Herts 7s draw published

Herts Girls Sevens Competition – Match Schedule

Under 15 Competition - Pool Stage

Pool A

Kick-off	Pitch
11:00	C	Herts Barbarians	Tamworth
11.40	D	Basford	Herts Barbarians
12.20	C	Tamworth	Basford

Pool B

Kick-off	Pitch
11:20	C	Saracens	Old Albanians
12.00	D	Hertford	Saracens
12.40	C	Old Albanians	Hertford

Pool C

Kick-off	Pitch
11:00	D	London Irish	Kettering
11.40	C	Stevenage	London Irish
12.20	D	Kettering	Stevenage

Pool D

Kick-off	Pitch
11:20	D	Welwyn Warriors	Reading Ladies
12.00	C	Bucks Jesters	Welwyn Warriors
12.40	D	Reading Ladies	Bucks Jesters

Under 15 Competition – Knock Out Stage

Time	Pitch	Match
13:30	C	U15 Bowl Semi 1	Pool A v Pool C
	D	U15 Bowl Semi 2	Pool B v Pool D
13:50	C	U15 Plate Semi 1	Pool A v Pool C
	D	U15 Plate Semi 2	Pool B v Pool D
14:10	C	U15 Cup Semi 1	Pool A v Pool C
	D	U15 Cup Semi 2	Pool B v Pool D
14:30	D	U15 Bowl Final
	C	U15 Bowl 3rd playoff
14:50	D	U15 Plate final
	C	U15 Plate 3rd playoff
15:10	D	U15 Cup 3rd playoff
15:30	A	U15 Cup final

Under 18 Competition - Pool Stage

Pool A

Kick-off	Pitch
11.00	A	Kettering	Herts Barbarians
11.40	B	Wisbech G. S.	Kettering
12.20	A	Herts Barbarians	Wisbech G. S.

Pool B

Kick-off	Pitch
11.20	A	Basford	Hertford
12.00	B	TBA	Basford
12.40	A	Hertford	TBA

Pool C

Kick-off	Pitch
11.00	B	Herts Swifts	Reading Ladies
11.40	A	Worthing Stingers	Herts Swifts
12.20	B	Reading Ladies	Worthing Stingers

Pool D

Kick-off	Pitch
11.20	B	Bucks Jesters	Pavworth Maoris
12.00	A	Letchworth G.C.	Bucks Jesters
12.40	B	Pavworth Maoris	Letchworth G.C.

Under 18 Competition – Knock Out Stage

Time	Pitch	Match
13:30	A	U18 Bowl Semi 1	Pool A v Pool C
	B	U18 Bowl Semi 2	Pool B v Pool D
13:50	A	U18 Plate Semi 1	Pool A v Pool C
	B	U18 Plate Semi 2	Pool B v Pool D
14:10	A	U18 Cup Semi 1	Pool A v Pool C
	B	U18 Cup Semi 2	Pool B v Pool D
14:30	A	U18 Bowl Final
	B	U18 Bowl 3rd playoff
14:50	A	U18 Plate Final
	B	U18 Plate 3rd playoff
15:10	A	U18 Cup 3rd playoff
15:55	A	U18 Cup Final

U18 National 10's Finals Litchfield Sun 4th May

Each of the 6 teams that reached the U18 National 10's Finals at Litchfield RFC played each other in a round robin tournament.

Results affecting Letchworth:

Letchworth 10 Wimbourne 10
Letchworth 24 Tynedale 17
Letchworth 0 Worcester 38
Letchworth 17 Darlington Mowden Park 15
Letchworth 0 Reading 24

Final standings:

Winners: Worcester
Runners up: Reading
3rd Wimbourne
4th Letchworth
5th Darlington Mowden Park
6th Tynedale

Congratulations to Worcester who retain the Trophy they won last year.

Worthing Girls Festival Sun 4th May

The Worthing Festival is now an integral part of the Girls Rugby Season. Teams travel to it from as far as Worcester, Sleaford and Leicestershire, and now that it has moved to the first Bank Holiday weekend in May (next season Sun 3 May 2009) some teams are making it part of a 'Tour'. There is a 10's Section at both U15 and U18, and this year a 7's Section at U12 was introduced for the first time.

Welwyn U15's entered, but with only 7 Players available, for various reasons, needed to borrow Players from other Clubs to make up a team. In the true spirit of Rugby, both Basford and Paviors lent Players, but unfortunately Welwyn were knocked out at the Group Stage this year.

Glenn Warren, the Chair of Worthing Ladies and Girls Rugby, said that it their intention to try and expand the U12's Section next Season and they are also contemplating having a Senior 7's Tournament on the Saturday, turning the whole weekend over t0 Womens and Girls Rugby.

The results were:

U12's - Cup Winners: Worthing - Runners up: Beckenham

U15's - Cup Winners: Londin Irsh - Runners up: H3

U15's - Plate Winners: Folkstone Fillies - Runners up: Dorking

U18's - Cup Winners: Basford - Runners up: Paviors/Tamworth (Pavworth)

U18's - Plate Winners: Solent Sirens - Runners up: Old Leamingtonians

IRB announce major rule changes from 2008/9 season

The IRB issued the following press release today concerning a one year trial of the "ELVs" (Experimental Law Variations). These will apply to all rugby at all levels, unless otherwise stated, from 1st August 2008. Some of the changes are very significant and it is important that all players, coaches and officials are aware of the changes that will take place:

The International Rugby Board Council today announced that it had approved a global trial of Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) for a 12 month period starting on August 1, 2008. The trial at all levels of the Game will involve 13 of the 23 ELVs that have been undergoing experimentation in approved tournaments around the world over the last two years.

"The Council's decision to implement a global trial of Experimental Law Variations represents an important milestone for the future of the Game. It vindicates the process that was adopted by Council in 2004 for future Law amendments. The Council congratulated the Law Project Group on its unprecedented work over the past two years," said IRB Chairman Bernard Lapasset.

"It was also agreed that the sanctions ELVs (reduction of sanctions to free kicks from penalty kicks where possible) that were not approved for global trials would be further trialled in a selected elite Northern Hemisphere competition in the 2008/09 season."

"The Southern Hemisphere will continue to play under the various ELV programme environments that exist in that part of the world at present. It would be unfair to change the playing environment under which countries in the south are currently playing in competitions such as the Super 14."

"Not one of the Council representatives was against the global implementation of an ELV programme of some description. Many of the ELVs received unanimous approval as they had clearly shown potential to be beneficial to the Game thus meriting a further trial at all levels around the world."

"The Laws Project Group had recommended a global trial of all of the ELVs but there were differing opinions between the Council Members on some of the ELVs in the area of the tackle and ruck, maul, sanctions and offside. The key point here was that the Members did not dismiss these ELVs outright but believed that further consideration and trials were necessary."

"This is particularly true of the sanctions ELVs which have not been trialled by senior Unions in the north but which have been received favourably by players and coaches that have played under them in the Southern Hemisphere."

"The Laws Project Group has been tasked to closely monitor the global trial with the assistance of its Member Unions. It will also work with the Senior Unions in the north to deliver and analyse the sanctions ELVs in an elite Northern Hemisphere Competition."

