OA Saints in pictures

OA Saints have been used for an Olympic 2012 project ...Teamwork... and entered into a competition.

A 2012 Storyteller came to meet then last week and has now published the story - below. Andy Wilkes, the Storyteller, said,

 "I would like to thank the entire Team at OA Saints for their hospitality and the encouragement they gave me. Especially: Amanda Bate - Club Chairwoman Hannah 'Coxy' Cox - Club Captain Tasha Saint-Smith - Club Legend I'd like to dedicate this Storyteller Challenge to OA Saint Georgie Robinson."

Hertfordshire's Geri selected for senior England squad

Hertfordshire and Wasps hooker Geraldine Thomas has been called up to the England Women’s Elite Playing Squad (EPS) for the 2011/2012 season. She replaces Richmond hooker Emma Croker who has withdrawn from the squad this season for personal reasons.

Geri began her rugby at Fullerians, where she was when first selected  for East Region, later moving to Welwyn. She was also a regular in junior Hertfordshire teams.

Geri played regular England Under 20s rugby last season and will now join the EPS squad who will contest a three test series against New Zealand this autumn as well as the RBS 6 Nations.

Herts Girls County Trial + Development Afternoon Sun 18th Sept Welwyn RFC 1.00

As you should already be aware, the Herts Girls county trials & development afternoon for U18s and U15s will take place next Sunday 18th September at Welwyn RFC, Hobbs Way, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6HX. 

Registration will be at 1pm, with the session starting at 1.30pm and ending by 4pm. Please ask your girls to arrive dressed ready for rugby as the changing rooms may not be available until later. All girls are encouraged to attend the trials/development session regardless of ability. 

Under the new RFUW rules the U15 age group now comprises girls in school years 9 and 10, plus those in year 8 who the RFUW has given special permission to play in U15s this season.

The registration form (see right) must be completed and brought along by each player on the day. It must be signed by a parent for any player under the age of 18, to give permission for the player to take part.

It would be a great help if club coaches could email a list of girls intending to attend the afternoon by Friday 16th to help with planning, though girls who just turn up on the day will still be allowed to take part: 

• names of U18s should be sent to Adrian Pomfret, U18s manager, at adrian.pomfret@virgin.net
• names of U15s should be sent to Colin Summerfield, U15s manager, at ca.summerfield@btinternet.com

Girls will be notified whether or not they have been selected by email by Wednesday 21st September. Please note there is a training session for those selected on Sunday 25th September. 

We look forward to meeting you all.

Regards

Adrian Pomfret, U18s manager 07906 863550

Colin Summerfield, U15s manager 07913 141207

Fifth place for L&SE U18s at UK Schools Sevens

London & SE U18s - with two Herts girls - finished a disappointing fifth place in the first ever UK Schools Games rugby sevens today.

A 19-0 defeat to Wales A in the opening game of the day condemned them to the bowl competition. An impressive 26-0 win over Wales B set up for their final match, a 4th place decider against North, who had only managed to beat the Welsh by 12-0. It looked promising, but unfortunately the North ran away with the game 27-0.

Elsewhere the Gold Medal went to Wales A. South West had a 100% pool record and entered the medal round as clear favourites, by Wales A - only third in the pool - beat them 12-5 in the opening game, and then beat Midlands 5-0 to clinch the title.

Tough day for London & South East at UK School Games

Its been a tough day for the London & SE team in Sheffield. After four of the five rounds of pool games, South West lead with a 100% record, with Midlands second with three wins from four. London & South East are languishing a bit with only one win

However, the only thing that really matters with the pools is finishing in the top three - and when the final round of pool games start tomorrow five of the six teams will begin with a theoretical chance of going through to compete for gold. And its pretty simple - L&SE must beat Wales Dragons "A"... and by a good margin. It'll be a tough call as L&SE's try count is not good, so its probable that other results will have to go their way as well.

Results should appear here during the day.

RFUW L&SE Divisional Coaching & Manager positions

MESSAGE FROM MAGGIE ALPHONSI

Hi All

I am currently appointing new coaches and managers for the RFUW London and South East Divisional programme. Please see attached the JD and adverts for the positions. Can you please forward onto anyone you feel is appropriate and would benefit from being involved in the programme for the 2011/2012 season or anyone you feel who has relevant contacts.

