. It meant that each school would have 10,000 spent on them over the next three years. All six schools that were asked agreed to take part. Wednesbury Rugby club has benefited immensely with many new players joining their youth age groups. Longton Rugby club has been less successful but have still gained some new players plus a few players have gone to clubs nearer to them. The schools themselves have put out teams at various age groups all supporting the Year 7 county tournament and the players have developed their rugby skills. Part of the programme is to introduce the RFU core values to the children enabling them to be better disciplined in the school situation. Initially the year 7 s and 8 s were the main focus with the year 9 s becoming part of the programme later in the school year. At Sandon High School in Stoke all age groups have played in either tournaments or matches. Wodensborough School near Wednesbury reached one of the County School Cup Finals, a marvellous achievement in their first year. Each school has benefited from coaching from RFU coaches equivalent to about seven hours per week as well as being given balls, cones, bibs and playing kit. In some schools posts have been put up and post pads given to them. At the England versus Wales international a pupil representative from all the new schools in the country were officially presented to with their own designed shirts from Canterbury. Not only have the players of these schools benefited but staff have attended a teacher s course to help them develop their knowledge of the game and be able to safely coach it in their schools. Representative Honours Ben White from Denstone College and Stoke Rugby Club was selected for the Midlands u16 s Squad. He played in the Wellington Festival against France West and Wales Druids. He was then selected for the England Roses squad who played against England Lions on the final day. Ben s successful season was capped with being invited to go to Leicester Tigers Academy. Our congratulations go to him and we wish him the best of luck at Leicester. Staffordshire U16s Season Review The mid-summer training day at Denstone College was repeated. However the fact that the County side lost to the school side in the training game, suggested the season would be a difficult one. This proved to be the case. The tight schedule for the Midlands fixtures did not allow for a warm up game prior to the first fixture against North Mids. The training sessions this year took place at Longton RFC to correspond with DPP training. This did not prove entirely successful and will need some revision in coming seasons if the squad are to get full benefit from the switch from Lichfield RFC. There was a large squad of players involved in initial training. This may well have hampered selection somewhat as it became a difficult task in trying to keep all members of the squad involved in preparation for the County games. The mid-week game played at Burntwood RFC against a strong North Mids side was lost 5-58, Staffs only score coming from a try by Levi Davies (Denstone Coll. & Burton RFC). It was a sobering experience for the whole squad, and presented difficulties in considering selection for the first Super Sunday game against Leicestershire held at Bromsgrove RFC. However, it was thought that the squad deserved a further chance and there were no wholesale changes for this game. It was however, a repeat performance as similar problems occurred with Leicestershire running out winners by 31-0. There were periods in the game when the Staffs side played well, especially defensively, but they lacked an attacking threat to worry the Leicestershire defence. It was a similar story in the second Super Sunday game held at Leicester GS against NLD. Good defence against a bigger pack, but without any real attacking threat and a final score of 5-33. The Staffs try coming from Sam Lewis (Denstone Coll. & Stoke RFC). Following these performances, it was unlikely that Staffordshire would supply many players for Midlands coaching. In fact three members of the squad Ben White (Denstone Coll & Stoke RFC), Simon Mitchell (Newcastle Sch. & Stoke RFC) and Jack Furnival (Newcastle Sch. & Whitchurch RFC) went to Midlands training, with Ben going on to represent the Midlands and the England Roses XV at the Wellington Festival. Although the season s results paint a gloomy picture, the boys can be commended on their attitude to training, playing and representing their County. The boys remained positive 7

RDP Report (cont) - Robin Websdale - Chair of RDP Staffordshire U18s Season Review We began with a nervy performance against Warwickshire at a cold and damp Walsall RUFC. It was evident it was our first game and we ended up losing 21-11. Our second CB game was against North Midlands at Stourbridge RFC. We wanted an improved performance from the lads and certainly got one as we put in an amazing effort to beat them 24-22 (we scored a last minute try). Therefore, during Super Sunday we were drawn in the 3rd/4th place playoff against NLD. In a very open and entertaining game we ran out victorious 17-12. Staffordshire U17s Season Review We began with a scrappy performance against Leicestershire and eventually lost 34-14. However, our second game against Lancashire was a much tighter affair and we eventually just lost 21-14. Girls Rugby During this season I have supported the ladies teams as much as possible by attending their meetings and as necessary advising them. The younger age groups received new kit and played a few games. I attended one of the County Seniors matches playing against Leicestershire and it was a pleasure to present all the players with their County pins. The Women s and Girls Forum have worked extremely hard to introduce the game to even more ladies by organising various events. I wish to thank them for all their hard work in what is becoming a fast developing area of rugby. Wolverhampton U17 s My congratulations go to Wolverhampton U17 s players and coaches on winning the National U17 Cup. I have added below a short match report that can be found on the county website. WOLVERHAMPTON lifted the National Under 17 Cup with a hard-earned 7-3 win over Sevenoaks in today s final at the A J Bell Stadium, home of Aviva Premiership club Sale Sharks. All the points were scored in the first half with Wolverhampton recovering from going 3-0 down to an early Sevenoaks penalty. Centre Marinus Augostine scored the only try of the final with fly-half Tom Jones adding the conversion. A fantastic achievement that shows that we have players and teams in Staffordshire who can match and beat the best teams from across the country. Finally... As I said last year within the RDP structure there are many other groups of people, who have all contributed much to Staffordshire Rugby. I thank you all. R. J. Websdale Chairman of the RDP Safeguarding Managers Report - There have being a number of issues around the protection of children in Staffordshire during the 2013-2014 season. These have been dealt with at national level or are still on going. There have been cases of poor practice that seem to demonstrate a lack of understanding of the Core Values. Some organisations are failing to acknowledge their responsibilities in respect of providing services to children through Regulatory Activity and are struggling to embed these responsibilities among all those engaged in delivering this service, including all stakeholders involved. Some clubs, following input from the Safeguarding team, are demonstrating areas of exemplar practice in creating a safe environment for children. The Safeguarding team will be working with the SRU Management Committee in some innovated ways with the aspiration that we can lessen the number of poor practice incidents and support Clubs in creating safe environments. Two Deputy Safeguarding Managers have being appointed; Kim Geering from Burton RFC and Elizabeth Lennon from Stafford RFC. They bring a skill set that will help in delivering support to Clubs to promote the creation of a safe environment for children by championing both safe practice and organisational governance. Some clubs have already benefited from their input and support. The provision of Safeguarding Workshops to suit clubs needs, requests and calendars has been effective and will continue next season. The Safeguarding Team will be providing every club with a Gap Analysis tool. This tool will belong to each club and will enable them to establish a baseline as to where they are in respect of Safeguarding and organisational governance. From that baseline self-assessment they can then identify areas for improvement and formulate an action plan. It is intended that the tool be used as an iterative document to be reviewed and updated as required. With the new CB website we will be able to have a more comprehensive and one stop shop for resources for clubs in respect of Safeguarding. If there are any areas of Safeguarding in Staffordshire where you think I can be of help please do not hesitate to contact me. J MACDONALD CB Safeguarding Manager - Staffordshire Safeguarding Through Education, Advocacy, & Best Practice Tel: 07711 614761 Jamie MacDonald 8

