HRUFC Under 8's News
Welcome to HRUFC Under 8s!
The new season is almost on us and the Under 8s are ready to spring back into action after their successful final year in the Under 7s. We have a full fixture list including a number of festivals and the end of season tour to Newbury in April. Eighteen players from last year’s squads are preparing for the start of training on Sunday September 3rd.
For all of those players, welcome back – it’s great to have you with us again and we look forward to another fantastic season.
For anyone checking this site for the first time – please come and join in; we are always looking for new players to add to the squad with the aim of running two teams – Hyenas and Hawks – as often as possible. We play Tag Rugby, a game that focuses on the core skills of running, evasion, ball handling and above all, communication and teamwork. Tackling and other aspects of contact rugby come in next season at Under 9. In short, the game provides boys and girls alike an ideal introduction to team sports in a safe, supervised environment.
Coming up….
Click here to see what the 8s are doing in the months ahead
Under 8 ‘Staff’
The Under 8s are coached this year by Dave Beal, Matt Wilkinson, Hugh Davies and Jason Gregg. Anyone else interested in helping out at training, or getting involved more formally, should give us a shout and we’ll be happy to have you on board. The squad has a qualified first aider on hand in Rosey Davies, while Georgia Parkinson covers our admin and deals with subs and registrations.
Contacts
Dave 07932 921876
Matt 07885 655003
Hugh 07795 844324
Jason 07973 953222
For any admin queries, contact Georgia
Match day policy statement
We propose to operate the following policy for match days. Home fixtures, where we control the space and resources available, will also be used for training. Anyone who turns up will either play in a match or be involved in a training session. We’ll aim to give everyone at least half a match by fielding both Hyenas and Hawks teams, numbers permitting.
For away games we don’t want anyone to have a wasted journey, particularly to our more far-flung fixtures. We don’t have control over extra space at other clubs, so for these matches we’ll liaise with the host club in advance to find out how many games we’ll be playing and what spare space they have; the number of players we take with us will be decided based on what they tell us. It goes without saying that on these occasions, anyone who wants to come along is welcome, but we can’t always guarantee to get everyone on the pitch.
With the exception of festivals, the teams picked for matches will be mixed ability. This will help the newer and less experienced players to progress by playing alongside the stronger members of the squad. For festivals, the usual 1st (Hyenas) and 2nd (Hawks) teams will be selected.
These guidelines are adapted from the policy we published last season to the Under 7s, and we aim to keep this flexible so as to have as many players as possible taking part in rugby every week. If you have any concerns, suggestions or other feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thanks!
HRUFC Under 8 Coaching Team
Last Season – HRUFC Under 7s 2005-6
The real measure of our success last season is the fact that a record number of players, no fewer than 18, are making the step up from Under 7 to Under 8 this year. This is a testament to the determination of the players, the enthusiasm of their coaches and the unfailing support of parents.
On the field, the players showed great spirit and a complete lack of fear in the face of some quality opposition, most notably when twice playing sides composed mainly of Under 8s. The never-say-die attitude reached its peak in April when the Gold team recovered from a two-try deficit to win the final at the Boston Festival after a tense period of extra time.
The maturity of the players both on and off the field is one of the many aspects that make coaching this level of rugby such a pleasure. They played as a true team all season, working together in defence and sharing the tries around throughout the squad. Win or lose, they finished each game with heads held high and with heartfelt congratulations for the opposition.
We look forward to the coming season and more of the same.