To confirm the London and South East positions that are currently available for 2011/2012 season are listed below:

·         Senior Head Coach

·         Senior Assistant Coach

·         U18 Head Coach

·         U15 Head Coach

·         U15 Assistant Coach

The closing date at present was September 2nd but this date may be extended so if you can inform any potential candidates to just send in their application  forms to shelleyrobinson@rfu.com as soon as they can that would be much appreciated.

Two Herts girls on the road to Rio

Two Herts U18s will be taking part in one of the RFUWs first steps on the road to the 2016 Rio Olympics when they take part in the UK School Games in Sheffield this weekend.

Because of the inclusion of rugby sevens at the 2016 games the sport has been included in the School Games for the first time as - by the time 2016 comes around - these are the players who will be in the running for selection.

There are six teams - one from each English division, plus two Welsh sides - and the London & South East squad includes Shira Kilgallon (Richard Hale School and Welwyn RFC) and Sydney Gregson (The Knights Templar School and Letchworth RFC).

The RFUW's press release gives more information:

Rugby Sevens will be making its debut at the Sainsbury’s UK School Games in Sheffield this week, with 60 Under 18s girls from England and Wales taking part.

The Sainsbury’s UK Schools Games is a multi-sport event for the UK’s elite young athletes of school age. Athletes will contest for honours over 12 sports in a four-day games environment designed to replicate the feel of major events such as the Olympics Games.

England will be represented in Rugby Sevens with an England North, England Midlands, England South West and an England London & South East team whilst Wales will field two teams. The England players have been selected from the RFUW Under 18s Divisional Programme, a pathway developed to provide competitive rugby for the best junior talent around.

With Rugby Sevens set to join the Olympic Games family in 2016 the RFUW’s Head of Performance Nicola Ponsford believes the Sainsbury’s UK Schools Games is an important stepping stone to develop the women’s game for the future. Ponsford said: “Rugby Sevens is a game growing in popularity all the time and the Sainsbury’s UK Sports Games is a really positive opportunity to move forward and develop Rugby Sevens at this age group.  With the inclusion of Rugby Sevens in the 2016 Olympics some of these players might well be on the international stage at that event.

“The games are also a perfect opportunity for the athletes to take part in a quality event alongside other sports. The players will have the chance to learn from one another but also from the other sports, and sample a taste of what it is like to be an elite athlete.”

Rugby Sevens is one of just 12 sports in the Sainsbury’s UK Schools Games, with athletes also competing for medals in sports such as athletics, badminton, fencing, hockey and judo. Each athlete will also get to sample the other sports as well as receive elite performance educational advice. The 1600 young people will also be sharing an athletes village, there will be an opening and closing ceremony and they will have access to athletes mentors who have experienced world class competitions, all in all providing the closest experience these youngsters are going to get to participate in a major competition such as a Commonwealth Games or the Olympics at this level.

Mark Saltmarsh, the RFU’s National Schools Development Manager, added: “Having rugby union included in this annual Olympic style competition for young people in the build up to London 2012 is fantastic. Planning is well underway to ensure an outstanding and memorable experience for all involved and to give rugby in Sheffield a real boost.”

The Games will run from the 1st to 4th September, with Rugby Sevens based at Abbeydale, home of Sheffield RFC.

OA Saints say "We want you"!

OA Saints are looking for ambitious and experienced players to join our developing Premiership 1st XV.

As a club we have enjoyed over 20 years of success and are now extremely excited about moving forward in the forthcoming season. Last year was a tough but enjoyable first term in the premiership with a lot of lessons learnt and we are now looking to build on a strong finish to the season which saw some close league matches and an impressive win against Bath in the playoff game. We are committed to cementing our place in the Premiership and developing into one of the top women’s rugby teams in the country.

Many of the steps to establishing that goal are now in place. We have phenomenal training facilities, a new focused coaching panel, an excellent medical and fitness team and number of young exciting players determined to make an impact on English game.

With a large squad fielding two league teams and a team of 4 fantastic coaches, the 2011/2012 season looks set to be our most exciting yet!


