Sussex Girls Rugby Festival Results

U18 Section -

U18 Group Stage:
Herts 10 Essex 0
Herts 24 Middx 0
Herts 0 Hampshire 0

U18 Semi Final:
Herts 15 Sussex 7

U18 Final:
Herts 0 Hampshire 5

U15 Section -

U15 Group Stage:
Herts 22 (Lotte Clapp Tx2, Rachel Mccullough Tx1, Shira Kilgallon TX1 CX1) Eastern Counties 0
Herts 33 (Lotte Clapp Tx2, Tilly Gooch Tx1, Courtney Arberry Tx1, Rachel Mccullough T x1, Shira Kilgallon CX4) Oxon 0
Herts 40 (Bryony Pomfret TX2, Scarlett Cooper-Wall Tx1, Courtney Arberry Tx1, Tilly Gooch Tx1, Becky Dawson TX1, Shira Kilgallon CX5) Middx B 0
Herts 5 (Lotte Clapp Tx1) Sussex 0

U15 Semi Final:
Herts 5 (Shira Kilgallon Tx1) Hampshire 0

U15 Final:
Herts 5 (Courtney Arberry Tx1) Sussex 0

Local Women's Rugby Development Manager post advertised

Our WRDM, Amanda Bate, is leaving the RFUW at the end of the month and her post has now been advertisted by RFUW. This is a vital post for the development of the game, not just in Hertfordshire, but across the East Region and London so please bring it to the attention of anyone you think might be interested:

RFUW Women’s Rugby Development Manager

Salary: from £25 - 28k pa + car and benefits. Based: Twickenham, Middlesex

The Rugby Football Union for Women is seeking to appoint a Women’s Rugby Development Manager (WRDM) for the London North & South regions.  This officer will be expected to take advantage of all networks and partners in developing rugby for women and girls. You will be expected to work and make strong links with schools, clubs, local authorities, county sports partnerships, RFU constituent bodies and development officers as well as RFUW volunteers in the area. You will be expected to form a strong partnership with the RFU Regional Development Managers in planning and implementing strategies for rugby development.

You must have a sound knowledge and experience of sports development, with some experience of rugby being an advantage.  You must also possess good organisational, communication and inter-personal skills.

Further Information

Benefits include competitive salary, company car, pension scheme, death in service benefit.

Full job description and person specification is available via this link or from the RFU and RFUW website www.rfu.com. 

To apply please forward your detailed CV and a covering letter ensuring that you address key points in the job description and person specification to Gemma Ryan, RFUW, Rugby House, Rugby Road, Twickenham, TW1 1DS or by email to gemmaryan@rfu.com. 

The closing date for receipt of applications is 10th October 2008 and interviews will be held in Twickenham on 23rd October 2008.

Sussex Girls Rugby Festival 28th September 2008

Herts U15 are now taking just one Team to the Tournament taking place at Crawley RFC on Sun 28th Sept.

The squad is as follows:
1 – Abbie Maxwell
2 – Melissa Gargaro
3 – Charlie Faloona
4 – Scarlett Cooper-Wall
5 – Sydnie Grace
6 – Courtney Arberry
7 – Bryony Pomfret
8 – Shira Kilgallon
9 – Lotte Clapp
10 – Nathalie Gooch
11– Becky Dawson
12 – Sophie Mccormack
13 – Rachel Mccullough
14 - Amber King
15 – Sidnie Nurthen
16 - Oren Blindell
17 – Izzy Mclean
18 – Rachel Selwood
19 – Alice Llelliott
20 – Nancy Harrison

Sussex Festival and England Under 20 Trial

The Herts U18 Squad for the Sussex Festival on 28th Sept is as follows:

1. Emma Burgess
2. Hannah Marques
3. Milly Fuggles
4. Laura Watson
5. Kelsey South
6. Emily Vivian
7. Alice Nee
8. Frankie Dawson
9. Claire Shutler
10. Hannah Gallagher
11. Alice Finn
12. Sam Voyle
13. Nicola Alcock
14. Natalie Threlfall
15. Georgia Peedle
16. Eleanor Morris
17. Charlie Hughes
18. Jess Robinson
19. Emily Wallace Greaves
20. Megan Childs
21. Emma Wilson
22. Vicky Moxom

The Herts County Management Team would like to congratulate Alex Robertson, Geri Thomas, Megan Williams and Haley Guilder in being selected for the Final England U20 Trial also taking place on 28th September. Their absence has given the chance for others to step forward into the Squad for the first County Festival of the season.

