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

Newark Festival U18s.

Reluctantly we've had to pull the U18s out of this. Very best estimates gave us a squad of 14 on the day. Given the extensive list of walking wounded at both Letchworth & Welwyn, John Birch & I are looking into the possibilites of Touch Rugby while wearing American football padding & helmets for next season……….;-)

County Festival at Newark RFC 2nd Dec - update

Final information regarding the County Festival at Newark RFC on Sun 2nd December is as follows:

The venue is: The Rugby Ground, Kelham Road, Newark, Notts, NG24 1WN. Tel: 01636 702355.

12.45: Managers / Coaches Register Teams.

1.00: Changing Rooms available (please come ready changed if possible)

1.30: Warm–up and move to pitch allocated.

2.00: First Games of the POOL STAGES to start.

3.45: POOL Games to have finished and FINALS to start asap (Floodlights are available).

4.30-5.00: Presentations and post match food.

The POOLS for each of the Competitions are below, where they will play each other on the same pitch throughout.

U18 POOL A: East Midlands; NLD (Notts, Lincs and Derby) 'A'; Yorkshire.

U18 POOL B: NLD ‘B’; Hertfordshire; Leicestershire.

U15 POOL A: NLD 'A'; Hertfordshire 'B'; Leicestershire.

U15 POOL B: NLD ‘B’; East Midlands; Hertfordshire ‘A’.

Games will be played 15 mins each way, with a 2 minute half-time (this maybe adjusted to ensure all games are played whilst we there is light), so please ensure that you are ready to enter the pitch for your game.

Directions: on A46 towards Newark after going through Farndon where you will arrive at a roundabout signposted Newark B6326 road and a sign for Lincoln A46, take the first exit to Lincoln. You are now on the by-pass where you will arrive at another roundabout (you should see the club on your left), take the first exit (left) signposted Mansfield A617 and a sign directing you to Newark & Sherwood District Council. Travel along this road for about 200 yards, with the club on the right.

RFU launch second year of President's XV awards

RFU President Bob Taylor today launched this season’s President’s XV recognition awards for English rugby.

The awards offer £10,000 in prize money to clubs to reward their excellence and innovation in the grassroots game.cSixty five clubs applied for the first set of awards, sparking furious debate among a panel of distinguished judges who will be joined by RFUW President Gill Burns.

The winners came from everywhere from Cockermouth in Cumbria to Jersey in the Channel Islands, as well as Hertfordshire, who all addressed the RFU’s Community Rugby themes of More People, Better Places, Access for All and Enjoyment.

This year nominations can be made online at www.rfu.com/presidentsxv and Taylor is anticipating a bumper crop of entries before the March 1 deadline next year. “The President’s XV awards launched by my predecessor Bob Rogers last year clearly caught the imagination of our clubs,” said Taylor.

“There are thousands of volunteers out there whose expertise and innovative ideas help rugby to thrive at a grassroots level and we are delighted to be able to recognise their excellent work.

“We were able to publish their models of good practice this summer and hope that will inspire more clubs to emulate and surpass all that good work over the coming months."

This year there are three new categories reflecting activity within the grassroots game.

• The Seal of Approval category will reward one accredited club for the safe and exciting way it introduces mini rugby to children and holds their attention.
• Schools will also be rewarded in the Schools Development category that recognises teams of staff, volunteers and partners who offer rugby opportunities to girls and boys.
• Go Play Rugby reflects this season’s nationwide recruitment campaign and will recognise clubs for the number of new players they have attracted and the methods used by their recruitment teams.

The President’s XV awards are also supported by Rugby World magazine. Editor Paul Morgan is part of a judging panel that includes Taylor, Rogers, Senior Vice President Brian Williams, Junior Vice President John Owen and England’s most capped player Jason Leonard.