What we can offer
Premiership rugby at one of the countries premier amateur sports facilities
Train under our new coaching team for the 2011/12 season overseen by Paul Gustard (Saracens Forwards & Defence Coach)
Two weekly squad training sessions
Additional weekly S&C session run by our dedicated S&C coach in the fully equipped Saracens gym (on site)
A chance to play and develop alongside several current and ex international players.
Opportunity to gain valuable Premiership game time experience,.
Fully qualified and extensive medical team of physiotherapists, osteopaths, sports masseurs and InterX therapist and homeopath
Free sports massage and initial osteopathy treatments
Preferential treatment rates from our medical team of physiotherapists, osteopaths and our alternative therapist
Fully funded travel to all away games!

Training
Monday 7.15-9pm-Recovery & skills
Tuesday 7.30-9pm-S&C sessions
Wednesday 7.15-9pm-Skills & Match Preparation

Open Training-Wednesday nights 7.15-9pm

We invite you to come and try us out. Please come along to one of our training sessions where you are able to meet the coaching team, the players and see the first rate facilities on offer at OA Saints WRFC.

Please feel free to just turn up, or confirm your attendance by emailing Hannah Cox, our Club Captain, on oasaints@gmail.com

Located in St Albans, Hertfordshire we can be reached easily from the M25, M1 & A1. We are the only premiership team in the home counties and are home to players from Greater London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Suffolk.

*** Promotional articles from any other clubs in Hertfordshire are welcome. Please send them to the editor.***

OA Saints appoint new coach - and plan for new season

OA Saints new coaching team, 4 coaches and a dedicated s&c coach, led by Stuart McKintyre, was delighted when Paul Gustard (England, Barbarians, Saracens, Leicester Tigers London Irish), who is currently a coach for the Men In Black, offered to help with the coaching plan to get the OA Saints , the Premiership womens rugby team, ready for the challenging season ahead.

Stuart, Captain Leah Carey and ex Chairwoman and player, Tasha Saint Smith spent two hours planning strategies, game plans and coaching sessions with the experienced Gustard.

Stuart said "having Sarah McKenna (England), Geri Thomas (England U20), Esther Weils (France U20) and other ex-International players on the squad, we have to make sure that the coaching plan will continue to interest and develop these talented players and develop those other players who are knocking on England's door."

Anyone interested in playing for either of the Saints 2 teams should contact Club Captain Hannah Cox on hannah.cox@oarugby.com. Saints also plan to have U13, U15 and U18 girls teams developing. Training for all female rugby is on Wednesday evenings from 7pm.

Calling all clubs trying to grow U18 girls rugby..

Here in Herts, apart from Welwyn, none of us have enough U18's to field a team, and in Herts we have Hemel and Royston and maybe Hertford with a few U18's.

The plan is,

• one date each month we hold a session for all U18's not in leagues. 
• Ideally the sessions are held at a club with a senior women's section and a junior section
• and even better if the match is either a curtain raiser for the women's team, or after the women and the women can then watch the U18's. ( possibly also have an U15's match the same day, so a real w&g's day.)
• and we have one session in Herts, the next in Essex and so on,
•  and we make up teams and the U18's get to play a match and get to know other U18's and some senior players.

The aims are_

• keep girls in the game
• in Herts girls with high levels of commitment who are also lucky to have access to (parental) transport often gravitate to Welwyn U18s as it has a strong set up, the result being that former team-mates left behind then leave the game.
• provide girls with matches
• girls meet others
• girls get to meet seniors and hopefully this helps them to transfer to a senior side.

Outcomes-

• girls get match experience
• girls stay in the game
• clubs are pleased to be developing U18's
• clubs have an U18 team for the U15's to move up to
• next season all clubs have a few more U18's
• season after that, hopefully clubs are reeady for RFUW leagues.

Practicalities-

• it must be agreed before the day who is bringing a ref...until we know if we have enough girls for matches, then we should aim to provide our own refs.

• The hosting club does not have to provide an after match meal, again until we see if girls/clubs will committ and turn up.

• The hosting club in the early stages should be prepared to just run a training session if numbers are really low,

• but remember the only way to keep girls in the game is to provide the opportunity for them to play matches.