"In November 2009 Council will review all the ELVs that will undergo global trial, along with the sanctions ELVs that will undergo approved trials in specific competitions. Council will then decide at this meeting if all or any of the ELVs should be accepted into full Law," added Mr Lapasset.
ELVs to be trialled worldwide

Assistant Referees
Assistant Referees can assist referees in any manner required when appointed by a match organiser

Posts and flags around the field
The corner posts are no longer considered to be in touch in-goal except when a ball is grounded against the post

Lineout and throw
If a team puts the ball back into their own 22 and the ball is subsequently kicked directly into touch there is no gain of ground
A quick throw may be thrown in straight or towards the throwing team's own goal line
There is no restriction on the number of players who can participate in the lineout from either side (minimum of two)
The receiver in a lineout must stand 2 metres back from the lineout
The player who is in opposition to the player throwing in the ball may stand in the area between the 5 metre line and touch line but must be 2 metres away from the lineout
Lineout players may pre-grip a jumper before the ball is thrown in
The lifting of lineout jumpers is permitted

Maul
Players are able to defend a maul by pulling it down
Remove reference in Law to heads and shoulders not to be lower than hips

Scrum
Introduction of an offside line five metres behind the hindmost feet of the scrum
Scrum half offside lines (must be in close proximity to the scrum as present Law or must retreat five metres)

ELVs to be trialled in an elite Northern Hemisphere competition
Sanctions
For all offences other than offside, not entering through the gate, and Law 10 - Foul Play, the sanction is a Free Kick

Tackle and ruck
If the ball is unplayable at the breakdown, the side that did not take the ball into contact will receive a Free Kick

Maul
If a maul becomes unplayable, the team not in possession at the start of the maul receives a Free Kick

ELVs to be referred back to LPG for further analysis and possible experimentation
Lineout and throw
Incorrect throw (not straight) the sanction is a Free Kick

Tackle and ruck
Offside line occurs immediately at the tackle
Players who are on their feet can play the ball with their hands

There are two Penalty Kicks awarded at the tackle and ruck - offside and foul play
Reference to unfair play added to Law 15 (tackle: ball carrier brought to ground)

Offside
Players are only put onside after a tackle when they retreat past the tackle or the ball has moved five metres away from the tackle

Kick-off and restart kicks
Incorrect kick-offs and restart kicks result in a Free Kick for the opposition

RFUW London & South East Regional Club Conference - 28th June 2008

The RFUW invites you to the 2008 RFUW London and South East Regional Club Conference, held this year at The University of Hertfordshire on Saturday 28th June from 10.15am – 4.45pm.

This annual event is always very well attended and not only provides an excellent training and development opportunity for the volunteers at your club but also allows you to network and share ideas with other clubs and members of the RFUW staff team.

The day will feature a variety of different sessions for coaches, administrators and referees and will involve both theoretical and practical workshops.

If you, or a colleague at your club would be interested in attending this conference please complete the attached form and return it to regionalrugby@therfu.com or by post to Gemma Ryan, RFUW, Rugby House, Rugby Road, Twickenham, Middlesex, TW1 1DZ. Please ensure you indicate which sessions you are interested in attending, e.g. coaches, referees or administrators. Please also note that there will be a £5 charge per person for attending this event.

Herts U15 Development Fixture Sun 27th April

This was the second time this season that Herts had hosted a U15 County Development fixture at Welwyn RFC. The two dates were chosen to co-incide with Regional dates, to give the next level of players an opportunity to gain more experience at this level.

The first event in March involved Herts, Kent and Middlesex and they were joined this time by Eastern Counties. Each team played each other in a round robin format, but there was no Trophy at stake. Herts had @25 Players, so quite a few of them ended up guesting for Middlesex and Kent, who were both short of numbers, to ensure they gained as much game time as possible. In the final round of games Herts Girls were playing for 3 different sides simultaneously, but we did ensure that all the Herts Girls did play in at least one game for their own County.

For the record the Herts scores were:
Herts 35 Eastern Counties 0
Herts 29 Kent 0
Herts 37 Middlesex 0

Both the County U15 Development and U12 Girls team initiatives have been very well received this season and we plan to continue them next season.

East Region - U15 National Festival Litchfield Sat 10th May

Congratulations to all those girls who this season played their part in the two Regional Games against Yorkshire and the South Region. With the Regional Festival at Litchfield only 2 weeks away, the coaching staff have selected the squad who will take part in this years U15 Festival.

The following girls will travel to Litchfield to represent the East Region at the U15 National Festival on 10th May:
Alice Nee
Claire Johnston
Ellie Martin
Alex Grant
Megan Robson
Courtney Arberry
Claire Shutler
Georgia Peedle
Sam Voyle
Abbie Cook
Olivia Stembridge
Alice Finn
Maddy Lockwood
Lucie Wood
Megan Childs
Jess Harris
Layla Pickering
Emma Wilson
Yasmin Pemberton
Frances Hughes
Kelsey Davis
Jess Wilkins

Could all those girls who have been selected, please contact Tina Turner to confirm their availability for the Festival.

U12s: Four county tournament, and season in review

The U12s finished their first season with a four team tournament at Welwyn this afternoon. Again club fixtures resulted in the loss of several leading players, but that did give some girls new to the sport a chance to shine.

In practice this was probably the least experienced Herts side we have been able to put out, and the first up was Kent - now a very experienced team based around two Kent clubs. It was a steep learning curve for the new girls, but by the second half they were where beginning work together and even scored a try at the end, going down five tries to one.

The second game against Eastern Counties was a far closer affair, two missed tackles in the first half being the difference giving the visitors a 10-0 win. But the second half was hugely exciting with Herts very unlucky to fail to break the deadlock.

Finally the girls took on Middlesex, aka Ealing, another experienced team but performed very well, despite the 20-5 scoreline. Overall Kent were winners, Middlesex second, and Eastern Counties third.

At the end of the first U12 programme it is worth recording that around 25 girls have played in five fixtures, as well as two training sessions. At full strength a Herts U12 team could take on anyone, but we were never granted that luxury! But that did not matter - and was hardly the point. Rather more interesting is that the programme has allowed over a dozen girls to sample competitive, full-contact rugby for the first time in a supportive environment suited to their needs - something that would be very difficult to do as part of a standard mini team. In addition the rugby careers of several other girls who had dropped out of rugby, or were on the verge of doing so, have been revived.

It is this that the programme was created to do. There has been a degree of opposition from some in boys and mini rugby who have failed to understand this. The U12 programme is not a representative programme, nor is its purpose to establish an alternative "club". The aim is to introduce girls to the game, and keep those in the game playing. We know that Saracens and Old Albanians will definitely benefit from these new or revived players next season, while both Welwyn and Letchworth are likely to include girls in their U15 squads next season who played U12 county rugby this season.

The only disappointing aspect of the programme has been the lack of enthusiasm and suspicion from some clubs, amounting to active opposition at times. This has restricted the uptake of the programme to only a minority of clubs, most of whom already have U15 and U18 sections and therefore understood what it was trying to do. It can only be hoped that these negative responses will be replaced with a more positive attitude next season because the programme has quite clearly at least slowed the hemorrhaging of girls from the mini game in Hertfordshire. I think we would be the first to admit that it is not perfect, but until someone comes up with a better means of keeping girls playing rugby up to U12s it remains the only game in town.

Finally, the programme could not have happened without the active support of several people, including members of the Herts Women's and Girls' committee, but above all Natalie Threlfall - a U18 player at Letchworth - who (along with her mother!) has given up several of her weekends (not to mention her chance of a place in the county U18 squad) to support, coach, and inspire the girls. The U12 programme offers a great practical opportunity for older girls to practice their coaching and it can only be hoped that some more will take up this next season.

You can still go to the ball

Not enough players available to form a team for Herts 7s at your club? Never mind, Cinders, you can still go to the ball!

Tabard, organisers of this year's competition (Sunday 25th May), are organising a "Barbarian" team for the U15 and (if there is sufficient interest) the U18 competition. Any girls who would otherwise miss out on the day because they have no-one to play for is welcome. For more information contact Laura-Jo.

Barbarian teams have an honourable history in the Herts 7s - and being part of an "all-sorts" team does not mean that you will be uncompetitive. Remember - the first U14 tournament in 2005 was won by just such a side!

Herts Girls 7's update

The following teams have so far entered the Herts Girls 7's at Tabard RFC on Sunday 18th May.

U15's:

Reading.
Welwyn.
London Irish.
Hertford.
Basford.
Saracens.
Tamworth.
Kettering.
OA Saints.
Bucks Jesters.
Stevenage.

U18's:

Reading.
Hertford.
Letchworth.
Basford.
Pavworth Maoris.
Wisbech Grammer School.
Kettering.
Bucks Jesters.
Herts Swifts.
Herts Cluster.