Community Rugby Report Community Rugby in Staffordshire covers Volunteering, Club Development and Facilities, these 3 key areas continue to overlap positively and have created a sound platform for Staffordshire clubs to be able to share experience, initiatives and gain support to enable the further enhancement of the game and continually offer an improved rugby experience for all in Staffordshire. Volunteers: The importance of growing, developing and sustaining clubs in the country has never been so high on the agenda as we work towards the Rugby World Cup in 2015. This is only made possible by fantastic volunteers in clubs. Volunteering activity in Staffordshire is constantly recognised by the RFU as being outstanding! Every season the work of our exceptional volunteers is recognised by the SRU at the Valued Volunteers Awards, this year once again proved how popular and important the event is. The club nominations were both impressive and diverse with attendance clearly exceeding the previous year. The evening continues to lead the way in recognising and rewarding our clubs most valuable assets! Succession planning must come high on all of our agendas to ensure a healthy future for all of our clubs it is vital that the skills, experience and knowledge needed to run a successful club are shared and passed on to the future ambassadors of the game! Facilities: The Funding & Facility committee have enjoyed seeing many successful projects this season, exceed expectations. Under the professional guidance of Tom Bartram it has been possible to put more clubs on the map with enhanced facilities. These clubs have already seen huge returns for their efforts, both in player retention and recruitment and overall recognition in the local community. Our facilities are the face of our clubs and will help secure the future and retainment of players - it is crucial that we maintain and develop our facilities to encourage new participants into the game. Rugby Force weekend has become a dedicated point in the year when clubs focus on what they have and hold dear and has become one of the most proactive weekends for volunteers in the club calendar! The next clear opportunity for focus on facilities is the Rugby World Cup 2015 where preparation in the lead up to the event must ensure we welcome as many new members into our clubs as possible - we have to be ready! Development: Club Development relies on the initiative, enthusiasm, drive and dedication of its membership. From the Mini and Youth section through to the 1st XV, across varying levels, the management structure and individuality of our clubs in Staffordshire is a credit to the people who run them week in, week out! Clubs in Staffordshire benefit from a fantastic support network, provided by the RFU Professional staff and the work of our Rugby Development Officer, Simon Hincks requires our special thanks for this season. Becky Davies Community Rugby Representative Playing Committee Report Quite a satisfying season in many ways after last years performance. Solid performances were put in by the Under 20 s after an intense training regime and with many players being exposed to a higher standard of coaching they were able to reach the quarter finals of the National Competition bowing out to Oxfordshire away. This has been our most successful season at this age group for a number of seasons and bodes well for next season as a large proportion of players are retained at this age group. Moving on to the Senior Squad and a warm up match was inaugurated against Derbyshire away which will e an annual fixture before the Championship which we will host next season. The importance of this game is to invite and look at players in the lower tiers of rugby within Staffordshire. Whilst losing all three games by a solitary score if the AGM considers at Cumbria for instance had previously registered scores of 40-5 and 70-3 and this season being beaten 18-12 brings the progress into context. A major step has been taken in engaging all Clubs and for a number of players from Longton and Lichfield. With now having three Clubs at Level 5, I feel the forthcoming County Championship could prove interesting. My first requirement is for us to be competitive and for our opposition not to undersetimate us and see us as easy points in the Championship which has been the case in the past which I feel has been achieved this season. Many thanks to the General Committee for its support and for the team behind the scenes including Eric Field, Craig Wilson, Ian Bailey, John Atkin and Becky Davies, impromptu physio who stood in at short notice. Many thanks also to the Clubs who hosted our home games. W Leason Chairman Playing Committee 9

Staffordshire Coaching Society report We experienced a difficult time in the early part of the season. Firstly we were not clear where the Society and Club Community Coaches demarcation lines were drawn regarding CPD events, etc., we were both trying to organise events for the same group of coaches. It was eventually agreed that the Coaching Society would organise two high profile CPD events and a Coaching Conference each season, together with regular meetings with Coaching Co-ordinators to raise their profile. Mansell Thomas and Simon Jones who have worked hard to make a success of the programme covering six mentees. Next season we hope to mentor eight coaches and having the benefit of experience we will improve. It is hoped that the success of our Mentoring programme will be noted at H.Q. Thanks to the Management Committee for their financial support to carry out our various programmes. As reported in previous years there has been poor support for CCC meetings and a serious attempt will be made to improve this in 2014/15. A further problem we had was the resignation due to pressure of work of our Chairman, Mark Donovan. It was agreed that the Secretary and myself would administer the society to the end of the season. Thanks to Mark for his contribution during his time in office. E. PUGH (Treasurer on behalf of Staffordshire Coaching Society). June 2014. A successful Coaching Conference was held in September 2013 with excellent presenters. Unfortunately the idea of moving the date from June/July to September to suit mini/junior coaches did not work, so this year we will revert to June to suit Senior and mini/junior coaches. Owing to the uncertainty regarding CPD events it was January 2014 before we held our first CPD at Newcastle RFC. This was a combined event delivered by two new coaching friends from Sale Sharks Ray Unsworth who carried out an indoor session on Identifying and Developing Talent and Dave Wilks who delivered an excellent outdoor Backs session with the County Under 17 s who performed with distinction. This year s AGM was very poorly attended, with only Burntwood, Eccleshall, Newcastle, Tamworth, Trentham and Willenhall being represented, which begs the question DO THE CLUBS WANT A COACHING SOCIETY? However, Mike Bezus from Trentham was elected Chairman and we look forward to his leadership in the future. On the positive side, a new RFU Coaching incentive this year has been Coach Mentoring. We have run a successful programme under the supervision of Dave Livesey (Area Training Manager) and we are fortunate to have four trained Mentors Arnie Evans, Eric Field, 10