• Absolutely NO POACHING.

• the aim is for all clubs participating to hang onto their girls and grow, not to "help" girls to drift to one club.

• At all sessions girls remain in their own club colours,& hosting club provides bibs.
  
• Seniors from the club come and meet the girls and provide support and encouragment.

An extra-
we could also include the U13's, as I imagine we do not have many yet per team, and then they could also form into little teams and play against each other-same benefits, same practicalities....more of a training session with short training matches, I imagine.

Please let me know what you think.

Amanda Bate              
phone: 07523 119436               http://www.sportsupport.vpweb.co.uk  

Tasha’s a top volunteer in St Albans

From RFU.com

Old Albanians stalwart Tasha Saint-Smith has been named Volunteer of the Year in the 2011 City and District of St Albans Sports Awards.

Tasha, the RFUW premiership club’s captain and chairwoman for a number of years, was nominated in the over-21s’ volunteer category for Service to Sport by Amanda Bate, her recent successor as club chair and the Herts RFU county volunteer co-ordinator.

In her citation, Amanda Bate said: "Tasha has played for Old Albanians Saints for 12 years and while being a player has attended training twice a week, sometimes strength and conditioning training, a match each week and worked during the day, yet always found time to dedicate herself to her team.

"She was secretary for one year, pitch captain for two, club captain for four and chair for the past five years. Now she is stepping down but will continue to play, and the Saints would like to see her honoured for all her hard work and dedication which has got them to where they are now."

During Tasha’s 12 years with the club she facilitated the move from the St Albans club to Old Albanians RFC, without which the Saints could not have realised the dream of playing in the RFUW Premiership league, which they entered last season.

This provides a pathway for girls who can play rugby with boys up until the age of 12 and then need an all girls team, so Tasha's hard work means that girls can begin playing at six years and move up through the age groups, then into Under-15 and U18 teams, the women's 2nd team and if they have the talent and determination, the women's first team and Premiership rugby. This also provides the pathway to elite rugby and finally the England team.

"Tasha had to bring down the inevitable barriers women in sport encounter when they take part in a sport which has for a very long time been a male dominated one," Amanda added. "With tact and diplomacy and a little bit of shoving, she has changed many men’s perceptions about women's rugby and now OAs accept it and support it. We are the only Hertfordshire club with two women’s teams and the only one in the Premiership."

Tasha, who works at Tring School, has also formed good school-club links around girls rugby within the school sports partnership, and formed recruitment links with the women's team at the University of Hertfordshire, and the Royal Veterinary College's rugby team.

The awards were presented at The Vineyard Church in St Albans and include a motivational keynote speech by Alison Mowbray, Olympic Silver Medallist with the British rowing team.

Event organiser Jane Roskilly, from the St Albans Sports Development Team provided by St Albans City & District Council and managed in partnership with Leisure Connection, said: "It is vital to recognise and reward our local athletes, coaches, volunteers, teams and clubs for their exceptional sporting contribution and achievements throughout the year. It was a fantastic evening for everyone involved."

Play a summer of rugby in Canada - or have Canadians play for you!

Lee Bennet is Director of Recruiting for Toronto Saracen's Senior Women’s Rugby team located in Toronto Canada (he's also Director of Development for the Girls' U18, but this offer is probably only going to be appropriate for adult players. Unless your club fancied a summer tour to Canada, perhaps).

Anyway, Lee reports that Toronto Saracens have a number of players that are interested in playing overseas, and that also his club are looking to attract players to Toronto.

The club fields two teams (a first and second team) in the Ontario Women's League - the highest level of rugby played in the province of Ontario. At present they have over 65 girls registered in their program, which runs through their summer season (May to the end of August - its a gets a bit nippy in the winter Canada, so rugby is a summer sport). In addition they have over 33 girls registered in their U18 Junior girls program they play in the Toronto Rugby Union (so possibly some coaching opportunities as well).

If anyone is interested Lee can be contacted at lbconsulting@yahoo.com.

