Relive England's Six Nations triumph

You can now relive the highlights of almost all of England's Six Nations campaign at SportUK.TV. This free website - officially supported by RFUW - has recently been redesigned and gives video highlights of all of England's home games, as well as most away fixtures.

So if you are suffering from rugby withdrawl symtoms you can help alleviate this by not only reliving the two victorious days at Old Albanians, but also by watching highlights of England's wins at Murryfield and Paris.

(And for those who weren't at OAs - yes, it really was as cold as it looks.

No - thinking about it - it was colder!)

Can you help to run the new adult county team?

Can you spare time to help the an adult county team?

The U17s and U14s had a great start last year, and now we want to give the same opportunities to adult players in Hertfordshire. But the teams do not run themselves and a few volunteers are needed to step forward and make it happen. Basically we need coaches and administrative support:
County Coach details:

There are vacancies for a Head Coach and both a backs and a forwards coach

The W & G RDO , with the Herts Sports Partnership, is seeking to appoint a Head Coach and both backs and forwards coaches for a County Senior Women’s Team. The coaches should have experience of coaching women in rugby, and will be able to deliver a coaching programme suitable to ensure further development of the players. The Head Coach will be at least a level 2 coach, working towards level 3, and the assistant coaches ideally will also be level 2. They will work as a team to organise a trials and selection process and then deliver suitable coaching plan.

All the coaches will need to have good communication and organisational skills, both verbally and written, and will be on e-mail. References as to suitability and experience will be taken and as some players at senior level may be under 18 years of age, coaches will need to agree to be CRB checked.

The coaches will need to be willing to work with the Herts Girls and Women’s Rugby Development Group, at least one of them attending each meeting of the group. The Group meets about every 6 weeks during the season.

The RDO is committed to supporting and developing coaches and follows the guidelines set out by the Herts Sports Partnership for the employment and deployment of coaches across the county.

Administrative support:

There are vacancies for a Team Manager, Press Officer, Kit Manager, and Fixtures Secretary.

The W & G RDO , with the Herts Sports Partnership is seeking to appoint a team, comprising of a Team Manager, Kit Manager, Fixtures Secretary and Press Officer, to help run a Senior Women’s County Rugby Team.

Excellent communication and organisational skills are essential, as is an understanding of women’s rugby. Successful applicants must be on e-mail and will have good verbal and written communication skills. References as to suitability for these positions will be taken.

How to apply

For further details and an application form, please contact Amanda Bate by e-mail: A.1.Bate@herts.ac.uk, or phone on: 01707 281008, or write to: Amanda Bate, Active Sports, Rugby Development Officer (Girls and Women), Hertfordshire Sports Village, De Havilland Campus, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Herts AL10 9EU.

Closing date: 15th August.

Athlete Support Programme: Contact numbers

We've now had the first three sessions and - after a good initial turnout - there have been a few no-shows.

This is inevitable - people are ill - but if you have any problems getting to any future sessions it is essential that you contact Fiona or Amanda as soon as possible. Do not leave this until the last minute. Essentially you are also expected to attend unless you are actually ill in bed as even if that just means you watch the active sessions you will still gain something!

If you have any problems at all you must phone as soon as possible - Amanda can be reached (or texted) on 07871 589454. You can also reach Fiona via the Sports Centre reception on 01707 284466.

This is the first year girls have been involved with this, so the impression you give will be remembered. Failure to attend not only jeapodises your place on the programme, but the future involvement of all girls. So work with each other to make it a success - encourage each other, and if a friend of your's has travel problems (for example) see if you can offer them a lift!

One last thing is that you need to remember to bring with you the books you were given. Few of you did, apparently.

Girls U14 Emerging Schools 2006/7: Start planning NOW!

Details are beginning to emerge about the new Girls U14 "Emerging School" championship", which will run next season.

The Emerging Schools tournament - sponsored by The Daily Mail - has been running for some years, and the schools final at Twickenham is now an established (and very successful) event. Last year - for the first time - some girls schools were included in a relatively small scale pilot event, but it caught the headlines and so next season its going national.

Grants will be available through Herts Sports Partnership (ie. Amanda) to get coaches into schools across the county. The plan is to have district level events in the autumn, leading to a county tournament in February. The best teams from that will go onto regional finals on 11th March and the national final at Twickenham on 5th May.

Clearly a base of girls playing rugby at school must benefit clubs, so if at all possible you will be (indeed probably are already being) encouraged to work with your local schools to get this going.

But clearly NOW is the time to start. If you leave it until September then local PE teachers will already have their plans for the year in place and you're going to miss out. To get schools up and running sufficient for the district and county tournaments you really need to be able to hit the ground running at the start of the Autumn term.

One thing in everyone's favour will be that the World Cup in Canada will be taking place at the beginning of September, with a real chance of England success that can be used to develop interest in the game (its always good to be associated with a sport that England can win at!).

So try to have a word with your local PE teachers now - they'll probably be pretty supportive. If you have girls from your club at a particular school obviously that will give you a great base to build on.

