OA's Sarah McKenna promoted to England Elite

OAs fly-half Sarah McKenna is one step closer to a full England cap today after it was announced that she has been selected as part of a 34-player England Elite Player Squad (EPS) for the 2011/12 season.

Sarah, who has appeared regularly for England A over the past two seasons after a career with the England U20s, will have plenty of opportunities as it was also announced that England will have a "strengthened international programme which will see them compete in not only the RBS 6 Nations but more regular and competitive fixtures against their European and Southern Hemisphere rivals throughout the season."

She will be joined in the squad by Hertfordshire and Saracen's Maggie Alphonsi.

Hannah Gallagher and Georgia Peedle have also been reselected for the England U20 squad.

Welwyn-Saints U18 Girls Rugby team win RFUW National Sevens Competition

Last weekend, Welwyn Saints became the first Hertfordshire team to win the National Sevens - the premier girls rugby tournament - since Scorpions lifted the title in 2002. Martyn Voyle reports:

On Saturday May 14th the RFUW National Sevens competition was held at Lichfield RFC. Welwyn-Saints U18 Girls team played some excellent rugby against the top teams in the country and emerged having won all their 5 games to take the honours at this prestigious tournament. 

Welwyn found themselves in a tough group with Exeter –Saracens and Lichfield at the start of the tournament. In the first game, Exeter started strongly and scored first in the opening minutes. This rallied the Welwyn girls who eventually ran in convincing winners 24-5. The next game was against Lichfield and based on the earlier encounters in the East-Midlands League, Welwyn knew that the opposition would be a physically strong team. This certainly proved to be the case and the flowing rugby that we saw in the previous game was now being disrupted. Lichfield dominated the contact areas and were deservedly ahead 12-7 with only a minute to play. Welwyn were pinned down well inside their own 22 and it looked like the game was lost. Suddenly though, Welwyn broke through the solid defence and released their backs into space. A few timely passes later and Welwyn had scored to draw level at 12-12. A difficult conversion was to be the last play of the game. Courtney Arberry stepped forward to strike a perfect drop kick. Welwyn took the game 14-12 and proceeded into the top –tier cup competition. Lichfield were rewarded for their excellent play by going on to win the Plate competition.

The Cup was to be played as a round robin style competition involving 3 other teams: London Irish, Worcester and Paviours, alongside Welwyn. The first Welwyn game was against London Irish, possibly the strongest outfit in the country. Bob Dawson, the Welwyn coach seemed unfazed by the Lichfield affair and planned the tactics for the forthcoming game while most of the supporters and the team managers went for a lie down!

From the kick off, Welwyn’s strategy of keeping the ball alive and maintaining constant support for the ball carrier seemed to mesmerise the opposition. London Irish struggled to get their hands on the ball and, when they did, Welwyn forced errors by early pressure. Welwyn ran in comfortable winners 24-0. The London Irish girls showed great sportsmanship throughout; a game played in great spirit.
In the next game, Welwyn took to the pitch and put in a gritty performance to beat Paviours 17-0 and with Worcester winning all their games, a final showdown was set up between Welwyn and Worcester for the Cup. This game was a contrast to the earlier flowing London Irish game. It was a close, tough physical encounter. Both teams showed great tackling and defensive qualities. In the end Welwyn’s determination paid off and they ran in winners by 17-5. The celebrations started and Welwyn-Saints took home the RFUW National Sevens trophy.

U13 Age Band: Dispensation for existing U12 players

Dear All

We have listened to feedback on the U13 age band proposal and have come to the conclusion, that the vast majority agree with the strategic need for the proposals, although the suggested timing for introduction will pose some challenges for some of our clubs, therefore:

For Season 2011/12  any female players aged U12 and registered on Rugby First in 2010/11 season can play within the U15 age band.

All players must be 12 years of age on the 1st September 2011 and have played club rugby during the 2010/11 season under the RFU Continuum, only players that were registered on Rugby First before the season closed on the 2nd May 2011 will be approved to play U15 Girls rugby.

How does it work?:

1.       All clubs that have affiliated girls sections at U15s can apply to the RFUW to allow those U12 girls previously registered (in season 2010/2011) on Rugby First to play in their U15 team.