PRESIDENT'S XV CATEGORIES

1 Seal of Approval club of the year – A club that introduces mini rugby in an exciting and safe way and retains players well into their teens
2 Club School Links – A club with an exceptional project that reaches out to local schools, supports teachers and brings young people into clubs
3 Schools Development – A school that offers high quality rugby opportunities for boys and girls inside and beyond the school gates
4 More Than A Game – The winners will have done the most to ensure 16-24 year olds keep playing rugby
5 Girl Power – Show your feminine side with a project that has greatly increased the number of women and girls playing
6 More Referees – A club that creatively encourages and supports its members to take up the whistle
7 More Coaches – For recruiting and developing coaches for all the players at the club to encourage more enjoyable rugby
8 More Volunteers – Using innovative ways to building a first rate 'off-pitch' team
9 Veterans – Increasing the number of players over 35 and encouraging competition, friendship and fun
10 Social Inclusion – For clubs that have reached out to communities who traditionally have little contact with the game
11 Community – Making a difference to the local community through innovative use of facilities and personnel
12 Better Facilities – Transforming playing and clubhouse facilities to improve the rugby experience for all members
13 Technology – An award for a club that uses technology and its tools to benefit all its members
14 Fundraising Venture – Innovative events that have captured the imagination of members to raise funds
15 Go Play Rugby – Rewarding the success of recruitment teams in attracting new players in an eye-catching way

2007 WINNERS AND RUNNERS-UP

1 Youth Rugby – Jersey. Runners-up – Castle Cary, Perranporth.
2 School Links – Bolton. Runners-up – Colchester, Witham.
3 More Than A Game – Caldy. Runners-up – Dorking.
4 Girl Power – Cockermouth. Runners-up – Darlington Mowden Park, Welwyn Warriors.
5 More Referees – University of Bristol. Runners-up – Handsworth.
6 More Coaches – Windsor. Runners-up – Northolt.
7 More Volunteers – Cockermouth.
8 Veterans – Eastern Counties RFU. Runners-up – Windsor.
9 Social Inclusion – Not awarded.
10 Community – Aretians. Runners-up – Aspatria, Knutsford.
11 Better Facilities – Chelmsford. Runners-up – Clee Hill, Peterborough.
12 Modernisation – Letchworth Garden City. Runners-up – Northolt, Windsor.
13 Fundraising Event – Not awarded.
14 Fundraising Venture – Bridlington.
15 Enjoyment – Mansfield. Runners-up – Market Harborough, Ryde.

Senior regional trials

The regional programme is fast approaching and the senior trials are on 16th December. For senior players to trial they need to register on-line this year.

An interested senior player should click here. This is the only way this year to register for trials. Closing date for seniors to register is 7th December.

Seniors wishing to trial should be registered with a club which is affiliated to the RFUW or be attending a University.

International Challenge for Herts U18s!

On Saturday, December 29th, Noon kick off, Hertfordshire's U18s will be taking on Canada's U19 Women at Welwyn RFC. As we know from I.E. Weldon, The Canadians are sure to be competitive! Please confirm to me asap if you will be away for the match.

 

It should be a great game. Get the Christmas cobwebs out of your system and come along to cheer the girls on!

 

Dave Marques,

U18s Team Manager

Essex County Festival Results

The Herts Girls Squads went to a very cold Harlow to play at the Essex County Festival.

In what is one of the toughest county competitions, the Herts u15's produced argueably their best ever result. They retained the junior trophy by winning all five games without conceding a point due to some outstanding defence, excellent passing and support, and a very solid scrum. The whole u15 squad should be very proud of an exceptional performance. The game that decided the winners was, as always, against Essex and Herts took two of the few opportunities in a very tight contest.


Results affecting Herts U15 Team:
Herts 27 (Georgia Peedle Tx2 Alice Finn Tx2 Sam Voyle Tx1 Claire Shutler Cx1) Leicestershire 0
Herts 32 (Courtney Arberry Tx1 Lotte Clapp Tx1 Sam Voyle Tx2 Alice Finn Tx1 Claire Shutler Tx1 Cx1) Eastern Counties 0
Herts 22 (Courtney Arberry Tx1 Cx1 Abbi Lee Tx2 Georgia Peedle Tx1) Oxfordshire 0
Herts 10 (Claire Shutler Tx1 Courtney Arberry Tx1) Essex 0
Herts 15 (Melissa Gargaro Tx1 Jo Busch Tx1 Georgia Peedle Tx1) Middlesex 0



The Herts U18's finished runner's up to Essex.