There is room for up to 16 Teams in each Section of the Tournament, so entries are still invited, including from Barbarian sides. Please contact me Laura-Jo Pearce on 07793809586 or tabardminis@hotmail.co.uk for further details

U18 Regional Tens 20th April results

Midlands Division:

Letchworth 17 Melbourne 5
Letchworth 10 Kettering 7
Letchworth 12 Newbold 12
Letchworth 7 Old Leomingtons 5
Letchworth 0 Worcester 17

Worcester and Letchworth progress to the National Tens Finals at Litchfield RFC on 4th May.

South Division:

Welwyn 10 Worthing 5
Welwyn 17 Solent Sirens 12
Welwyn 17 Exeter 0
Welwyn 0 Reading 12
Welwyn 10 Wimborne 14

Wimborne and Reading progress to the National Tens Finals at Litchfield RFC on 4th May.

Wanted: County coaches and mangers for 2008/9

Herts County is looking for coaches and managers for the girls' teams for next season - including U18, U15, U15 Development, and U12 teams.

If you are interested in developing your skills while making a practical contribution to the development of girls rugby, or would like more information about the posts, please contact Peter McCullough before the end of April.

East Region update

20th April

East Region training is on Sunday 20th April at Coopers Coborn School, Upminster. Training is from 10.00am until 2.00pm. Please ensure that you are on time and changed ready to start at 10.00am. For those girls who have not yet received their Regional Kit, Phil Robson has it and will hand it out on Sunday.

27th April

On Sunday 27th April East Region U15's and U18's are both playing friendlies against the South Region in lieu of the cancelled games in March. All squad members at both age groups will be required that day. The games will be structured to give all girls equal time on the pitch. The games will be held at Harlow Rugby Club, Edinburgh Way, Harlow, Essex. Please note, there will be limited parking at the Rugby Club so would all parents and supporters please use the trading estate next to the Rugby Club to park their cars. DO NOT PARK ON EDINBURGH WAY THE COUNCIL WILL TICKET OR TOW AWAY YOUR CAR. Kick off is 2.00pm. All players are to arrive by 1.00pm latest.

Under 18 National Cup Final Result

Worcester U18's 17 Welwyn / Basford U18's 15

Congratulations to Worcester U18's who have now won this Trophy in 5 of the last 6 Seasons.

Herts Girls 7's - Update

The following teams have so far entered the Herts Girls 7's at Tabard RFC on Sunday 18th May.

U15's:
Tabard (Hosts).
Welwyn.
Reading.
London Irish.
Hertford.
Basford.
Saracens.
Tamworth.
Kettering.
OA Saints.

U18's:
Reading.
Hertford.
Letchworth.
Basford.
Pavworth Maoris.
Wisbech Grammer School.
Kettering.

Interested Teams are advised to get their Entries in quickly as there is a limit of 16 Teams in each Section of the Tournament. Please contact me Laura-Jo Pearce on 07793809586 or tabardminis@hotmail.co.uk for further details

Super League will not clash with county rugby in 2008/9

The recent article on the U18 Super League in Touchline initially appeared to indicate a clash between Super League and county dates in 2008/9. County officials have now been in touch with RFUW and they have now confirmed that this will not be the case.

The Junior Super League will, in fact, take place at the end of this season on May 18th and 31st. There will be no Junior Performance events on county dates in 2008/9 and so all U18 players, regardless of where they are on the performance pathway will be available for club, county trials, training and matches.

Super League teams will be selected after the regional festival at Rugby at the start of May.

Details of HPA programme published

The RFUW have published details of this summer's "High Performance Academy" programme for elite players. Full details can be found here, but in summary there are only a few differences compared to last season.

Regions will again select the leading players who are not currently in the Training Development Group ("TDG") (U18s) or Schools of Rugby (U15s) to attend a HPA "camp" to be held at Brunel University in Uxbridge, London, on 12th and 13th July. Players selected will be notified by post in the week beginning 19th May.

The leading U18 players at the HPA camp will then join the 2007/8 TDG girls at their summer training session a week or two later after which the 2008/9 TDG will be selected. U15s moving up to U18 rugby next season will also take part in this process, but other U15s will attend a U15 HPA at which girls will be selected for next season's Schools of Rugby programme.

One major change for U18s is that RFUW will now be running a "super league", similar to that run for the leading adult players. For 2008/9 two squads will be selected made up of girls from the TDGs but also including other girls selected the Regional Tournament on 11th May (the TDG normally has only about 30 players, but around 40-50 girls are likely to be needed to form two viable squads). The plan is then for the two U18 teams will play each other twice at the same venues and dates as two of the adult super league fixtures during next season.

Job vacancy: Community coaches at Saracens

Saracens Sport Foundation

Community Coaches

Part Time Flexible hours

Due to the success of the Foundation during the last 12 months, the Foundation has secured additional funding to expand our delivery capacity and now require part time coaches to deliver a number of sports as part of our new programme initiatives.

Responsibilities

• To deliver on a number of sport projects including primary and secondary school delivery, after school clubs, club coaching and holiday camps across the whole of Hertfordshire.
• Cover a range of sports, from rugby to dance, golf, basketball, cricket, athletic, skateboarding, American football – to name a few.
• Plan, organise, deliver and review all sessions.
• To mentor young sport leaders – 16 – 19 year olds
• Hours of work include afternoons, evenings and weekends

Successful applicants will posses:

• Excellent communication, organisational and IT skills
• Experience of coaching various sports across a range of ages (you may be required to work with children from 3 – 24 years old)
• Level 1 coaching qualification in at least one sport – preferably a Level 2.
• Current First Aid qualification
• Current Driving Licence and have access to a car
• An up to date CRB check, and child protection certificates (to be brought to interview)

Immediate hours are available once all checks have taken place and a period of shadow coaching has been completed.

Application

Applicants should send a current CV and covering letter to hannahp@saracens.net or via post to Hannah Pirnie, Saracens Sport Foundation Rigby House, 34 The Parade, High Street, Watford, WD17 1EA.

Closing Date for applications: Thursday 3^rd April 2008 at 5pm

Interview Date: Interviews will be held the week commencing 14^th April 08

Talent Development Group U18 v. Canada U19

TDG U18 played the touring Canada U19s last Friday at Heythrop Park in Oxfordshire, where the TDG group train, and narrowly lost 19-15. Three Welwyn Warrior / Herts Players represented the TDG (Alex Robertson, Megan Williams and Hannah Gallagher) with Williams scoring one and Gallagher scoring the other two of the TDG's three Tries.

New U12 fixtures

Just to highlight two new U12 dates:

27th April: As mentioned below, in addition to the four-way U15 inter-county fixture at Welwyn there will also be a U12 fixture against Eastern Counties (ie. Norfol/Suffolk/Cambs).

11th May: The London & South East Sevens at Dorking will now include a U12 event.

If you are interested in playing in either of these events please let John Birch know as soon as possible.

Herts U15 Development Fixture 27th April at Welwyn RFC

On 27th April, whilst the 11 Herts Regional Players are away at their last training session before the Regional Festival in May, Welwyn are hosting the final U15 County Development Fixture of this season. Herts, Eastern Counties (Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambs), Kent and Middlesex have all now confirmed it will be a 4 way fixture.

All of the Herts U15 Development Players in this fixture will be staking a claim for a place in the Herts U15 A Team in September, as approximately half of this Seasons successful U15 County Team move up to U18 Rugby at the end of May.

Eastern Counties are also bringing 'Team Ravens' U12's, and Kent and Middlesex are bringing their U12's to play 'Team Herts' U12's.

Herts Womens and Girls Rugby Development Group Meeting Mon 14th April 2008

Confirmation that the next meeting of the HWGRDG is taking place at Welwyn RFC on Mon 14th April starting at 7.30. If you have not previously attended these meetings (usually 3-4 times a year) this group works together to plan Tournaments, run the County Teams, exchange Best Practice and advice, and to try and help each other develop Womens and Girls Rugby in Herts. If your club does not send a rep to the group and would like to do so, or if you are a regular attendee who has a specific Agenda item, then please e-mail me on peter.mccullough@ntlworld.com

A Very warm Welcome for the Warriors in Wales.