2.       Clubs must follow U13 Player Application Form  link and supply the required information, which in turn can be checked against Rugby First before approval is granted.

3.       Any application needs to be with the RFUW no later than 15^th July 2011.

4.       Any non-registered players or new players to the game will not be permitted to play U15 rugby and would start in the new U13s age-group.

5.       To support this we have expanded the Club Development Toolkit Fund to have a specific line of funding available to support programmes and resources relating to the development of U13s. The funding is available through application via Club Toolkit Fund Application Form and must be received by 10th June 2011. If you require any support or assistance with your application, please contact your WRDM.

6.       Resources to support the coaching of the Tag to Tackle game will be available through your local coaching network over the summer.

If you have any queries at all please contact your WRDM in the first instance.

Regards

Rosie Williams

Girls summer touch rugby

Saracens want to see what clubs might be interested in taking part in a Girls Touch rugby event this summer. Saracens, in conjunction with In2Touch, are running a touch league with either male only or mixed teams and it got me thinking that maybe we could run a girls only event. 

This will be a one-off session, venue, times and date to be confirmed but will probably be towards the end of July before the school summer holidays. The idea is that the players can get together and socialize and it may be a chance to recruit new players if we encourage players to bring a friend as there is no contact involved.

Could you let me know if you would or would not be interested in taking part and I can get things moving.

Kind regards

Simone

Simone Shepherd | Sports Development Officer

Saracens Sport Foundation, Hertfordshire Sports Village, DeHaviland Campus, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Herts, AL10 9EU
M +44 (0)7590 890801 | T +44 (0)1707 285026  F +44 (0)1707 270748 
E simoneshepherd@saracens.net | W www.saracens.com

National Sevens: Results

Under 15

Competition	Winner	Runner – up
Cup	London Irish	Reading
Plate	Litchfield	Mowden Rockliffe

Under 18

Competition	Winner	Runner – up
Cup	Welwyn	Worcester
Plate	Litchfield	Ellingham + Ringwood
Bowl	Reading	Tyldesley / Waterloo

Herts Sevens 2011: Results

Under15

Competition	Winner	Runner – up
Cup	London Irish	Welwyn
Plate	Litchfield	Oakmedians B
Bowl	Letchworth	Royston
Shield	Ealing	Grove
Egg cup	Faringdon	Oakmedians A

Under18

Competition	Winner	Runner – up
Cup	Welwyn	Berks Ba Baas
Plate	Worcester	Herts Ba Baas
Bowl	Saracens/Chesham	Aylestone st James

Coaching Vacancy: OA Saints

THE ROLE:
The role will consist of coaching the Old Albanian RFC Women's section (1st and 2nd Teams) and will consist of stringent planning and delivery of coaching sessions as well as coaching and facilitating team preparation on match days. We are looking for a Head Coach and an Assistant Coach for the whole squad to work alongside the current 2nd team Head Coach.

ABOUT US:
Old Albanian women’s section (OA Saints) is a premiership club that has two squads for women from the age of 18 through to 40. The 1st team is in its second year in the premiership having been promoted in 2010 due to its phenomenal success in the lower leagues. The 1st team consists of several current and ex-international players from England and Scotland. The 2nd team is in National Challenge South East North 2 and is pushing for promotion into National Challenge South East 1 for the 2011/2012 season. The 2nd team has also been very successful in their league having won 7 and lost just 1 match in this past season.

LOCATION:
The club is based in St. Albans at the outstanding facilities of OA Rugby which is currently the base at which Saracens Rugby Club train on a daily basis, with facilities including a floodlit training pitch, 6 full size rugby pitches including an international standard 1st XV pitch, a fully equipped rugby gym, 8 changing rooms and a physiotherapist suite.

This would be a fantastic opportunity for any coach who is keen on working with a dedicated and talented premiership side and enthusiastic squad and who wants to further their coaching career. The coach must be keen to develop their skills and bring something unique to the club.

