Year 8 Rugby Development Tournament

On Thursday 22^nd November, the Year 8 Rugby team attended a development tournament at Weston RFC. The squad was made up of a mixture of experienced club players and some students who are new to egg-chasing. Everything seemed to be perfect for a great afternoon of rugby: the skies were clear; the ground was soft; spirits were high and the training session on the previous Tuesday had been the best one of the season. A couple of initial victories against strong opposition laid the foundation for what turned out to be a very successful event for Churchill, with the boys finishing the day unbeaten. More importantly, however, their coaches were delighted to see the team putting some new systems into practice throughout the day – the communication in defence was a particular highlight. The defensive effort was personified by Player of the Tournament Ben Osmond, who quietly and efficiently went about his business at the breakdown.
 
As the day wore on, it was fantastic to see the boys retain their humility and grace; their attitude was superb and they were open to constructive criticism throughout. Indeed, by the time the final matches came around, the boys on the touchline were analysing the team’s performance by themselves without needing the probing questions from their coaches. There is definitely the makings of a very strong team in this group, but they will only fulfil their potential if they all commit to training regularly. If they do that, there’s no limit to what they could achieve in future seasons.
 
It was a brilliant event, and our thanks must go to Mr Hart for organising the whole thing. Gratitude, too, to Weston RFC for their hospitality – the hot drinks were much appreciated as the sun began to set and the temperature plummeted!
 
The next tournament is on Tuesday 4^th December at Weston Hornets RFC – here’s hoping that it turns out to be just as good a day.
 
Mr Hartley and Mr Church