Welwyn Warriors took a tour party of 56 to South Wales over Easter and found the very warmest of welcomes in the valleys!!

Warriors played Newport H.S.O.B. on a Good Friday that saw 4 seasons in one match! Warm sunshine, hail, snow & rain! Warriors U15s played the first match and beat Newport 49-5. Most of that match was played in sunshine but by the time of the U18s match, the rain and sleet was pouring down!! In a titanic tussle Warriors ran into a 19-0 lead only to see Newport claw back the points in the heavy conditions. With a minute left on the watch, Newport ran in a breakaway try to make the score 22-19. From the kick off Warriors poured forward, gained possession and scored a converted try to make the final score 22-26. There were some very relieved Warriors as the final whistle blew!

On Saturday the whole party went to the EDF semi finals at the fantastic Millenium stadium and saw Leicester beat Wasps and Ospreys beat Saracens.

Back to business on Easter Sunday with a trip to Ebbw Vale to take on the East Wales regional sides. First thing in the morning the pitch had a 2 inch covering of snow but that had cleared by kick off. Warriors U15s found the Welsh regional girls a tough prospect and although they battled hard the final score was 66-7 to Wales with only Captain Courtney Arberry scoring a try.

Warriors U18s then kicked off and clearly wanted to put the stuttering Newport performance behind them. The Welwyn girls played some delightful rugby and flew into a 17-0 lead at half time.Centre Alex Robertson scoring 2 superb tries. The scums were dominated by a Welwyn pack in full flow. No matter what they tried, The Welsh girls faced a wall of maroon hoops with no way past. The game finished 17-0 a few minutes early after scrum half Casey Shults was injured.

Team Manager Dave Marques was delighted! 'We have had a fantsatic tour! Everybody in Wales, from the moment we checked into our hotel, has been so friendly and welcoming! The post match hospitality is as good, if not better than anything we've ever had before! At the post match presentations in Ebbw Vale, Welsh RFUW officer Nicola Smith, thanked the Welwyn touring party for the visit and went onto say that the Welsh age groups will move into line with England next season and urged all at Welwyn to encourage other teams to visit the principality as the Welsh teams would love to host them! Head Coach Clive Cramphorn urged any English sides looking for a touring venue, to go to Wales, 'Fantastic Rugby, fantastic people, fantastic hospitality, definitely go to Wales!'

National Cup Second Round Results

U18 Section Pool 2:

Solent Sirens 3 Wimborne 7

Welwyn /Basford 5 Solent Sirens 0

Wimborne 6 Welwyn / Basford 10

Pool Winners: Welwyn / Basford

The Final of the U18 Section is Worcester v. Welwyn / Basford and is taking place on 13th April at Litchfield RFC.

RFUW News Update - March 2008

RFUW NEWS UPDATE – March 2008

RBS 6 Nations – England were crowned champions on 15^th March and also made history by becoming the first team in Six Nations history to ever win the Grand Slam three times on the bounce! Thanks to the supporters that came along and cheered the team on, we had some great crowds.

Club Development Toolkit Fund – The RFUW is pleased to announce that £7,500 of Club Development Toolkit Funding is available to clubs. Clubs are asked to apply directly through a bidding process to receive funding. This is a one-off opportunity, so grab it while you can! For more information, click here.

RFUW National Sevens – Please note the deadline for getting your National Sevens entry forms in is this week. Another form is enclosed for ease and please see RFUW National Sevens for further information about this year’s competition which has the juniors playing on Saturday 24^th May and the seniors playing on Sunday 25^th May.

Intention to Affiliate – Enclosed is everything you need to advise of your teams’ intention to affiliate for the 2008/09 season including draft calendars and league criteria information. Please note that we have changed the way in which you pay the player registration fee. This is now based on the league minimum number and therefore rewards clubs who have a development plan and recruit more players. Closing date to receive your intention to affiliate is 23^rd May 2008.

Divisional 10s Competition – Senior and Under 18s Divisional 10s will take place on 20^th April this year at venues across the country. This is a great opportunity for your team to tour if you’d like to travel to a venue further afield. Please send entry forms direct to the venue you would like to attend by the closing date of 7^th April. Two clubs from each event will qualify for the National 10s final on 5^th May at Lichfield RFC.

Club Conferences – In June the RFUW will be holding four divisional Club Conferences to provide a training and development opportunity for club volunteers. The conferences will include a variety of sessions for administrators, coaches and referees. Details are as follows, please make a note of the date in your diary:

The South West at Exeter Chiefs on 8^th June

The Midlands at Worcester RFC on 14^th June

The North at Broughton Park RFC on 21^st June

The South East and London at Herts Sports Village on 28^th June

Your invitations with further details will be sent to your club during April. Please make sure you complete the return form and get it back to us as soon as possible to secure your place. For queries contact Gemma Ryan at the RFUW on 020 8831 6788 or at gemmaryan@rfu.com.

Rugby and What it Means to You – The RFU are inviting sports fans to share their views on rugby and consider what the game means to them. In the last ten years rugby has undergone a great deal of change with the success of England’s national teams and the recent Go Play rugby recruitment campaign which introduced thousands of new fans and players to the sport. The RFU is now conducting an online survey to widen the debate. Link to RFU Online Survey: www.rfusurvey.co.uk

RFUW Surveys – Thanks to everybody who took the time to complete the RFUW online surveys earlier this year. We are currently collating and analyzing data collected and hope to have results posted on the RFUW website in April.

Rosie Williams

Managing Director

Herts Girls 7's - Update

An Application rush is now expected for the Herts Girls 7's, which is an open Tournament and is taking place at Tabard RFC on Sunday 18th May.

Prior to Easter the following Teams have confirmed their participation:

U15's:

• Tabard (Hosts).
• Welwyn.
• Reading.
• London Irish.
• Hertford.
• Basford.
• Saracens.

U18's:

• Reading.
• Hertford.
• Letchworth.
• Basford.

Interested Teams are advised to get their Entries in quickly as there is a limit of 16 Teams in each Section of the Tournament. Please contact me Laura-Jo Pearce on 07793809586 or tabardminis@hotmail.co.uk for further details.

Hertfordshire Women's XV county Squad Trials

On Sunday 13th April 2008 trials for the Hertfordshire Women's county team will be held at St Albans Rugby Club at 2pm. The trails are open to anyone who was born in, lives in or plays for a club in Hertfordshire and is 18 years old or older.

An inaugural fixture is planned for May and the aim is to form a squad of 30 which will have separate training sessions and will be entered into a county tournament in September.

Registration forms are available from clubs or from Samantha Field, 118 Riverside Road, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 1SE.

New and Emerging Schools Under 14 Competition - East Region

4 Schools took part in the Regional Section of the New and Emerging Schools Tournament including Nobel (Stevenage) and Chauncy (Ware). Unforfunately neither were able to progress to the National Stage of the Competition as Chauncy were 3rd and Nobel were 4th.

RFU bans all adult/child "mixed" sessions

Although RFUW have not issued the following, I think we can take it that this applies to the girls' and women's game as much as the male side, especially as the insurance we use is the same as that used in the male game:

"Following further incidents nationally where children have been seriously injured in "fun" or training session ending games involving adults, the RFU Equity, Health and Welfare has instructed that all clubs must comply with the Regulations and not allow such mixed age sessions in any circumstances. Failure to comply would invalidate insurance cover and could result in legal action against the adult involved and the club. Many clubs have held coaches -v- lads games at the end of season - this must not happen this year or in future. Please ensure this information is disseminated to all coaches in your clubs. The same restrictions of course also apply within schools."

(From Herts RFU website)

Clearly this will have implications for any girls - even top-end U18s - getting involved with adults in training sessions at clubs which have both senior and junior sections.

Get your Entries in for Herts Girls 7's

This year Tabard are hosting the Herts Girls 7's and we want to make it as much of a success as previous years. You should have all received your entry packs now if not details and entry forms are available from the Tabard website, link below. We will post information on the website as the planning progresses and the tournament draws nearer.