Competitions 2013/2014: Steve Barr Competitions Chairman In common with most people involved in rugby, the competitions committee found the 2013-14 season a challenging one, with many of the issues being weather related. However, we got there in the end, with five of the six cup finals taking place on the date originally proposed. On the league front, too, despite what seemed at the time to be week after week of multiple postponements, all programmes were eventually completed almost on schedule. Congratulations are due to those clubs who were promoted at the end of the season. Lichfield and Burton (the latter after a nail biting play off against near neighbours Derby) join Longton at Level 5 in National Three (Midlands). Leek won Midlands Two West (North) and will face Stoke and Walsall in Midlands One West next season. Trentham move up a division to South Lancs/Cheshire 2 and Rugeley s promotion, having topped Midlands 5 West (North), revives a classic local derby (against Cannock in Midlands 4) in 2014-15, Barton-under-Needwood, after a season playing mainly Coventry and Warwickshire clubs, coming back into the same league. St Leonards are the only Staffordshire club to be relegated and they swop places with Rugeley in the league structure. Detailed first team league tables can be found on the Staffs website, as can the 2nd/Reserve Team Leagues and the Merit Tables all of the latter thanks to the countless hours put in by John Atkin. Leek also enjoyed a spectacular run on the national stage, winning the RFU Midlands Intermediate Cup and progressing through the national semis to the Final at Twickenham on May 4 where sadly they were edged out by the narrowest of margins by Trowbridge. By all accounts, a great day was had by all, despite the disappointment of the result. Regrettably, the dual pressures of league and national cup meant that the Staffordshire Cup had to take a back seat. Reluctantly, the competitions committee decided that they could not agree to delaying Leek s semi final until after their Twickenham appearance, with the consequent implications for a rearranged date for the final and potential clashes with the County Championship. As a result, Leek had to withdraw from the Staffordshire competition, as did Longton at the semi final stage. Another Staffordshire side, from the other end of the county, went one better than Leek when Wolverhampton won the National Under 17s Cup in the closest of matches at Sale s A J Bell Stadium, scoring a single converted try against Sevenoaks lone penalty. The Staffordshire Cup final, hosted by Newcastle, was therefore between Lichfield and Walsall. After a tight opening quarter, Lichfield eventually ran out as comfortable winners. The Senior Final was preceded by the Colts Cup Final in which Stoke took the honours 23 11 against Willenhall. The Colts Plate Final took place at Burton the following Friday evening, when Stafford narrowly beat Walsall 26 19. President s Day saw the now traditional three finals, efficiently accommodated by Stoke. Newcastle won the Intermediate (Lewis Taylor) cup against Handsworth, Cannock beat Barton-under Needwood by a single score to take the John Owen Cup. Rugeley made it a league and cup double, winning the Rubery Owen Cup against St Leonards. Full match reports can be found in the SRU May Newsletter at www.staffsrfu.com. The U 13 U 16s cups were all also successfully completed on their Super Sunday in April, as well as two U17s finals, and thanks are due to the Referees Society for providing match officials throughout the season and Teams of Three for all the finals. My sincere thanks go also to all members of the competitions committee for their support and hard work throughout the past ten months. It has been a team effort with willing volunteers to, for example, take minutes and attend Midlands meetings. Steve Briggs merits a particular mention as,after two seasons, he is standing down from the difficult job of organising the colts cups, and Mick Procter s presence at meetings has been invaluable (Iain Haley please note!). Steve Barr Competitions Committee Chair 11