This really is a brilliant opportunity for us to use. A new national junior tournament building on a successful international team just at a time when all the other, higher profile, international teams are an embarrassment. What more could we want?

U14 "Emerging Schools" Competition rules:

Basically as standard RFUW U14 rugby, but with a few odd tweaks:

• Half pitch
  (You will recall that the club game is going full pitch)
• Full contact
• Uncontested scrums
  (No option for contested - unlike the club game next season)
• Tactical kicking is allowed
• Hand-offs permitted chest and below
• No conversions
• Re-starts after tries are scrums, put in to the conceding team
  (Possibly the most significant difference)
• Size 4 ball
• 12 a-side (at present 5 in the scrum but RFUW are looking to change this to 6)

Local newspapers highlight Hertfordshire award success

I guess I should mention that local newspapers covering most of north and central Herts (including the Comet, Advertiser, Crow, Herald and Times series) include a report on the county's success at the East awards "do" a few weeks back.

Thanks to Amanda for submitting the article which, for some reason the "usual channels" somehow neglected to do.

Can't think why.

The photo might be a clue though...

Summer rugby courses

Just a reminder that across the county this summer your local district councils will be organising summer events, and in many areas these will include rugby courses.

Always open to girls as well as boys, often at a bargin price, and invariably aimed at relative newcomers to the game these courses will be ideal for many up-and-coming U14s.

Typical of such an events, for example, is one being put on by North Herts District Council at Hitchin RFC from 31st July to 4th August. At this course girls (and boys) aged between 8 and 13 will get five mornings of coaching for only £25.70 - a fraction of what you would normally pay at commercial Rugby Camps.

So have a look through the brochures that schools will be handing out about now - and if you are a bit concerned about the course being flooded by boys, get together with a few friends and teammates and go as a group. What else had you got planned?

England U19 trials

England U19 trials will be held on Saturday 7th October at somewhere in the Midlands (venue still to be confirmed - watch this space) .

Any girls aged between 16 and 18 on 1st September 2006 can attend - you do not have to have previously attended summer camps etc. - but RFUW request that you should be of "regional standard". If in doubt ask you club coach.

Information - including trial forms - will appear on the RFUW's website next month and have to be returned to RFW by 18th September.

Support England... Promote the Women's game... (and annoy the blokes a bit!)

The RFUW are offering some rather neat car stickers with the slogan "Six Nations Grand Slam Winners 2006" on them and (in slightly smaller type) "Next challenge: Women's World Cup Edmonton".

There is also an accompanying poster with similar wording and action shots from the Six Nations campaign. Just to emphasise the point that at least one England rugby team is capable of winning things....

Both are - by the looks of it - free (the RFUW's latest mailing doesn't actually say one way or the other).

So drop RFUW a line and order now. The stickers are sticky on the back so can be used not just on cars, but also bags, exercise books, lockers, bedroom doors, and a multitude of other similar places. And the poster would look great on your club or school noticeboard!

In addition the "Girl Power" posters have been updated with a new (and rather better) text - again copies available from RFUW in both A3 and A5 sizes.

Beckenham Festival to include U14 competition

Exciting news just received about the Beckenham Festival - for the first time there will be a U14 competition as well as the usual U17 event!

As in previous years it is emphasised that this will be a "development" event, so slightly simplified rules (details expected later).

Beckenham RFC are sendig invitations to clubs in the region this week (all clubs who took part in Herts 7s are likely to be contacted). With two age groups now taking part entries are likely to be taken very quickly, so don't miss out!

Coaching courses: 2006/7

The following are the dates of RFU coaching courses in Hertfordshire next season. All courses wil be held at the University of Herts de Haviland Campus in Hatfield. For more information or to make a booking please contact:

Helen Bridgeman (RFU Regional Administrator London North), East Midlands Rugby Union, The Rugby House, Wellingborough School, Irthlingborough Road, Wellingborough, NN8 2BX Tel No. 01933 222218, Email : admin@emru.co.uk

Level One (£88.13):

• 3rd & 17th September 2006 (closing date: 3rd August 2006)
• 8th & 22nd October 2006 (closing date: 8th September 2006)
• 4th & 18th November 2006 (closing date: 4th October 2006)
• 3rd & 17th December 2006 (closing date: 3rd November 2006)
• 14th & 21st January 2007 (closing date: 14th December 2006)
• 11th & 25th February 2007 (closing date: 11th January 2007)
• 4th & 18th March 2007 (closing date: 4th February 2007)
• 1st & 15th April 2007 (closing date: 1st March 2007)
• 6th & 27th May 2007 (closing date: 13th April 2007)
• 10th & 24th June 2007 (closing date: 10th May 2007

Level Two (£126.25)

• Part One – 9th/10th September 2006
  Part Two – 9th/10th December 2006
  (closing date: 9th August 2006)
  
• Part One – 27th/28th January 2007
  Part Two – 2nd/3rd June 2007
  (Closing date: 18th December 2006)

Level Three

• Please contact Helen on 01933 222218 for information