Results affecting Herts U18 Team:
Herts 12 Leicestershire 0
Herts 5 Eastern Counties 5
Herts 0 Essex 5

Herts triumphant at first ever U12 girls "festival"

Hertfordshire U12s - with girls drawn from Hitchin, Letchworth, Saracens, Stevenage and Welwyn - were winners of the first inter-county girls U12 festival, played at Hitchin this afternoon. Organised in less than two weeks notice, after Essex cancelled the U12 section of the girls festival at Harlow, the afternoon was a remarkable success. Hitchin RFC proved to be excellent hosts, providing welcome hot food at the end of a bitterly cold day.

Opposition for the day came from Kent (a combination put together by Beckenham, but incuding girls from Old Alleyans and Mitcham) and Middlesex (Ealing RFC's girls, who had hosted Herts two weeks before). All the country teams are currently "unofficial", but that did not stop the girls taking things very seriously indeed.

Hertfordshire and Kent opened the proceedings, and within a minute Herts were two tries down - but remarkably these would be the only tries the home team would conceed all day. By halftime the score was back to 10-10, and in the second half Herts gradully pulled away to win 30-10.

Kent played Middlesex next and again started well, leading 20-5 at half-time. Middlesex, however, gradually pulled back over the second period dominating most of the half and pulling the score back to 20-15 with less than two minutes before Kent finally broke out of defence to score to seal the match 25-15.

Finally Middlesex took on Herts, with the home side looking to avenge their defeat in Ealing two weeks before. This proved to be a very physical game with both sides relying on strong forwards play to move down the field. At half-time the score was only 5-0 to Herts and the game was wide open, but in the second half the visitors began to tire as Herts drove in for three more tries to win 20-0.

Results:

Hertfordshire 30, Kent 10
Kent 25, Middlesex 15
Hertfordshire 20, Middlesex 0

	P	W	L	F	A	Pts
Hertfordshire	2	2	0	50	10	4
Kent	2	1	1	35	45	2
Middlesex	2	0	2	15	45	0

Saracens half-price ticket offer!

Saracens have had a storming start to the season, playing some thrilling rugby and averaging 32 points a game. It's their best start for nine years and they want to invite YOU to come along and enjoy it for HALF PRICE* - that's JUST £10 for an adult ticket, and £5 for juniors (U16).

This Half Price Ticket Offer will be available to anyone connected with Herts Women and Girls Rugby for Saracens Heineken Cup match against Viadana on Saturday 8 th December, 3pm at Vicarage Road Stadium, Watford.

To buy your tickets call the Ticket Team on 01923 475222 quoting "Ladies Rugby Offer". Offer closes 5pm, Thursday 7th December.

There will be World Cup stars in action, plus there's as much entertainment off the pitch as there is on it, including cheerleaders, face painters and giveaways for the kids, meaning there's something for everyone!

*Half price tickets will be situated in the South Stand and offer a 50% saving on the matchday price.

U12 girls' tournament in Hitchin: final details

Thanks to the generosity of Hitchin RFC we not only have a ground for tomorrow, but also hot post match refreshments. Our hosts are providing a pasta meal for all players from c3pm.

Please aim to arrive at about 12.30 so that we can start at 1.30 at the very latest - some of our visitors are coming quite a significant distance, particularly for this age group, and we want them to be able to get away before it gets too dark.

The three teams will be "Hertfordshire", "Middlesex" (mainly Ealing), and "Kent" (Beckenham and others). We will probably play the two Kentish games first - as they have furtherest to travel - and games will be 10-12 minutes each way. This would give us a (very draft) timetable of:

1.30 Hertfordshire v Kent
2.00 Kent v Middlesex
2.30 Hertfordshire v Middlesex

Rules will essentially be those of the U10/U11 continuum, suitably adapted dependent on player numbers.

See you tomorrow!

Essex County Festival 18/11 at Harlow RFC - U18s

Directions for Sunday. Chris Gallagher is Coach/Manager for the day. Please offer help with running touch etc. Luke, Clive & I are all away this particular weekend.