RDO Report: There has been much success over the past season, with a shift in our focus in recruiting and retaining 14-24 s the work we have done has had to adapt moving away from lots of traditional primary school delivery to secondary, HE & FE and most obviously Adult. In working with YOU, the volunteers its been pleasing to see that new volunteers are coming on board at a time when the work load in running clubs seems to be ever increasing. Highlights: Over 50% of the clubs in Staffordshire are now accredited, 15 have received accreditation and a further 3 should be in a position to be awarded it come September. Staffordshire provided TWO of the four clubs in Area 5 to be taken on as a KIDS FIRST club. Both Barton Under Needwood RFC Burton RFC have embraced the programme and already seeing the benefits of the initial two day workshops and subsequent CPDs. Again the CRCs have delivered a full and varied CPD programme with just 5 courses cancelled because of low numbers, for the first time we ran a team selection CPD. Last summer we ran 3 New rules of play sessions and again these have been planned in for summer 2014. Staffordshire Young Leaders course again ran successfully in Oct & Feb with 18 going through the two days. Better still is Staffordshire s commitment from our young people as over 40 from 13 different clubs attended one of four RWC2015 Young Rugby Ambassador conferences we ran, the latest phase two being ran at Burntwood. Our focus in delivering Touch Rugby during the summer period continues to grow. North Staffs Touch series (4 clubs) has increased to 7 with on average 10 sides playing fortnightly on Friday evenings. With a second series in the East of the County starting this summer, Staffordshire can boast lots of summer touch activity on top of our five o2 Touch clubs, Longton, Burton, Handsworth, Lichfield& Stafford. More secondary schools than ever are playing Rugby, the year 7 schools tournament was capped at 32 schools for the first time ever, Teacher strike day however reduced the days participant to just 26 schools watch this space though 40 schools next year! The two All schools programme in and around Longton and Wednesbury have seen the school participate in County competition with Wodensborough reaching the Plate Final. Over 240 Students experiencing for the first time. Limited success with just the two new junior sides at Wednesbury RFC as a result but a solid year one performance. We have a number of strong large junior section clubs in the county, so with some focussed delivery and support we have managed to help some smaller section clubs like Cannock, significantly grow their Mini & Junior section to over 80 Children, Wednesbury and Rugeley now also have sections with both having an U14 s / U15 s teams. 2014-15 Plans This being the season before the RWC2015, lots of the support and delivery will be aimed at building capacity and exposing new audiences to rugby. New teams, particularly social and Colts will be targeted through various initiatives working with clubs: More clubs offering touch rugby and opportunities to participate in touch rugby events at clubs. The CRCs are being tasked to work with companies to link corporate touch with local clubs and O2 touch centres. All Schools in their 2nd year will have their own fixture programme to ensure regular and meaningful competition independent of RFU support while RFU coaches target next year groups and focus on teacher education for sustainability. We have plans to support clubs in giving more non- Saturday playing opportunities to help reengage X players and Students. U23 s and/or Social flood lit rugby. Working very closely with the small army of Young Rugby Ambassadors and RWC Club Champions that we have will be key and as such both RDO and CRCs will inevitably work together on a number of club initiatives to link in with Educational establishments particular Colleges and sixth forms. We have three Geographical Rugby Development Groups with a number of clubs working together so some key delivery/work linking RWC 2015 will be done. Examples being Rugby in the Park with the Walsall RDG or Touch leagues as proposed by North Staffs RDG There is no doubt that the coming year leading up to the World cup is our chance to not only showcase the sport, but an opportunity to invite new people into our Clubs and give them the very best experience, more coaches delivering quality coaching will give us more players and more teams. Its been a very demanding and eventful year, but over the next 12 months we should all begin to see the expected growth prior to the RWC. The CRCs George and Simon, as well as myself will continue to work hard on behalf of the CB, Club or age group/team to grow the game best we can. Best wishes Simon Hincks Rugby Development Officer 12

Clubs Women and Girls Report: During the season the 6 Staffordshire ladies teams performed well in RFU leagues: Burton Girls continue to develop at 15s and 18s and have created a new U13s section this season. Mark Tolly still continues to develop the successful satellite clubs at the local Burton Schools to feed the club. They have tried to set up a Ladies section with my support but this has not got off the ground as yet. Cannock successfully set up their Ladies team and are taking part in the Touch League again for this coming season as well as participating in the West Mids Contact Development Competition Framework for this coming season. They have played at least 4 contact games and a 10s contact tournament Essington successfully set up their Ladies team and work with Cannock to play contact games. They will also take part in the Competition Framework this coming season. Lichfield 1st XV finished 6th in the Premiership in a challenging year with many players missing due to XVs and 7s duties. It was a good year to give experience to those U18s girls moving up to senior rugby Lichfield 2nd XV came 4thin Championship 2 North as they provided players up into the 1st team Lichfield U15s and U18s continue to develop with more work planned at the 15s age-group next season and potentially an U13s to complete the rugby offer at the club Longton Ladies came 5th in National Challenge 2 Midlands North this season but made a valliant effort to get as many fixtures completed as possible. A new volunteer set-up here has seen a positive to recruit and retain this coming season as they opt to be a part of the new Competition Framework rather than enter the leagues Stafford have grown their Ladies again and finished 5th in National Challenge 2 Midlands which is 1 place up from last year. They completed all of their fixtures with a full squad Wolverhampton made the move from Touch to contact this season with 3 fixtures played and will take part in the Competition Framework next season. W & G Forum New Chair Maz Grieve (Essington) supported by secretary (Rhi Greenaway) have really made the forum a success. 90% of clubs attend regularly with attendance from 100% at at least 1 forum during the year. The result of this has meant that we now have a new contact Competition Framework for next season to include Essington, Cannock and Wolverhampton where they will play at least 5 fixtures; take part in 5 Pitch Up and Play Development Festivals and attend a 10s tournament. The aim is to have at least Essington playing in the RFU leagues in season 14/15 and for each team to play their own fixtures with all of their own players by the last fixture in the programme. 4 Staffs Women s & Girls sections were also involved in the Local Rugby Partnership programme through the RFU where they received funding for coaching courses; free kit and equipment and focused support from me to help recruit and retain. Cannock, Essington, Stafford and Wolverhampton have all recruited on average 5 10 players per club and have achieved their aims set out for the season. They also all took part in the Senior Ladies Pitch Up and Play events held at Cannock and Essington hosted by the RFU. Funded by the RFU, Stafford hosted a Girls U13s and U15s Pitch Up and Play day event where 45 girls from all over the West Mids came together to receive coaching sessions and play in contact games. This will go ahead in 14/15 season as well and we are looking for clubs to host these events. County This season, the County Programme continued to be an integral part of the player pathway for all age-groups and players were selected for Divisional squads from the County programme that took place in the first half of the season. From the senior county squad we had players from Cannock, Essington, Lichfield, Longton and Stafford. From the U18s county squad, players were from Burton and Lichfield. From the U15s county squad, players were from Burton and Lichfield. This is the first time that Staffs have put together an U15s county squad in 4 years and is the product of developing at both club level and through the county development programme last season U15s were unbeaten all season: o 1st in the Midlands U15s Festival o Won 70 5 v Leicestershire o Won 7 32 v Cheshire U18s: o 4th in the Midlands U18s Festival o Won 17 12 v Leicestershire o Won 0 54 v Cheshire Seniors were starting a new look programme with 3 coaches: o Lost 0 63 v Leicestershire o Lost 55 14 v North Mids 13