MAIN DUTIES:
- Coach the 1st and 2nd team players on a Mon & Weds evening
- Facilitate team preparation on match days (Sundays)
- Attend training and match fixtures throughout the season
- Attend coaching & selection meetings
- To lead on the delivery of training sessions
- Provide constant player feedback to squad players
- Liaise and work with the other club coaches

Additionally:
Potential candidates will be invited to interview with the club chairwoman and Club Captain. Candidates may also get the opportunity to meet the players and lead a pre-season training session.

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Level 2 (minimum) or 3 Rugby Coaching Award with a proven coaching background
- Strong written and communication skills

- Strong Leadership, delegation and planning skills
- Knowledge of Strength & Conditioning an advantage
- Enhanced RFU CRB Disclosure less than 3 years old

REWARDS AND BENEFITS:
- Support towards CPD Training
- Potential for expense payments
- Opportunities to work alongside National coaches and to assist in player development of national players
- Opportunities to work with an ex-England International player and current Saracens coach who will oversee the overall coaching plan for the Saints
- To be involved in coaching a hugely talented Premiership sides at one of the best amateur rugby facilities in the UK.

Please send letter of application and CV to tasha@saintsmith.com by 1st June.

Worthing 10s: Results

UNDER 18s CUP

	Home	Away	League Points
13:40	London Irish 28	Welwyn 5	London Irish +5 Welwyn 0
14:20	Aylesford 7	Welwyn 22	Welwyn +5 Aylesford 0
15:00	London Irish 34	Aylesford 0	London Irish +5 Aylesford 0
Under 18 Cup Winners: London Irish Under 18 Cup Runners Up: Welwyn

UNDER 18s SHIELD

	Home	Away	League Points
13:20	Ealing 0	E&R 38	Ellingham +5 Ealing 0
14:00	H3 43	Ealing 5	H3 +5 Ealing 0
14:40	E&R 19	H3 0	Ellingham +4 H3 0
Under 18 Shield Winners: Ellingham and Ringwood Under 18 Shield Runners Up: H3

UNDER 18s BOWL

	Home	Away	League Points
13:20	SSB 19	Worthing 0	SSB +4 Worthing 0
14:00	Oakmeadians 29	SSB 0	Oakmeadians +5 SSB 0
14:40	Worthing 12	Oakmeadians 29	Oakmeadians +5 Worthing 0
Under 18 Bowl Winners: Oakmeadians Under 18 Bowl Runners Up: SSB

UNDER 15s CUP

	Home	Away	League Points
14:00	SSB 0	Aylesford 39	Aylesford +5 SSB 0
14:20	Welwyn 0	London Irish 12	London Irish +4 Welwyn 0
14:40	Aylesford 12	Welwyn 5	Aylesford +4 Welwyn +1
15:00	London Irish 22	SSB 0	London Irish +5 SSB 0
15:20	Welwyn 10	SSB 5	Welwyn +4 SSB 0
15:40	London Irish 15	Aylesford 5	London Irish +4 Aylesford 0
Under 15 Cup Winners: London Irish Under 15 Cup Runners Up: Aylesford Bulls

UNDER 15s SHIELD

	Home	Away	League Points
13:20	Solent 17	Hertford 12	Solent +4 Hertford 0
13:40	Paviors 31	Ealing 0	Ealing withdraw
14:00	Ealing	Hertford	Ealing withdrawn
14:20	Paviors 5	Solent 10	Solent +4 Paviors 0
14:40	Hertford 5	Paviors 15	Paviors +4 Hertford +1
15:00	Solent	Ealing	Ealing withdrawn
Under 15 Shield Winners: Solent Under 15 Shield Runners Up: Paviors

UNDER 15s BOWL

	Home	Away	League Points
13:00	Oakmead. R 0	Worthing 27	Worthing +5 Oakmead R 0
13:20	Oakmead B 22	Letchworth 15	Oakmead B +5 Letchworth +1
14:00	Letchworth 15	Worthing 5	Letchworth +4 Worthing 0
14:20	Oakmead B 79	Oakmead R 34	Oakmead. B +5 Oakmead R 0
14:40	Worthing 7	Oakmead. B 24	Oakmead. B +5 Worthing 0
15:00	Oakmead. R 0	Letchworth 22	Letchworth +5 Oakmead. R 0
Under 15 Bowl Winners: Oakmeadian Blues Under 15 Runners Up: Letchworth