Vacancy: Head coach, Old Albanian Saints

THE ROLE:
The role will consist of coaching the Old Albanian RFC Women's section (1st and 2nd Teams) and will consist of stringent planning and delivery of coaching sessions as well as coaching and facilitating team preparation on match days. We are looking for a Head Coach to work with and lead, 4 excellent assistant coaches and a strength and conditioning coach.

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

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

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

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

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

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
- Level 2 (minimum) or 3 Rugby Coaching Award with a proven coaching background
- Strong written and communication skills
- Strong Leadership, delegation and planning skills
- Knowledge of Strength & Conditioning an advantage
- Enhanced RFU CRB Disclosure less than 3 years old

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

Please send letter of application and CV to amanda.bate@hotmail.com

County dates for your diary

Some important dates for the start of the new season

• The next HWGRDG meeting is taking place at Welwyn RFC starting at 7.30, is now on Mon 5th September not Mon 12th September, as 12th Sept is the date of the County Club Meeting at Welwyn RFC, to allow participants to attend both meetings if they need to. An agenda for the next HWGRDG meeting will be issued beforehand, but if there is anything specific that you would like included then please e-mail Peter McCullough.
• The Herts Girls County Trial is taking place at Welwyn RFC starting at 1.00, is now on Sun 18th September not Sun 25th September, which means that there will now a training session for those selected at the Trial on Sun 25th September (venue tbc). This is to enable a Herts Girls County Training session to take place between the Trial and the first Girls County Games on Sun 16th October away against Kent, which the published RFUW fixture schedule hasn’t made provision for.
• On Sun 6th November Herts County Girls are at Home against Surrey County Girls. These games will provisionally take place at Old Albanians RFC, but will be confirmed by the next HWGRDG meeting. Herts and Surrey are arguably the two strongest Girls Rugby Counties in England, so these games will be of the highest level, and a big crowd is expected.

Herts' Hannah hits hat-trick as England retain U20 Nations Cup

England Women Under 20s lifted the Nations Cup crown on Saturday night after a 48-11 victory over hosts the USA in Santa Barbara with Hertfordshire flanker Hannah Gallagher once again in the thick of the action scoring a hat-trick, and finishing the tournament the leading scorer with eight tries. The Final victory also saw England cap a tremendous season which has seen England beat every other U20 team in the world - USA, Canada, South Africa, Wales, Scotland and France.

England U20s Head Coach Amanda Bennett said: “This is a fantastic result not just for all the U20s players but for England Rugby. Since the squad came together in October we have made significant improvements in our game and these have culminated in a great team performance and winning the 2011 Nations Cup.

“Against the USA, we were outstanding in the first 40 playing at the tempo and in the style we had planned. But after the break the USA were ferocious, coming out with a desire to restore pride and put points on the board. Their physical approach really tested us and it showed in the second-half score-line.

“We have beaten every team we have faced this year which is a wonderful achievement. The true test now for each of these players is not just to enjoy this moment but to build on this success and take their game to the next level.”

England started at a furious pace and put their marker down early on. England were already two tries up after 15 minutes when Hannah scored her first try, stepping her way through America’s defence to cross the line under the posts in an excellent display of power and pace. Amber Reed this time added the conversion.

Herts' hero's second came early in the second half when Charlotte Keane took a quick tap penalty before offloading to Hannah, who broke through the midfield and then America’s last line of defence to score her second. Then, from the final play of the game, Amber Reed ran hard to break America’s defensive line and although she was stopped just short of the try-line she managed to offload to Hannah who then completed her hat-trick. With Reed adding the conversion England took the final 48-11 victory and the Nations Cup crown.

A full video recording of the game can be found here.

Herts girls at core of "best women's U20 team - ever!"

There can be no doubt - England have the best Women's U20 rugby team in the world, and Hertfordshire's quartet have been at the heart of that triumph. Last night (well, it kicked off midnight our time, so really early this morning) they beat South Africa 66-7, thus completing an unprecedented clean sweep - beating every other national women's U20 team in the world in the space of just under six months. The match was webcast live last night - but can be watched starting here (for technical reasons its in several parts. After you've watch Part One, subsequent parts can be found on the right of the screen).