Women and Girls Report (cont.): Divisional & Academy U15s Divisional 5 Staffs players (Burton and Lichfield) and Midlands came 4th in the Divisional Programme: Lost 15 43 to London Lost 5 27 to South West Lost 12 25 to North Staffordshire Rugby Union Council Representative - Richard Nadin The approach at Twickenham has changed so that we now talk more about rugby and, more importantly as far as Staffordshire is concerned, we talk more about Community Rugby. U18s Divisional 6 Staffs players (Burton and Lichfield) and Midlands came 4th in the Divisional Programme: Lost 17 38 to London Lost 7 43 to South West Lost 31 26 to North Seniors Academy 11 Staffs players (Lichfield) and Midlands came top in the Divisional Programme: Won 32 27 against London Drew 17 17 with South West Won 27 15 against North England U20s 5 players from Lichfield made it into the England U20s squad this season: Emma Harbage, Sarah Nicholas, Chelsey Fuggle, Becky Noon and Henrietta Burkinshaw Full England 8 Lichfield players played for the full England squad this season. England went to New Zealand and lost 3 0 in a test series but in very very close games so this bodes well for the future. England came 2nd in the 6 Nations losing out to Grand Slam winners France after a shock defeat in their first game similar to the men. However a 17 10 victory over Ireland at Twickenham in front of a 15,000 crowd was a highlight in the tournament. Emily Braund, Vicky Fleetwood, Harriet Millar-Mills, Justine Lucas, Georgina Gulliver, Natasha Mo Hunt, Emily Scarratt and Sarah Hunter all await the selection for the Women s World Cup to be held in France in August. The Adult Competition Review has been discussed, changed and now approved. There are still details to sort out, so the new system will not start until 2016/2017 season. We have had an exciting season with Staffordshire clubs being promoted, well done. We look forward to next season with Lichfield and Burton joining Longton at Level 5, Leek being promoted to Level 6, Trentham to Level 8 and Rugeley to Level 9. Congratulations to Wolverhampton under 17s for a superb season in which they were unbeaten and crowned their season off by winning the RFU National Cup. A particular thank you to Leek for giving me the pleasure to be part of the Twickenham folk who looked after them on their RFU Intermediate Cup Final day. The atmosphere and the whole day were magical. Thank you, too, for the wonderful welcomes and hospitality that I have received in our clubs when attending by myself or with President Mike, Vice President Iain, John Atkin and others. We have something very special in our Staffordshire clubs thanks to the hard work of our volunteers. Well done everyone. Richard Nadin Staffordshire representative on the RFU Counci Games will be in 1st, 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th and are televised live on Sky Sports. An event will be held at Lichfield on 9th August around the England v Canada. Good luck to all the Staffs girls that make the Squad! Claire Antcliffe Women s Rugby Development Officer Area 5 14

West Midlands Girls Calendar DATE (Sunday unless noted) U13 U15 U18 CB / Div 31/08/2014 Club Registration Club Registration Club Registration 07/09/2014 CLUB CLUB CLUB 14/09/2014 STAFFIRES CLUB CLUB 21/09/2014 FESTIVAL (Worcester) 28/09/2014 CLUB CB TRIALS CB TRIALS 05/10/2014 CLUB CB TRAINING CB TRAINING 12/10/2014 CLUB MIDLANDS CB FESTIVAL (AYLESTONE ST JAMES TBC) 19/10/2014 STAFFIRES CLUB CLUB 26/10/2014 FESTIVAL (Birmingham Exiles) 02/11/2014 CUP CUP CUP 09/11/2014 STAFFIRES CB 16/11/2014 CUP CUP CUP 23/11/2014 CLUB CLUB CLUB 30/11/2014 CLUB CB 07/12/2014 CUP CUP CUP 14/12/2014 FESTIVAL 21/12/2014 CLUB CLUB CLUB CHRISTMAS BREAK 04/01/2015 CLUB CLUB CLUB 11/01/2015 CLUB CLUB CLUB 18/01/2015 STAFFIRES CLUB CLUB 25/01/2015 FESTIVAL DIVISIONAL TRIALS 01/02/2015 CLUB CLUB CLUB 08/02/2015 STAFFIRES CLUB CLUB DIVISIONAL PRO- GRAMME 15/02/2015 CLUB CLUB CLUB 01/03/2015 FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL DIVISIONAL PRO- GRAMME 08/03/2015 AREA CUP FINALS AREA CUP FINALS AREA CUP FINALS 15/03/2015 7s Tournament DIVISIONAL PRO- GRAMME 22/03/2015 STAFFIRES NATIONAL CUP SEMIS (15s & 18s only) AREA CUP FINALS DIVISIONAL PRO- 29/03/2015 FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL GRAMME 05/04/2015 Easter Tours & Festivals 12/04/2015 STAFFIRES CLUB CLUB DIVISIONAL PRO- GRAMME 19/04/2015 CLUB NATIONAL CUP FINALS (15s & 18s only) 26/04/2015 RFU CLUB FESTIVAL 03/05/2015 RFU Endorsed Tournaments Only 10/05/2015 National 7s END of SEASON Calendar Is draft and may change after reviews of this season's current programmes, please refer to the RFU Website for most up to date calendar RESERVE DIVISIONAL DATE 15