Any questions please contact me Laura-Jo on 07793809586 or tabardminis@hotmail.co.uk

http://www.tabardrfc.com/countygirls.htm

East Region v. South Region 16th March

Next Sundays East Region Game against South will be held at Harlow Rugby Club.

Harlow Rugby Club, Edinburgh Way, Harlow, Essex.

Please note, as that there will be limited parking at the Rugby Club, would all parents and supporters please use the trading estate next to the rugby club to park their cars.DO NOT PARK ON EDINBURGH WAY THE COUNCIL WILL TICKET OR TOW AWAY YOUR CAR.

Kick off is 2.30pm. All players are to arrive by 1.30pm latest.

Squad Details:

U18's - All squad members are included for this fixture.

U15's-
1 Alice Nee
2 Becky Dawson
3 Ellie Martin
4 Sydnie Grace
5 Frances Hughes
8 Alex Grant
9 Claire Shutler
10 Georgia Peedle
11 Rachael Burroughs
12 Sam Voyle
13 Emma Wilson
14 Alice Finn
15 Rachael Mcullough
16 Jess Harris
17 Megan Robson
18 Megan Childs
19 Lucie Wood
20 Maya Whitmore-Tennant
21 Layla Pickering
22 Maddy Lockwood.

Herts U15 Development Fixture

Whilst the Regional Players were away training, Welwyn hosted a 3 way U15 County Development Fixture between Herts, Kent and Middlesex. Over 20 Girls from 4 Herts Clubs (Saracens, Hertford, Old Albanians and Welwyn) plus two friends from Basford made up the Herts Squad. There was a roll-on roll-off policy throughout the afternoon to give all the Players as much game time experience as possible.

Herts drew both games: 10-10 against Kent (with Tries from Abi Lee and Shira Kilgannon) and then 5-5 against Middlesex (with a Try from Abi Maxwell). Middlesex beat Kent in the other game. With a number of this seasons Herts A team in their last season of U15 Rugby, many of the Girls that played in these games will be in contention for the Herts U15 A Team next season.

There is another U15 County Development Fixture this season on 27th April, and the venue and county's participating will be confirmed shortly.

U11s: Herts Youth Games

• U11 girls are reminded that Herts Youth Games are coming up, on 11th May. HYG is a tag tournament - but don't let that put you off as it is a terrific day out.
  
• Clubs are reminded that there will be up to 100 10-11 year old girls playing rugby at Hatfield that morning and afternoon - so if you are looking to recruit players this is the place to be!

Any girls in school years 5 and 6 can take part, and can play for the district they live in, go to school in OR play for a club in - so that means that no only will some girls have a choice about who they play for, but girls can also take part even if they do not actually live in Hertfordshire (so long as they meet one of the other requirements).

District council sports or recreation departments select teams - so girls need to contact them to tell them that they are interested. Some councils will select squads based on primary school tournaments, but there is no reason why they should not allow other girls to at least try out for the squad if they miss out on these tournaments. And in practice they are going to be delighted to have a few keen, experienced girls in their teams!

And if you district doesn't have a team... why not volunteer to run one for them? You'll never have a better recruitment opportunity.

U12s experience all four seasons in one match against Kent

In a game played in torrential rain, blazing sunshine, and all points in between Herts U12s fought hard against Kent today. This was much more inexperienced team than played against the same opposition at Hitchin in November, and that proved to be the difference against a more experienced opposition used to playing alongside each other as Kent ran out winners by 27-0. Herts were unlucky not to score - at least two of Kent's tries coming from breakaways after long periods of Herts pressure.

However, was that the girls clearly enjoyed the day - which is the main aim of the programme. U12 county rugby is all about giving girls more opportunities to get onto the field. It allows girls who have played little or no contact rugby to get a game, as well as encouraging girls who currently play mini rugby to stay in the game buy allowing them to play in an environment where they are not dominated (or ignored) because they are the only girl in the team.

The Herts U12 programme - which seems to be one of the largest and most active in the country has succeeded in these aims this year. Over 20 girls have played in a Hertfordshire shirt. While some of these girls are regular players, over half of those involved have either begun playing rugby at club level as a result, or revived rugby careers that had faltered. As a result we have gone some way to reduce the loss of girls from the game between the U9 and U12 age bands.

New and Emerging Schools Under 14 Rugby Festival - Hertfordshire Section Results

A total of 75 Girls from 5 Schools took part in the Herts Section of this National Tournament held at Welwyn RFC.

The 5 Schools participating were Marriotts (Stevenage) Nobel (Stevenage) Turnford (Broxborn) Chauncy (Ware) and Chancellors (Hatfield / Potters Bar) and the Winners were Chauncy, whilst the Runners-Up were Nobel. Chauncy now represent Herts at the Regional Section of the Tournament at Bishops Stortford on 12th March. We wish them the best of luck.

For many of the Girls it was their first experience of playing competitive Rugby and it is expected that some will continue to play at one of the choice of Girls Rugby Clubs in Herts.

East Region: blog replaces website

In case anyone has missed it, East Region are now using a blog instead of the old website for all news concerning both the senior and junior squads. The main news will continue to appear here on the Herts county blog, but not everything - so its worth keeping an eye on.

To help you do this the newsfeed from the East Blog appears at the top of the column to the left - here you will see links to the latest five articles on the East Blog, automatically updated when new articles appear. The link on the left under "Official rugby websites" has also now been changed to the new site.

Herts County U15 and Team Herts U12 March 9 fixture update

Welwyn RFC will now host a 3 way County U15 Development fixture on March 9 involving Herts, Kent and Middlesex. There will also a Herts U12 v. Kent U12 Game. Please can all teams meet at the Clubhouse at 1.00 and the Games should get underway from 1.30 onwards.

The U15 fixture has been organised on a Regional Training Date to give the 'next tier' of Players the opportunity to gain experience representing the County, as the 11 Herts U15 East Region Squad Players will be at Upminster. Depending on the number of U15 Players from Herts Girls Clubs that come to Welwyn on 9/3 we may even put out 2 Herts Development sides. Old Albanians hosted a 4 way U15 fixture today involving OA's, Saracens, Hertford and Welwyn and over 40 Players took part.

As well as the four Herts U15 teams that played at OA's today, Letchworth cluster with Ampthill, and Tabard (who host this seasons Herts Girls 7's) and Stevenage (who are actively recruiting) are in the early stages of setting up Girls Rugby Teams so the health of Girls Rugby in Herts is looking good at present.

Peter Mccullough
Herts Girls Rugby U15 Manager

Herts Girls 7's Sunday 18 May 2008

The 2008 Herts Girls 7's, which is an open tournament, will take place this season at Tabard RFC on Sunday 18 May.

Like in the previous two seasons (at Welwyn and Letchworth) the Festival will be split into Senior Girls (U18) and Junior Girls (U15) with a maximum of 16 teams in each Section. Enties are required before 30 March and will be taken a first come first served basis until the maximum number is reached.

The organiser is Laura-Jo Pearce from Tabard and she will be contacting all of last years entrants to invite them to the 2008 event in the next few days. If you did not participate last season and would like an entry form or you require further information, her contact e-mail address is tabardminis@hotmail.co.uk

National Cup First Round Results

U15 Pool 4:

Basford 0 London Irish 12
Welwyn 0 Reading 0
London Irish 31 Welwyn 7
Reading 0 Basford 32
London Irish 33 Reading 0
Basford 5 Welwyn 0

Pool Winners: London Irish U15

U18 Pool 5:

Welwyn / Basford 64 Reading 0

The Second Round of both the U15 and U18 Competitions is taking place on 30th March at venues to be confirmed.

Herts County U15 and Team Herts U12 fixtures for the rest of the Season

The provisional plan for the Herts County Girls U15’s Fixtures for the rest of this season is now:
· March 9 at Welwyn RFC: Herts v. Kent.
· April 20 (venue t.b.c.): Herts v. Kent v. Eastern Counties.

Middlesex and Staffordshire have also expressed an interest in participating so I will confirm details of the March 9 fixture in the next week or so.

Both of these Fixtures are on Regional Dates so it is great opportunity for many of those who played for the B team earlier in the season to play for the A Team and stay there!