Hertfordshire's Hannah Gallagher opened the scoring within the first five minutes, after which England stumbled slightly - and even went behind. However, after Herts' Georgia Peedle went over for her team's fourth try near the end of the first half the floodgates began to open.

This world-beating squad has one more game together, on Saturday evening (Sunday around 1am our time) before they go their separate ways - many, perhaps, to the senior team.

But for now, let's salute the best U20 team women's rugby has ever seen!

RFU Report:

England Women Under 20s will face host nation, the USA, in Saturday’s Nations Cup Final after defeating South Africa with a comprehensive 66-7 victory on Wednesday night in Santa Barbara.

England ran in a massive 12 tries with Hannah Gallagher, Georgia Peedle and Alexandra Matthews claiming braces of tries. South Africa, however, became the first team in the tournament to put any points on England with fullback Phindile Mtshali claiming their one and only try.

Now England will face the Eagles on Saturday hoping to repeat their earlier victory over the USA in the tournament which saw England running out 37-0 winners.

England U20s Head Coach Amanda Bennett said: “Naturally we are delighted to be in the Nations Cup final and winning three from three games has generated huge confidence in the squad. We put 66 points on a South African team that quite simply did not give up. They chased and tackled to the final whistle and forced us into several errors, not least tactical mistakes.

“There is as much to be learned from this game as the wins over Canada and the USA. We competed very well at the scrum but still need to show more composure when faced with try scoring opportunities.

“We will prepare for the final against the USA with a more clinical approach to ball retention and use of space. Despite the score lines no game has been easy this year and we will certainly expect the USA to be at full tilt on Saturday.

“There are also a number of selection dilemmas as so many players have put in strong individual performances but, as a coach, this is a great position to be in.”

In a physical game which England generally dominated the Red Roses showed good discipline and patience to score their 12 tries. It took just two minutes for Gallagher, who continues her run of scoring in every England U20s game this season, to register her first try.

South Africa were penalised with a penalty for holding on and a quick tap penalty by scrum half Charlotte Keane saw her set-up the Saracens flanker to drive over and score. Fly half Emily Scott couldn’t make the conversion.

The Springboks immediately bounced back with a seventh minute try of their own thanks to full back Mtshali which was converted by fly half Mpho Moloto handing South Africa a 7-5 lead after as many minutes.

England, however, reasserted their dominance on 21 minutes with Bristol centre Amy Wilson Hardy making her mark. No. 10 Scott helped set-up the score with a nice pass to Wilson Hardy who flew through South Africa’s defence to score relatively unopposed. This time Scott added the conversion to hand England a 12-7 lead.

No. 8 Poppy Cleall claimed England’s third try with a typical forwards move with saw her crash over the try line after a period of sustained pressure, with Georgia Peedle then adding another try to make the score 22-7. Two further tries for Lucy Demaine and Scott put England into a comfortable 34-7 lead at half time.

After the break South Africa struggled to combat a forceful England, with the tries coming in thick and fast.

London Irish’s Matthews, who had an excellent game coming off the bench, scored within three minutes of being on the pitch. After some more sustained pressure by England Scott made the move and passed the ball out to No. 8 Matthews who stepped inside South Africa’s defence to score.

Rebecca Hughes then added England’s eighth touchdown. A good scrum and then some good handling by the entire England backline saw Hughes score, which was quickly followed by a 60th Fiona Davidson try.

Gallagher’s second try came in the 75th minute when Matthews broke through the midfield. She was tackled but Gallagher was in support and she scored under the posts extending England’s lead to 56-7.

Matthews was then back in the thick of the action with her second touchdown as she picked the ball up from the base of the scrum and broke through a number of tackles to score.

Worcester wing Georgia Peedle had the final word for England with a 79th minute try and her second making the final score 66-7.

Match action from the Nations Cup is available on http://www.ustream.tv/usarugby.