Page 16 Staffordshire Rugby Union - July 2014 FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES Sports England https://www.sportengland.org/funding/our-differentfunds/ Sport England offer grants from 300 through to 1m plus. The more readily available grant programmes are Small Grants Programme, Inspired Facilities and Protecting Playing Fields. These 3 schemes will help to support most projects that concern rugby clubs subject to the club fulfilling the criteria of the grant programme. Rugby Football Foundation http://www.rugbyfootballfoundation.org/ The RFF is a charity set up by the RFU to support the development of the community game. Grants range from 500 to 5,000 and there is an Interest free loan programme of up to 100k. The RFF will fund most capital based projects at a rugby club, with the exception of one or two areas that the charity is unable to fund. Landfill Communities Fund - http://www.entrust.org.uk/landfill-community-fund An innovative tax credit scheme that allows Landfill operators to put money back into community projects. Find a Landfill operator via this link and find out about their various grant programmes. Rugby Clubs across the country have been the recipients of the LCF allowing them to improve their facilities. For an informal chat about funding opportunities for you club please contact: Tom Bartram (RFU Area Facilities Manager) on 07841156806 Game Management System As you may be aware the RFU is about to launch a brand new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system which will allow our game to have a single view of everyone that interacts with the RFU regardless of if they are a fan, a player or a club volunteer. This will go live on the 31st July. A key part of this programme has been to redesign the current Rugby First system and replace it with a new system that is designed to have all of the tools and functionality to make club administration quicker and easier for all. As previously communicated at Council and CGB, the old Rugby First system will be switched off on the 18th July and be replaced with the first phase of the new Game Management System (GMS), the launch of englandrugby.com and our new CRM platform on 31st July. This short break in the systems is to allow for the large amount of data we have to be migrated ready for launch. As use of the current system has be shown to be less at this time of year we do not envisage the impact of not having a useable system available between the 18th and 31st July will be significant. However for those that use the system on a daily basis on areas such as online course booking and competitions, further information as to the recommended process during that time will follow. When we do go live all of your existing data will be automatically transferred to the new system so you do not need to do anything with your data in the meantime. However when the system does go live it would be a good time to make sure that everything you have is up to date so you can make the most out of the system in the future. For those with large amounts of member data in other systems, a bulk upload of individuals into GMS will also be available. To train all users of Rugby First on the new system we are also going to be running road shows in your area to train you on how to do this and get the most out of the rest of the system on the dates below. Please put these in your diary and the formal invitations and timings for your sessions will follow shortly via your CB. Whilst we appreciate August is not going to suit everyone, these dates have been set to try and ensure as many clubs as is possible have been trained on the system ahead of the start of the new season. For those that are unable to make these sessions we will ensure that follow up sessions in your area are provided by your local area teams. If you cannot make these dates please contact your local RDO to discuss the possible options. Please also be aware that as previously communicated, the new GMS will not provide a website builder tool and therefore all existing RugbyFirst websites will no longer be available. The training in Staffordshire will be on August 20th at Stafford Rugby Club. Please contact: John Atkin on j.atkin12@btinternet if you need more details 16

SRU Referees Society Report Manage the Society 1. We have enjoyed an invigorated relationship with the SRU and I would personally like to thank Mike Proctor, Iain Haley and the other members of the SRU Committee for welcoming me as the SRUSR representative. 2. We have benefitted significantly from developing a full financial plan and forecast for the next 4 years with both SRU and RFU agreement. This has enabled the society to invest in infrastructure and support initiatives 3. The first ever SRUSR member survey has been undertaken. It broadly shows;- o The membership are happy with the training, development & meetings o They want more development and less Society business at meetings o There is a gap between their own expectations and their grades o They want us to be more forceful with our feedback on their performances We will be looking at the Survey results and how we can become even better at supporting referees, during the summer break. 4. As a result of the good ideas within the survey, we need more members to step up and volunteer to take on more projects within the Society. This will benefit the development and support of the members however if volunteers are not forthcoming then a number of the projects will have to be cut down. 5. We will again review the SRUSR 13/14 season Red Card sanctions and repeat next season, that the training of the referees is developed with emphasis on the evidence of what the red cards have been for during this season. 6. The current Officers of the Society will continue into 2014/15 season, except for the position of President and Vice President Develop Referees 1. The Society has agreed that The Club Watcher programme is key way forward during next season to gain regular assessment of referees and this will be fully implemented next season. 2. The launch of the Staffordshire continuation of the Lichfield Referee Academy has now been discussed with Newcastle and Stoke. They will be the next set of Academies in Staffordshire. Over the next 4 years a total of 5 will be set up. 3. We have now bought the technical capability to deliver some of our training via a trial of TV internet broadcasting to hold content which will help referees view issues in their own time. Promote the society 1. We have agreed terms for another 2 year sponsorship with Staffordshire Gold, beginning 2014/15 season, Given the original sponsorship was to supply large amounts of kit, we are happy the continued support will enable us to top-up the supplies 2. For the second year running we have officiated at all Senior, Junior and Schools Cup Finals, in most occasions with Teams of 3. This is an exceptionally good advert for our Society and a much more enjoyable experience for the players. We should encourage our members to play an even greater role in managing rugby across all sectors of Staffordshire Rugby its fun 3. A key move forward during this season has been the development of the good working relationship with the SRU Coaching Society. This has proved very beneficial for both parties at the training meetings. More emphasis will be given to this next season because greater communication will improve player enjoyment Grow the Society 1. We will be doing an audit of new members and retirees at the end of the season, but it would appear the net manpower growth of the Society will be +6 for this season The Society in General 1. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first season as Chairman and my thanks go to all referees, assessors, coaches, mentors and committee members for their hard work during the season. 2. We have a good year with many referees being developed into more proficient referees, in my opinion it s not just the younger referees who should benefit from this support, but everyone who has the capacity to improve. 3. We should also celebrate those of who have developed and stayed at a high level. This season they include;- Craig Maxwell-Keys Premiership National Panel Greg MacDonald Premiership National Panel Dave Huson Midlands Group Referee Adrian Holmes RFU AR National Panel Steve Woolley RFU AR National Panel Mark Liddell Midlands Referee Mentor and RFU Panel AR Colin MacDonald RFU Panel Referee Mentor Steve Barr - RFU Panel Referee Mentor Peter Harvey Midlands Selector and Match Observer Leigh Davenport Midlands Match Observer 4. We would like to introduce 3 awards for the Society to award, to recognise effort and ability. Young Referee of the Year, Most Improved Referee of the Year, Society Member of the Year. These will be decided by the SRUSR Committee in March of each season and presented at a suitable date. 5. It should also be noted that next season sees the 50th Anniversary of our humble beginnings and we intend to celebrate this with a dinner during the season. If anyone would like to get involved in helping organise this, then please let me know 6. Lastly and fittingly when I mention the 50th Anniversary, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our current President Stuart Lister for his unwavering support to the Society in many roles, since the society was started. Stuart is moving to Vice President after tonight s meeting but will stay involved with the Society and I for one am very grateful for his past sage wisdom. Stuart will be our guest at the 50 Anniversary Dinner, where we will recognise him at that moment. Shaun Godfrey, SRUSR 17