Kent have also advised that they will be bringing a Team Kent U12 Team to play the Team Herts U12 Team on March 9.

Peter Mccullough
Herts Girls Rugby U15 Manager

Yorkshire Region v. East Region 10th February Results

East Region travelled en mass to Yorkshire on Sunday.

A big thank you goes to all at Dinnington Rugby Club who generously hosted the days Rugby and made all the visiting squad members and their families welcome.

The 3 East Region Squads had mixed results:

Women: Yorkshire Region 24 East Region 10.

U18's: Yorkshire Region 26 East Region 5 (Try: Hannah Gallagher Welwyn and Herts).

U15's: Yorkshire Region 5 East Region 25 (Tries: Courtney Arberry Welwyn and Herts, Alice Finn Saracens and Herts, Alex Grant Basford and Essex, Abbie Cook Basford and Essex, Olivia Stembridge Basford and Essex).

The next East Region fixture is against South Region on Sunday March 16.

RFUW: "Guidelines as to how best to treat a Referee. "

Guidelines as to how best to treat a Referee.

One of the things that rugby is renowned for is the respect players, coaches, and all participants in fact, show to each other, and to the referee, both on and off the pitch.

Respect is one of the main tenets of the ethos of rugby.

The RFUW , has produced the following guidelines relating to the respect players should show to a referee, to help ensure that the ethos of rugby is maintained.

1.The fixtures secretary needs to supply the society with all their fixtures as soon as they get them, after that they should ensure any additions and changes are notified as soon as they are known.

2.Confirm to referee the time and venue the Wednesday before the match in person, not via email, txt or voicemail, do not assume messages get read/heard

3.Reserve a parking space , near to the clubhouse if possible, for the referee.

4.Appoint someone to meet the referee when he arrives…they should be on the look out for him, not for the referee to go looking for the welcoming committee! when confirming the fixture with the referee, give the referee a name of this person so he/she knows .

5.Show ref to the changing room

6.Introduce to coaches .

7.Ensure your team knows how to address the referee, usually Sir or ref.

8.Ensure due respect is shown to the referee both on and off the pitch.

9.Ensure the referee is thanked after the match.

10.Ensure the referee is bought a drink and offered food after the match. Also offered their expenses (if appropriate).

11.Ensure, if players wish to discuss the match with the referee, back in the clubhouse, the discussion is respectful.

12.Ensure report cards are completed fairly, with balanced criticism, if necessary.

13.Work with your club to ensure spectators show respect for the referee.

14.Work with your club to ensure respect for discipline during the match is

shown, remembering that too many red cards brings problems for your club.

Finally remember that without referees, rugby matches, cannot take place. The Referee is part of the rugby community and deserves to be welcomed and shown respect, just as any member of our community deserves it. Referees are volunteers, and if they do not enjoy their role or feel unappreciated, they will leave the game, just like any other volunteer.

Yorkshire Region v. East Region Sun 10th Feb

Following todays training session, the Coaches have picked their squads for the Away Game in Yorkshire on Sun 10th February.

U18's: Sacha Acheson; Tia Arberry; Emma Burgess; Sarah Carmen; Rachel French; Hannah Gallagher; Hayley Guilder; Stacy Hargrave; Keziah Hopkins; Emma Jamieson; Mishka Mayers; Natalie Mcclarnon; Hannah Marques; Alex Robertson; Emily Scott; Casey Shults; Heather Stammers; Geri Thomas; Megan Williams.

U15's: Courtney Arberry; Megan Childs; Abbie Cook; Kelsey Davis; Alice-Mary Finn; Alex Grant; Jessica Harris; Claire Johnston; Madeleine Lockwood; Ellie Martin; Alice Nee; Katie Parke; Georgia Peedle; Yasmin Pemberton; Layla Pickering; Megan Robson; Olivia Stembridge; Sam Voyle; Maya Whitmore-Tennant; Lucie Wood.

The Games are being played at Dinnington Rugby Union Football Club, Lodge Lane, Dinnington, Nr Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S25 2PB. Tel: 01909 562044

Directions:From M1From the M1 Junction 31 take the A57 towards Worksop for 1.1 miles. Turn LEFT at the Red Lion crossroads onto the B6463 (Todwick rd). Follow this road for about 2 miles. At the roundabout take the second exit onto the B6060 (Outgang lane). After approximately 0.5 miles you will see Manor Motorsport on your right, then take the next LEFT onto Laughton road - if you see Tesco on your left you have missed the junction. Go over the Mini-roundabout with the Squirrel Pub on your right, and after 50 yards take your next LEFT onto Doe Quarry lane. Carry on up past Rother Valley College and then Dinnington Comprehensive until you reach the crossroads with the Lordens Hotel pub on your left. Go straight ahead at the crossroads and and will see the Rugby Club on your LEFT after 150 yards.From A1From the A1 Junction with the A57, follow the A57 for approximately 7 miles around the outskirts of Worksop going over numerous roundabouts. Once you see Sainsbury's on your left you continue on the A57 going over the next roundabout still on the A57, then at the next roundabout take the SECOND exit for Woodsetts and Dinnington. Follow Worskop road through into Woodsetts and at the crossroads in the village turn RIGHT onto Gildingwells road. Continue along this road as it turns into Woodsetts road and after approximately 1mile you will reach a crossroads. Turn LEFT onto Red Quarry Lane and continue for around 1 mile and the Rugby Club is on the RIGHT.

The Coach will be picking up players at the following locations:

• A12 Services Boreham Chelmsford 7.00am
• Lakeside Services Thurrock 7.30am
• South Mimms Services 8.15am
• Peterborough Services (A1) 9.15am

Please email me by tuesday pm to confirm that you are still available and to advise which pick up point you will be attending.Please ensure that you are at the relevant pick up point in time, as the coach must leave at the times shown to give sufficient time to travel to Sheffield. As discussed today, please ensure that you bring black shorts with you. Phil pjmrobson@btinternet.com 01375 640441 07852 258120

'New and Emerging' Schools Girls Under 14 Rugby Festival - Hertfordshire Section

Following the success and enjoyment of the event last year, this seasons New and Emerging Schools Girls Under 14 Rugby Festival (Herts Section) is being held at Welwyn RFC, Handside Lane Playing Field, Hobbs Way, Colgrove, Welwyn Garden City AL8 6HX on Friday 29th February 2008.

Teams are classified as Under 14 which means that you may include players up to and including Year 9, and consist of 12 players with a maximum squad size of 15.

Actual timings will be advised once we know how many Schools are taking part, and there will also be some coaching available on the day. If you would like some help or want to ask questions please get in touch.

Final date for School Entries to be considered is Friday 8th February 2008.

Schools in Herts are invited to get a side together; it will form a Development Day for Girls Rugby; and it will also allow the Winning School to represent the County in the Regional Finals on 12th March 2008.

Please return either by email to: paulfreestone@rfu.com

or

by post to: Peter Engledow, Rugby Football Union, Hertfordshire Sports Village, Hatfield Business Park, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9EU

We look forward to hearing from you.

Paul Freestone
Community Rugby Coach
07738 029262

Girls Under 14 Competition Squad size & rules

Years 7,8 & 9 each School should only bring 15 players
· 12-a-side
· 6 Player uncontested Scrums (3 front row, 2 second row, No.8 (No.8 may NOT
Pick up from base of scrum)
· Midi Rugby Pitch (Half a full size pitch)
· Hand-offs allowed
· No kicking out-of Hand or for touch
· Kick-Offs replaced by scrum not drop kick
· Lineout – no supporting , 5 players in lineout, scrum half may not join, no “quick” or “Long” throws
· Rolling substitutions
· An Under 14 team can be made up of Yr 7s,8s &9s. However, it is worth remembering that some squads will be made up of all Yr 9 while others may be all Yr7s. Please take this into account when selecting your squads.

Please ensure that mouth guards are worn, and that players have warm clothing and a change of clothes.

Full RFUW Rules, Regulations and Guidelines for Under 14 Girls Rugby can be found on http://www.rfu.com/ (click on Women’s Rugby)

New Herts club blog launched

Saracens Girls are the latest team to launch a club blog to go alongside their "official" club website.