 

From the A1 or M1. Take the A414 through Hertford to Harlow. As you come into Harlow you will cross the River Stort and the main railway line. At the next roundabout take the 4th exit into Elizabeth way. The club is 500 yards ahead on your right.

 

Venue: Harlow Rugby Club: Ram Gorse, Elizabeth Way, Harlow, Essex CM20 2JQ. Tel: 01279 429750 (N.B. Elizabeth Way is a Clearway. Parking is illegal on the Highway, new cycle track, grass verge, pavement. This applies to BOTH sides of the road. The council will have parking wardens issuing penalty tickets to offenders.) If you do not a pre-issued Car Parking Voucher for the Rugby Club you will need to use the nearby trading estate or public car parks.

There are 6 Counties participating, both at U15 and U18, who will play each other in a round robin tournament. All the games (see below) are being played on 3 pitches, and this means that the start time for the first game is 10.00, with registration at 9.00.  

Teams: Essex(A); Eastern Counties(B); Herts(C); Leicestershire(D); Oxfordshire(E); Middlesex(F)

Schedule of Games K.O. Times:

U18's:
10.00 P1 A v. B P2 C v. D P3 E v. F
11.00 P1 F v. A P2 B v. C P3 D v. E
12.00 P1 F v. B P2 A v. D P3 C v. E
1.00 P1 A v. C P2 E v. B P3 D v. F
2.00 P1 A v. E P2 B v. D P3 C v. F

Dave Marques 

U18 Team Manager

Girls' Contact Rugby: Age Groups for Clubs and Schools

RFUW have issued the following summary of age group rules for girls rugby from U12 to adult level:

Age Group	U12’s	U13’s	U14’s	U15’s	U16’s	U17’s	U18’s
A player’s age grade is determined by their age at midnight on 31st August at the beginning of each season. Therefore if a player is aged 11 on 31st August then they are U12’s for the season.
School Year (for most players these age groups relate to these school years.)	Year 7	Year 8	Year 9	Year 10	Year 11	Year 12	Year 13
Clubs	a. Mixed rugby with the boys (1 year only) b. Girls Only sides comprising U11’s and U12’s (RFU Continuum U10’s rules)*			Girls only – can comprise of players who are U13’s U14’s and U15’s. (RFUW U15’s rules)**			Girls only – can comprise of players who are U16’s, U17’s and U18’s. Once players are 18 they can also play senior rugby. (RFUW U18’s rules)
Schools	a. Mixed rugby with the boys (1 year only) b. Girls Only sides comprising U11’s and U12’s (RFU Continuum U9 rules)*	Girls only – can comprise of players who are U11’s, U12’s and U13’s. (RFU Continuum U12’s rules but uncontested scrums and reduce numbers if necessary)*	Girls only - can comprise of players who are U12’s, U13’s and U14’s. (RFU Continuum U12’s rules but uncontested scrums and reduce numbers if necessary)*	Girls only – can comprise of players who are U13’s U14’s and U15’s. (RFUW U15’s rules but uncontested scrums)**	Girls only – can comprise of players who are U14’s, U15’s and U16’s. (RFUW U15’s rules but uncontested scrums)**	Girls only – can comprise of players who are U15’s, U16’s and u17’s. (RFUW U15’s rules but uncontested scrums)**	Girls only – can comprise of players who are U16’s, U17’s and U18’s. (RFUW U18’s rules but uncontested scrums unless both schools agree to play contested. Only players trained in the front row should participate in contested scrums)**
Emerging Schools (The girls age group for Emerging Schools will be reviewed at then end of the season)			Girls only - can comprise of players who are U12’s, U13’s and U14’s. (See Emerging Schools information for tournament rules and regulations)

* RFU Continuum rules and Regulations can be found on; www.rfu.com under regulations and then Continuum Regulations and Continuum Rules of Play.

** RFUW age group rules can be found at www.rfu.com women’s rugby and then follow links to “youth” and “rules and regs 2007/08” (http://www.rfu.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/RFUHome.Community_Detail/StoryID/17291 )

For further safety guidance please see the new IRB Resource “Rugby Ready” at: http://www.irbrugbyready.com/irbrr/en/home.jsp