July 2014 Page 18 RFU Cups draws for the Midlands RUGBY Lions, last season s beaten finalists in the RFU Junior Vase, will begin next season s campaign with a trip to St Neots in the first round. Rugby Lions won the Midlands Junior Vase in March when they beat neighbours Long Buckby in the regional final but then missed out at Twickenham when they were beaten by Longlevens in the national final in May. The first round of the RFU Junior Vase on October 4 will feature Shropshire club Church Stretton for the first time. Church Stretton were formed last year and will enter the league structure for the first time next season. They will host Cannock in their historic first tie in a national competition. Stewarts & Lloyds, who won the Midlands Senior Vase last season will participate in the RFU Intermediate Cup next season following league promotion. The Corby-based club have a bye to the second round of the Intermediate Cup. Leek, who the Midlands Intermediate Cup but were then beaten by Trowbridge in the national final, will not be able to defend their regional title as they are now too highly-ranked following their promotion to Midlands One West. Bridgnorth, who were beaten by Leek in the Midlands final in March, will have home advantage against Malvern in the first round on October 4. RFU Intermediate Cup, first round draw (Midlands): Bakewell Mannerians v Tamworth, Bridgnorth v Malvern, Dronfield v Leicester Forest, Dunstablians v Newbold on Avon, Ludlow v Old Yardleians, Matlock v Stafford, Peterborough v Nottingham Casuals, Shrewsbury v Droitwich. Ties to be played on October 4. Byes: Ashbourne, Ashby, Camp Hill, Coalville, Kidderminster Carolians, Leamington, Loughborough, Lutterworth, Market Bosworth, Market Harborough, Moseley Oak, Northampton Old Scouts, Oadby Wyggestonians, Old Coventrians, Old Laurentians, Old Leamingtonians, Old Saltleians, Pinley, Spartans, Stewarts & Lloyds, Stourbridge Lions, Veseyans, Wellingborough, Wolverhampton. RFU Senior Vase, first round draw (Midlands): Bedworth v Lincoln, Boston v Rushden & Higham, Chesterfield Panthers v Uttoxeter, Ledbury v Harborne, Northampton Casuals v Melton Mowbray, Pershore v Handsworth, Queens v Sleaford, Shipston on Stour v Stockwood Park, Willenhall v Cheltenham North. Ties to be played on October 4. Byes: Amber Valley, Aston OE, Aylestone St James, Bloxwich, Burntwood, Daventry, Eccleshall, Edwardians, Harbury, Long Buckby, Manor Park, Mellish, Newcastle, Northampton BBOB, Northampton Mens Own, Nottingham Moderns, Old Wheatleyans, Rugby St Andrews, Southam, Southwell, Upton on Severn, Vipers, Woodrush. RFU Junior Vase, first round draw (Midlands): Barton & District v Cleethorpes, Barton under Needwood v Tupton, Bedford Swifts v Trinity Guild, Birmingham Exiles v Cleobury Mortimer, Bourne v East Retford, Brackley v Warwickians, Buxton v St Leonards, Church Stretton v Cannock, Evesham v Greyhound, Five Ways OE v Telford Hornets, Gainsborough v Skegness, Keyworth v Creswell Crusaders, Long Eaton v Meden Vale, Redditch v Bromyard, St Neots v Rugby Lions, Stoke OB v Chaddesley Corbett, Thorney v Bingham, Warley v Bishops Castle, Worksop v Sileby Town, Yardley & district v Coventrians. Ties to be played on October 4. Byes: Alcester, Ashfield, Atherstone, Belper, Birstall, Corby, Coventry Welsh, Keresley, Old Newtonians, Rugeley, Westwood. 18

Age Grade Competition Review (AGCR) Progress Update The AGCR has moved on significantly in recent months. This update covers progress so far, key considerations and where we are going next. The next 4 months are crucial in shaping up the detailed framework for the future and a schedule is underway to build this and share it with the game. The Review recommendations will be presented to the Community Game Board (CGB) in late autumn before a further consultation phase for refinement and ultimately presentation of the final framework to RFU Council in the New Year. This important piece of work which has been in process since late 2011, was triggered by recognition that there was an absence of competitive framework in the youth game. This results in a lack of clarity, consistency and appropriate level of competitive opportunity across the game; impacting on the attraction and retention of players of all standards. Following the great input from over 500 people at the Blueprint Roadshows, a schools consultation event and further work with the CGB and key stakeholders, an Implementation Development Group (IDG) has been formed. The group will drive, alongside RFU staff, completion of a draft developmental framework of competitive opportunities and format for rugby union at Under 18 and below. The group will also formulate for CGB recommendations relating to playing opportunities in the transition from youth to adult rugby. People involved in organising the game on a practical basis from all areas of age grade rugby are on the IDG which will meet 4 times in all between July and September. This includes representatives of club mini, junior and youth, girls rugby, independent and prep schools, developing state school rugby, the college sector and the RFU Council. Areas under discussion are wideranging and focused on the practicalities of implementing a framework, including: New Rules of Play to 15-a-side Transition Consistency of the Age Bands Formats Girls Rugby and Competition Structured Competitions v Local Participation Post 18 Competition and Transition Other areas of progress since February include the trial and agreed regulations of the U18 one-term national schools competition; working with the pilot New Rules CBs on U13/14 rules; engagement with a Prep Schools consultation group; and valuable insight at a Schools stakeholder day in May into the challenges and differences that need to be considered in the schools. In addition, the following specific items related to age grade rugby have been advanced in the last few weeks: Under 13 Girls Rugby It has been decided that the time is right to remove the dispensation for girls who are Under 13 to play up to Under 15 Rugby. But clubs will need time to prepare for it, so the dispensation will be removed for the Season 2015/16. Therefore for the 2014-15 Season any U13 female players who have been registered to a club as an U12 player on Rugby First for the 2013-14 season can apply for dispensation to play up in the U15 age band. To apply for player dispensation please click here: U13 Girls Dispensation Form Local RFU staff are on hand to support any individual club who needs it and there are significant coaching resources available on RFU.com and there is also a full DVD available, produced by Gary Street. See the video links to coaching the U13 game: http://www.rfu.com/ takingpart/coach/tacklingthetransition Under 13 New Rules Pilot The RFU Council has agreed a pilot set of rules for the Under 13 game. The rules are designed to help build the transition from U12 New Rules towards 15-a-side rugby. This will be trialed as per the established New Rules of Play system in the 2014/15 season and then reviewed with the pilot counties. For the majority, there is no need to react at this stage! Discretionary and mandatory rollout would follow the timescales already established by RFU Council in all other counties, so 2016/17 and 2017/18 seasons respectively. Initial rollout of the AGCR recommendations is targeted for September 2015 with any major changes coinciding with the implementation of the main elements of the Adult Competition Review from the 2016/17 season. The RFU is committed to keeping the game informed on this important and exciting work. There will be regular updates from now on with the next at the end of the summer. For more information: marksaltmarsh@rfu.com 19