Saracens Girls Rugby covers the now familiar territory of clubs news, majoring in this case on their U15 team as well as the performance of their girls in county tournaments. As with other blogs, there are plenty of photos and match reports to enjoy along with an interesting and striking use of multicoloured text.

The site also produces a "newsfeed" that allows you to keep in touch with Sarries news from your own computer home page - or, come to that, from within this blog as the feed appears at the bottom of the right column!

East Region Trials - Herts County Player Selections

Following the East Region Trials that took place on 20th January, the following Herts County Players have been notified that they have been selected for the East Squads:

Under 18:

Tia Arberry (Welwyn)
Ema Burgess (Welwyn)
Frankie Dawson (Welwyn)
Hannah Gallagher (Welwyn)
Hayley Guilder (Letchworth)
Hannah Marques (Welwyn)
Alex Robertson (Welwyn)
Casey Shults (Welwyn)
Geri Thomas (Welwyn)
Sophie Tyler (Welwyn)
Megan Williams (Welwyn)

Under 15:

Courtney Arberry (Welwyn)
Megan Childs (Saracens)
Becky Dawson (Welwyn)
Alice Finn (Saracens)
Sydnie Grace (Saracens)
Rachel Mccullough (Welwyn)
Alice Nee (Saracens)
Georgia Peedle (Hertford)
Claire Shutler (Saracens)
Sam Voyle (Welwyn)
Emma Wilson (Welwyn)

Draft dates for 2008-9 published

The first draft of the 2008/9 season has been published.

2008:
County dates: 28/9, 19/10, 9/11, 30/11, 14/12.
National 10s: 12/10, 23/11

2009:
Regional dates: 11/1, 25/1, 1/2, 8/2, 21/2, 22/2, 8/3, 15/3.
National Cup: 22/3, 5/4, 26/4

All other dates are club training or match weekends.

U15 East Region Trials - 20th January 2008

The following U15 Herts Players have been nominated to go to the East Region Trial on 20th January:

Courtney Arberry
Jo Busch
Megan Childs
Becky Dawson
Charlie Faloona
Alice Finn
Sydnie Grace
Shira Kilgannon
Abi Lee
Rachel Mccullough
Alice Nee
Georgia Peedle
Claire Shutler
Sam Voyle
Emma Wilson

Support England in the Six Nations

February 2nd: England ‘A’ v Nomads 12:30, England v Wales 14:30
March 15th: England ‘A’ v Nomads 15:00, England v Ireland 16:45

Tickets (adults £8, U16’s £2) available on the gate.
Venue: London Irish, The Avenue, Sunbury on Thames, Middlesex,TW16 5EQ. Nearest train station: Sunbury(5 minute walk)
For further information telephone RFUW 020 88317996 or visit: www.rfu.com/women’s rugby

U18 Regional Trials - 20th January 2008.

The following girls have been nominated to go forward for the regional trials on the 20th January:-

Letchworth: Hayley Guilder, Jess Robinson, Laura Watson.

Welwyn Warriors: Tia Arberry, Ema Burgess, Frankie Dawson, Milly Fuggles, Hannah Gallagher, Mel Harcourt, Hannah Marques, Alex Robertson, Casey Shults, Charlie Sims, Hannah Smith, Geri Thomas, Sophie Tyler & Megan Williams.

Trial Venue: The Coopers Company & Coborn School, St Mary's Lane, Upminster, Essex, RM14 3HS.
Timings: Check-in starts 10:00am Trials start 11.00 a.m. Finish by 4:00pm
What to bring: Everything you would normally take to a game / tournament in Winter.
Registration: There is a new registration procedure this season which is on-line. You can register now. Please register as soon as you are able to. The process is:

· www.rfu.com
· Click on the ‘Womens Rugby’ tab (which should take you to the RFUW Home Page)
· Click on ‘Regional Programme Youth Trials now registering’ tab.
· Follow all instructions and register your details. Please answer all questions asked. NOTE THAT THERE IS A £5 REGISTRATION FEE THROUGH PAYPAL, SO YOU WILL NEED PARENTAL HELP TO DO THIS FOR YOU ON THEIR CREDIT CARD.

· You will receive confirmation e-mails from both the RFUW and Paypal.
· On the RFUW e-mail there are links with other info including the Regional Player Information Form (Permission from a Parent for you to take part) which must be signed and brought with you to the Trial.

As soon as you are able to, please could you contact me to tell me that you have received this invitation, confirm that you want to be put forward to the East Region Trial and Training / Games Programme and confirm which School you go to.

It may take a couple of attempts to complete - if the page does expire click this link http://www.jotform.com/form/73441646257

 to save going all the way back through the RFUW page.
If you have any problems registering, please telephone the Regional Coach, Clive Cramphorn for assistance.
Those successful will be contacted on the Sunday evening with confirmation of that.
Dave Marques,
U18 County Manager

New Head Coach for Welwyn Warriors

Welwyn Warriors go into 2008 with a new Head Coach. Following the departure of Luke Williams, Warriors management group spoke to several possible candidates interested in taking over the prime role with one of the most successful girls sides in England. They are delighted to announce that Clive Cramphorn, currently Head Coach at Old Albanians Girls is taking over the number one role at Welwyn.

Clive was formally welcomed to Welwyn by Club Chairman Mike Davies, following the Herts versus Canada match on Saturday. 'I'm delighted to announce that Clive Cramphorn will be the new Girls Head Coach here at Warriors, while also liaising with O.A.s.' said Davies.

Team Manager Dave Marques explained, ' The RFUW are very keen that the Girls game keeps expanding. There are not enough Girls yet at O.A's to run full teams & play matches. By linking with Warriors, the O.A's Girls will get match time with Warriors and get great experience playing alongside some of the best players in the Country. From a Welwyn perspective, we've got the East Region and Herts U18 Lead Coach & we grow our squad size. This has been a major problem for us this season with our ongoing injury list. It's a win/win situation. RFUW Regional Development Manager Amanda Bate was delighted when I told her the news!'

Cramphorn is really excited about his new role. 'It's like being asked to manage one of the Big Four Premiership Football Teams' he quipped! 'Luke did a fantastic job here, and together with Chris Gallagher we'll build on that and aim to take take the Welwyn Warriors onto yet more success!'

Maple Leafs break Herts

Hertfordshire U18 Girls lost 5-41 to the Canada Girls U18 National Team at Welwyn RFC. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, The Canadians scored first through Maggie Cogger-Orr and Dana Achtemichuck converted to lead 7-0. Herts fought back and 'The Green Machine' piled on the pressure, the Herts forwards kept recyling the ball and eventually this paid off with Prop Milly Fuggles and skipper Hannah Gallagher jointly claiming the push over try. 7-5. It stayed this way until just before half-time when a quick kick and chase saw Susan Heald score again for Canada.

In the second half the Canadians took full advantage of their superior fitness and piled on the pressure. Despite some brave defence, the Herts girls were being worn down and Brehannah Hopgood, Clare Miller, Kayla Moleschi, Rebecca Le-Fevre and Amanda Lalonde all went over to score for Canada. Achtemichuck scored a second conversion and Rebecca Delaney score the final 2 points for the tourists.

Herts and Welwyn Warriors Captain, Hannah Gallagher spoke for all of the Hertfordshire Girls, which was well augmented by some Essex players, when she said what an honour it was to play a full National side. 'We're all really tired, we all had to work so hard but it was a great experience and a really enjoyable match to play in'.

Afterwards Canadian Organiser, Penny Delaney paid tribute to the RFUW for stepping in at such a late date to help Canada replace the cancelled USA tour. 'I'd like to thank everyone at Welwyn for staging the match and making us feel so welcome, thank you for the hospitality and the great food' she said. The Canadians would like to make the match an annual fixture and Hertfordshire & Welwyn are only too happy to oblige and will look forward to it next season.

Tha Canadians made it 2-0 in the bar afterwards comfortably winning the 'Mars bar & cola' challenge. They build 'em tough in Canada!