England U20s

15 Rachel Roberts (Gloucester Reds, Gloucestershire, North), 14 Georgia Peedle (Worcester, Hertfordshire, London & SE), 13 Amy Wilson Hardy (Bristol, Sussex, South West), 12 Natasha Jones (Lichfield, Staffordshire, Midlands), 11 Lucy Demaine (Bristol, Devon, South West), 10 Emily Scott (Thurrock, Essex, London & South East), 9 Charlotte Keane (Worcester, South West), 1 Millie Fuggles (Old Albanian Saints, Leicestershire, Midlands), 2 Charlotte Notman (Newquay Hornets (Queen Bees), Cornwall, South West), 3 Sarah George (Bristol, Devon, South West), 4 Ellie Gatlin (Rochford Hundred, Essex, London & South East), 5 Abbie Scott (Keswick, Cumbria,North), 6 Hannah Gallagher (Saracens, Hertfordshire, London & South East), 7 Megan Oaten (Thornbury, Dorset & Wilts, South West), 8 Poppy Cleall (Bristol, Hampshire, South West), Replacements: 16 Emily Kingston ((Gloucester Reds, Gloucestershire, South West), 17 Mica Evans (Exeter Saracens, Devon, South West), 18 Harriet Mills (Lichfield, Staffordshire, Midlands), 19 Alex Matthews (London Irish, Surrey, London & SE), 20 Fiona Davidson (Richmond, Surrey, London & South East), 21 Amber Reed (Bristol, Somerset/Devon, South West), 22 Rebecca Hughes (Bristol, Somerset, South West)

Tries: Gallagher (2), Wilson Hardy, Cleall, Peedle (2), Demaine, E Scott, Matthews (2). Hughes, Davidson

Conversions: E. Scott (3)

Penalties:

Substitutions: Hughes for Roberts (22), Matthews for Cleall (42), Davidson for Keane (45), Evans for George (51), Reed for Scott (51)

Gallagher brace sees off Canada

Hertfordshire and Saracens’ Hannah Gallagher ran in two tries as England began their defence of the U20 Nations Cup with a convincing 41-0 win over Canada.

England Under 20s Head Coach Amanda Bennett said: “The aim for this opening match was not just to win but to make a statement of intent. We wanted to demonstrate that we have built on the success of our spring games and improved in many areas, not least our defence. Our midfield and back row worked extremely well together to turn possession over.”

However it was Hannah's county colleague, and Old Albanians hooker, Geri Thomas who drove through the Canadian centre to set up the first try, the ball being taken on by fly half Jones. Despite taking a crunching tackle she retained possession and crashed over under the posts.

Gallagher opened her scoring when she touched down for England’s fourth try at the end of the first half, doubling her total 13 minutes into the second half with she was again at the heart of the action. An excellent drive by Mason down the right wing saw the winger come close, only for Hannah - in support - to muscle her way over the line from three metres out.

Hannah was rested after 70 minutes, England going on to win by 41-0.

Herts quartet off to California

Hertfordshire's Milly Fuggles (OA Saints) and Georgia Peedle (Worcester) have been called up to the England U20 squad that will compete in the Nations Cup in Santa Barbara later this month.

They join Hannah Gallagher (Saracens) and Geri Thomas (OA Saints) in the 26 player party that will be seeking to retain the trophy that England won back in 2009. And they will find one other familiar face in the team, as Emily Scott (who now plays for Essex) played much of her junior rugby alongside them at Welwyn.

The tournament, which also includes the USA, Canada and South Africa will take place between the July 14- 23 at the University of California, Santa Barbara - and all the matches can be watched LIVE, here, via free webcasts from USA Rugby  (in association with YSC). However, the time difference will mean an early start - England's first game, against Canada, kicks off at midnight (UK time) on the evening of 14th/15th July.


Live Video of England v Canada (kick off at midnight 15/7/11 (UK time))

The England Women’s U20 side has enjoyed a successful season with wins over Wales (32-19), Scotland (77-0) and France (12-5) but are expecting a tournament with three very physical encounters.

Amanda Bennett, England Women’s Under 20 Head Coach, said: "We want to be up front and say that we want to go to the Nations Cup and win it but we have no doubt how hard that is going to be.

"We are not taking any of these games lightly, it will be fierce. We know that we will be facing extremely fit and physical opposition. There are no performance guarantees when it comes to this tournament.

"The USA and Canada have a history of producing incredible athletes and South Africa has dedicated time and resources in recent years to developing the women’s game."

OA's Sarah McKenna promoted to England Elite

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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