Humour: 'LIFE' THOUGHTS BY 'DUCKY' I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with 'Guess' on it. So I said 'Implants?' She hit me. How come we choose from two people to run for president and over fifty for Miss America I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose fitting clothing. If I HAD any loose fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place! When I was young we used to go 'skinny dipping,' now I just 'chunky dunk.' Don't argue with an idiot, people watching may not be able, to tell the difference. Wouldn't it be nice if whenever we messed up our life we could simply press 'Ctrl Alt Delete' and start all over? AMEN, AMEN!! Why is it that our children can't read a Bible in school, but they can in prison? Wouldn't you know it... Brain cells come and brain cells go, but FAT cells live forever. Why do I have to swear on the Bible in court when the Ten Commandments cannot be displayed outside? And remember: Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes Two women called at my door and asked what bread I ate; when I said white they proceeded to give me a lecture on the benefits of brown bread for 30 minutes. I think they were Hovis Witnesses. A couple are lying in bed. The man says, 'I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world.' The woman replies, 'I'll miss you...' WHY? Why do we buy hamburgers in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.. Why do supermarkets make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front? Why do we leave cars worth thousands of pounds in our driveways and put our useless junk in the garage. Why do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke Why can't women put on mascara with their mouth closed Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery' Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice' Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavouring, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons Why don't sheep shrink when it rains 20

Walsall RUFC Under 14's Require An Assistant Coach Walsall RUFC U14's are seeking a coach to assist and support the Head Coach through the 2014/15 season and beyond. The team currently are into their second season. The Club are looking for an assistant coach to help develop the playing squad and achieve the goal of creating a team that can sustain a good level of development in the forthcoming seasons. This is a great opportunity to be a part of a club that is growing within the community and that is creating commercial partnerships with local and national companies to continue development into the future. The Assistant Coach will develop individual player skills, fitness and game understanding. They will be a good motivator who puts the players' needs first. They will be able to work with players to find successful solutions to problems and will have a desire to create an exciting brand of rugby within the team. Commitments will be a minimum of Wednesday evenings (6.30-8pm) as well as Sundays (10:00am onwards) for matches / training. This role is a voluntary position; however, the club will provide and support coaches through their development where appropriate. Roles: Work alongside Head Coach to plan and deliver Wednesday night and Sunday morning training sessions Identify the players potential throughout the squad and help them to develop Help to develop the whole club environment and create a playing culture that provides opportunities for all at every level Support club recruitment initiatives Support the development of our Junior Section Qualifications and attributes: Ideally qualified to Level 2 standard, although it is open to the person with the right attitude and rugby philosophy or an experienced player/ex player who would like to get into coaching. Must have a desire to constantly develop, gaining appropriate qualifications. Willing to take on board feedback and be open to different styles of play and methods of training Must be passionate and able to communicate that passion through their enthusiasm when training and when motivating players Should have a sound technical knowledge for all areas of the game Flexible when working with groups or individuals and comfortable leading and assisting sessions For further information, please email Rob Hollis via: Email on rob.wrfc@gmail.com, or phone 0758 1039318 For more information about Walsall RUFC Under 14's. Closing date for applications is August 31, 2014. 21

Dates for the Diary: Staffs Rugby Union - Newsletter July 2014 August: 10th - Trentham 10 s 20th - Game Management System presentation @ Stafford RFC. (Rugby1st Replacement) 26th - SRU committee meeting September: 8th - Coaching Co-ordinators Meeting @ Newcastle RFC 15th - RDP Committee Meeting @ Newcastle RFC 23rd - SRU Management Committee meeting Please email any items/photos for future editions to: John Atkin (SRU Webmaster) Email: j.atkin12@btinternet.com tel: 01543 472605 The Haircut... Blessed are those that can give without remembering, and take without forgetting. One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door. Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you ' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door. Then a Member of Parliament came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The Member of Parliament was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Members of Parliament lined up waiting for a free haircut. And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it. Missing Wife: A husband went to the police station to report his missing wife. Husband: My wife is missing; she went shopping this morning and hasn't come back yet. Inspector: Can you describe her? her height? Husband: No idea. Inspector: Slim or healthy? Husband: Not slim, so probably healthy. Inspector: Colour of her eyes? Husband: Never really noticed. Inspector: Colour of her hair? Husband: Changes according to season. Inspector: What was she wearing? Husband: Not sure. Possible a dress or maybe trousers and a top. Inspector: Was she driving? Husband: Yes. Inspector: What type of car and what colour was it? Husband: A silver Audi A8 with a 4.2 liter V8 TDI engine generating 321 horse power teamed with a 6 speed tiptronic automatic transmission with manual mode. It has full adaptive LED headlights, which use light emitting diodes for all light functions. It has a very thin scratch on the front left door. At this point, the husband starts crying. Inspector: Don't worry sir. We'll find your car. 22