Hertfordshire U18 v Canada U19: Rugby Canada's official preview

Rugby Canada have published a prominent preview of the tour by their U19 team, which begins at Welwyn on the 29th when their national U19 team takes on our U18 girls.

The article says that "Rugby Canada's Under-19 Women's team is set to depart for a tour of England on December 26th, through January 6th, where they will take on three English county sides over the Christmas holiday period.

"Taking on the top regional sides in the south of England, Canada first takes on Hertfordshire at Welwyn RFC on December 29th. Next the Canadian women will take on Berkshire/Buckinghamshire at Reading RFC on January 2nd. The tour wraps up with a match against Surrey/Sussex at Sutton and Epsom RFC.

"The team will live and train at Stoke Mandeville Stadium - a sports and leisure centre that is home to England's top wheelchair athletes.The players selected to travel to England are:

Dana Achtemichuck, Ottawa, ON; Katie Archibald, Hubley, NS; Caitlin Beaton, Hepworth, ON; Amanda Bedard, Erb's Cove, NB; Brooke Clubb, Sarnia, ON; Maggie Cogger-Orr, Gloucester, ON; Becky Delaney, Caledon, ON;Danika Gulliford, St. John's, NL; Susan Heald, Burlington, ON; Amber Hill, Charlottetown, PEI; Brehannah Hopgood, Wolfville, NS; Amanda Lalonde, Edmonton, AB; Rebecca Lefevre, Ottawa, ON; Jill MacLaren, Ottawa, ON; Marin MacLeod, Scotsburn, NS; Claire Miller, St. John's, NL; Chelsey Minter, Sidney, BC; Kayla Moleschi, Williams Lake, BC; Jessica Nixon, Virden, MB; Kendra Reeves, Abbotsford, BC; Kayla Roberts, St. John's, NL; Danielle St. Germain, Sarnia, ON; Stephanie Thiessen, Abbotsford, BC; Sarah Verreault, Ottawa, ON; Lauren Wizowski, Lindsay, ON

Schedule
December 29th vs. Hertfordshire at Welwyn RFC
January 2nd vs. Berkshire/Buckinghamshire at Reading RFC
January 4th vs. Surrey/Sussex at Sutton and Epsom RFC"

One name in the party will be familiar to the county's girls - second row Lauren Wizowski was a member of the IE Weldon Secondary School's touring team who played against Letchworth, Welwyn and Hertford last Easter. She was also part of the Canadian U19 team that lost to England and beat Wales either side of the Weldon tour.

In fact most previous Canadian tours have been based around internationals - and these are games that the Canadians tend to win (well, except when they play England!). Canadian women's rugby has never been stronger than it is today. The senior adult side are now fourth - even possibly third - in the world. This could be the toughest game our girls have ever played - and it certainly will not be one to miss!

Cash boost for girls rugby in Herts

Girls’ rugby in Hertfordshire has received a great early Christmas present – a grant of £4,074 county’s teams and development programmes.

This comes on the back of a hugely successful first half of the season, with the U15 team winning two tournaments and scoring nearly 300 points while conceding only a single try, the U18s finishing runners-up at both the Essex and Middlesex festivals, and the new U12 programme resulting in the county hosting the country’s first ever inter-county tournament for the age group.

The grant will be used to provide playing kit and training resources for the teams, and will also allow the county to promote the game more widely, especially to girls already playing mini-rugby who will not be aware how they can stay in the game after their twelfth birthdays. At present most rugby clubs in the county have girls playing in their junior sides, but very few stay in the game once boys’ and girls’ rugby divides – tackling this loss of talent is a key aim of the county’s Women’s and Girls’ Group.

The money is coming from the Local Network Fund, an initiative resulting from the Government’s Every Child Matters Strategy which aims to improve outcomes for all children and young people. The fund, administered locally by the Hertfordshire Community Foundation, enables local voluntary and community groups to develop projects and activities for young people with limited opportunities or access to services.

Girls’ rugby fits firmly within this as at present, despite over thirty clubs offering teenage boys the opportunity to play rugby, only four clubs in the county play regular girls fixtures. Rugby is a unique game, offering opportunities for players of a wide range of sizes and athletic backgrounds to work together as a team – it builds self-confidence and self-esteem which those involved in running girls’ rugby in the county want to make available to as many players as possible. The Local Network grant is a big step forward in making this happen.

Herts Womens and Girls Rugby Development Group Meeting Mon 14th Jan 2008

Confirmation that the next meeting of the HWGRDG is taking place at Welwyn RFC on Mon 14th Jan starting at 7.30.

If you have not previously attended these meetings (usually 3-4 times a year) this group works together to plan Tournaments, run the County Teams, exchange Best Practice and advice, and to try and help each other develop Womens and Girls Rugby in Herts.

If your club does not send a rep to the group and would like to do so, or if you are a regular attendee who has a specific Agenda item, then please e-mail me on peter.mccullough@ntlworld.com

Pictures of the U12s

A little after-the-even, but some rather good pictures from the U12 games at Ealing and Hitchin have been received.

In the first, coach Natalie Threlfall warms up the girls at sunny Ealing prior to the game with Middlesex:

Action from the game - a Hertfordshire scrum:
Then two weeks later, the return at arctic Hitchin - a picture which gives just a small hint about the temperature. The girls are not gathering together for warmth, though - this was one of many Hertfordshire mauls...

Senior regional trials: don't miss out

Regional rugby is now an essential stepping stone for anyone with any ambitions to play at the highest levels of the game. Nominations for this season's Senior Regional Trials (to be held on the 19 December) close of Friday - but at present East have had ten players registered!

If you know are interested in playing for the regional team, or know of any interested players, please get them to register online at http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/rfuhome.community_detail/storyid/5972 .

Anyone aged 18 or over on the date of the trial is eligible to attend, provided they also are members of an East Region club, or were born, live or attend college/university in the region. You also need to be eligible to play for England.

Trialists - in particular those still playing at U18 level - are advised to consult their coaching staff before registering, especially if they have not played at regional level before.

U15 County Fixtures fixtures for rest of this season

Last Sunday was the last official County Fixture date of this season. One of the biggest successes for Herts U15's was that we had sufficient numbers of Players to be able to field both A and B (Development) Teams in the Festivals we played in.

After Christmas the Regional Programme begins, but we are very keen for the B Team Players and those not selected for East Region from the A Team to continue playing Herts County fixtures on some of the Regional dates. We are therefore looking for other Counties who would like to do the same.

We would be able to host the Herts U15 Fixtures at Welwyn RFC on any of the Regional dates. Please contact Peter Mccullough on peter.mccullough@ntlworld.com if your County would like to play Herts U15 after Christmas.

County Festival at Newark RFC Results

In the absence of Herts U18's, two Herts U15 Teams (A's and B's) travelled to Newark RFC in Nottinghamshire for a County Festival now in it's second year. It was an emotional day as the A Squad have been together for two seasons (due to the age band change) and this was to be their final fixture.

Herts A and last years Winners Notts, Lincs and Derbyshire (NLD) both won their Groups without conceeding a point and met in the Final. In a very intense game played under floodlights, Herts won 5-0 (the only Try of the game coming at the end of the first half) and had to defend valiently throughout the second half to protect their slim lead.

Herts B's lost both their Group games, but the experience gained at this level will be very valuable as many of the B Players will step into the Herts A Team next season when half of this A Team move up to U18 Rugby.

Results affecting Herts U15 Teams:

Herts 'A' 53 (Alice Finn Tx3 Sam Voyle Tx1 Claire Shutler Tx2 Cx4 Courtney Arberry Tx1 Abbi Lee Tx1 Megan Childs Tx1) NLD 'B' 0

Herts 'B' 0 NLD 'A' 35

Herts 'A' 40 (Shira Kilgallon Tx1 Alice Finn Tx1 Claire Shutler Tx2 Cx5 Sam Voyle Tx1 Alice Nee Tx1) Northants and Beds 0

Herts 'B' 0 Leicestershire 45

Final: Herts 'A' 5 (Megan Childs Tx1) Notts, Lincs and Derbyshire 'A' 0