Last Sunday saw the final chapter in a very enjoyable month of local derbies. We’ve travelled to Gordano, Yatton and Nailsea and entertained WSM in the past 4 weeks and come away with healthy looking scoreboards and decent progressive performances.

I can’t quite decide how much we’ve improved……the coming weeks should give us a clearer picture on that front. Strangely all were very similar games, with perhaps the last encounter at Nailsea being the pick of the bunch on a big pitch in front of a decent crowd in bright sunshine a great feast of competitive running rugby was served up by all 30 odd players. I’m of the opinion that the score lines of late have flattered us somewhat and with minor differences here and there could have been much closer games, so I insist we understand what has worked well for us and carry that forward rather than a cocky lazy attitude of false opinion as we have been guilty of in the past!

Massive high five to Ewan who smashed over for his first ever try! That in itself was brilliant but seeing how much the rest of the team celebrated with him showed to me we are really starting to get the hang of what this sport is all about. The whooping and chest pumps were so extreme the referee actually had to intervene and calm everyone down !!!! Another hero in Spriggsy has quietly arrived on the scene, this “newbie” has developed a serious knack for finishing in a very short space of time, and I’m very excited to see this progress even further. Finally a big shout goes out to Jarrad who is really starting to get the hang of things, he put in some great tackles last week and I’m certain it’s only confidence holding him back from a standout performance.

Whilst most of the team are performing very well indeed and improving week on week (the backs are starting to look a little bit awesome!!!!) I can’t help but feel some of the pack need to contribute a little bit more. Firstly these individuals need to recognise it’s them I’m talking about and then we can get down to stepping up the effort. I’m pretty sure the change to a full-size pitch has had a seismic change on their game and it’s very early days in that respect – but we’ve identified the type of game we want to play and those players are absolutely key to that if we want to progress and mix it with the “big boys”.

FURTHER NEWS:

Dear all,

You may or may not be aware that recently I have been asked to consider players to put forward for further development of their rugby in a more competitive environment. Because of Clevedons unique location those players I consider “ready” for the rigours of this process have a choice between Somerset (Bath) or alternatively Bristol “Developing Player Programme” (DPP). Each programme is very different in set up and process and the decision of which to take has been entirely left to the individuals concerned.

The school and I have now approached the few players that we feel might best meet the criteria outlined by the individual pathways. Unlike our club rugby where we try to have a “fair and inclusive – everyone plays, regardless of experience and competence” attitude, these programmes have the ultimate goal to select and develop those players who, in effect, will create an elite group to possibly progress to the semi or professional ranks. Therefore, the intensity will be high, bad attitude & lack of attention not tolerated and rejection/de-selection does and will occur frequently. In essence they are ultimately only interested in the “Biggest, Fastest, Bravest and Strongest” players available. Please note that players can enter at any level and time from U13 onwards, as they mature or become more experienced, confident and competent. As your sons coach I feel I have a duty of care to advise parents and players of the likelihood of success/rejection based on the criteria I have been sent, along with experience of many parents and coaches from previous age groups going through the DPP. I have genuinely agonised over who I feel is ready for this programme at the moment and who may improve in certain areas to become equipped in the coming years. If you feel you have been unjustly left out then please find time to approach me and I can outline the areas I think we can work on together to possibly reach the levels required for entry in coming years. A selection/nomination of this nature can be very divisive and if not communicated correctly can have a negative impact on the player who is not selected by the DPP at this point. Conversely, I believe that encouraging a player who is not yet ready would also have negative impact and potentially damage their outlook of and current enjoyment of Rugby.

We should all remember why we play this game and what actually in reality brings us pleasure. If your goal is to play international rugby then that is fine, I will do all I can to assist you in that dream however please remember something like less than 1 in 1,000 quality players actually achieve that!!!! Playing rugby at a high level is very hard work, unforgiving and unsympathetic……I believe it also requires a huge slice of luck. It is not just a desire, these days nothing less than complete professionalism off the field is expected – lifestyle choices, diet and personal conditioning are an absolute minimum expectation. You all need to weigh up where your commitment to rugby starts and ends. I have been lucky enough to play for my county and was actually the only player in the squad from a state school. Whilst I am obviously proud of achieving that, it certainly doesn’t rank amongst my most cherished rugby memories, in actual fact quite the opposite. For me rugby is about camaraderie, acceptance and a feeling of belonging to something that looks after its own – in a game, at training or in the bar. I suppose what I’m trying to say is be careful what you wish for the grass isn’t always greener. But I also recognise this is your journey to make, so please talk to me……..as long as it’s about rugby!