As we are missing these England Trialists, we do not have sufficient numbers to be able to make two U18 County Squads (an 'A' and a 'Development' Team). If there are Players at your Clubs who did not come to the first training ession, please encourage them to come to the next one on 19th October. With another half dozen more players we would be in a position to enter 2 Squads in the remaining two Festivals and ensure that all U18’s in Herts get to play at County Level.

Sussex Festival Sun 28th Sept Crawley RFC

Herts are taking two U15 teams (A and Development) and one U18 team to the First Girls County Tournament of the Season, the Sussex Girls County Rugby Festival. The Counties involved are:

U15 - Sussex, Herts A, Herts Development, Hants, Essex, Kent, Eastern Counties, Oxon, Middx A, Middx B

U18 - Sussex, Herts, Hants, Essex, Kent, Eastern Counties, Oxon, Middx

IMPORTANT DETAILS:

WHERE: Crawley RFC, The Clubhouse, Willoughby Fields, Ifield, Crawley, West
Sussex RH11 7LX

WHEN: Sunday 28th September 2008, first matches kick off at 10:30am. ALL PLAYERS TO BE AT THE VENUE BY 9.45 AT THE LATEST FOR REGISTRATION.

PARKING: As with most Rugby Clubs this is limited.

Herts Girls 7's Sun 17th May 2009

Following the Herts Womens and Girls Forum Meeting that took place on Monday Evening, it has been confirmed that Old Albanians will host this seasons Herts Girls 7's on Sun 17th May 2009. Contact details of the the Organiser will be published in the next few weeks.

2009 will be the 5th year that the Herts Girls 7's, which is an open tournament, will take place. The venue changes each year in order to showcase Girls Rugby around the County, and OA's follow Chesthunt, Letchworth, Welwyn and Tabard in hosting it. Bishops Stortford have already agreed to host it in 2010.

Herts Girls County Trial Sun 14th Sept Welwyn RFC

Sun 14th Sept is the confirmed date of this seasons Herts Girls County Trial taking place at Welwyn RFC. Registration and access to the changing rooms is from 1.00 and it will start from 2.00 onwards. As well as the U15 and U18 Trial, U12 Girls from around the County are also invited to a Training Session.

The Herts Registration Form has already been e-mailed to all Girls Club Managers and Coaches in the County. Additional copies will be available on 14/9, but in order for a Girl to partake in the Trial they must be signed by their Parent / Guardian. On the day the U15 Forms are to be handed to Peter Mccullough (U15 County Manager) and the U18 Forms to Dave Marques (U18 County Manager).

Depending on the number of Players that come to the Trial from all the Girls Clubs in Herts we plan to run County ‘A’ and Development Teams at both U15 and U18 this Season. In addition we plan to continue 'Team Herts U12' fixtures this season against other County's 'Team U12's.

Regional youth fixtures 2008/9

YOUTH U15s & U18s training games
The Youth games are preparation games for the RFUW Youth Festival only.

Match 1 – 8/2/09	Match 2 – 22/02/09
EAST  v Thames Valley	West Midlands v East Midlands v South
North West v West Midlands	Yorkshire v EAST
South West South v South v South West North	South West South v South East
North East v Yorkshire	North East v North West
South East v East Midlands	Thames Valley v South West N

Youth Regional Tournament
U15s on Saturday March 14th & U18s on Sunday March 15th

Herts Elite Athlete Support Programme 2008-09

Georgia Peedle from Welwyn Warriors U18's has won one of the 25 places on the Herts Elite Athletes Support Programme. This is the 3rd year that the Herts Sports Partnership has run the Programme, which provides athletes slected from a wide range of sports with a package of sport science support services free of charge.

Full details of the programme are: strength and conditioning training sessions with a qualified Strength and Conditioning Coach: personalised strength and conditioning training programme; physiotherapy allowance; equipment for home training; media training workshop; performance lifestyle advice; how to stay drug free in sport workshop; free annual membership to the Hertfordshire Sports Village.

In the previous 2 years, Hannah Gallagher and Megan Williams, both Welwyn Warriors, have won places on the Programme, and both are now part of the RFUW Talent Development Group.

Herts Womens and Girls Rugby Development Meeting Mon 8th September

The next meeting of the HWGRDG has been postponed from Mon 1st Sept to Mon 8th Sept. it will take place at Welwyn RFC 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

New RFUW Head of Development

Guinness Premiership Referee David Rose will join the Rugby Football Union for Women as Head of Development in September.
Rose, who was born in Birmingham and now lives in Plymouth, will join the RFUW from the RFU where he has been working as a Midlands Referee Development Manager. Previously, he has also worked for the International Rugby Board (IRB) as a Regional Development Manager, the National Coaching Foundation as a Coaching Development Officer and as a Youth Development Officer for the North Midlands Rugby Union.
Rose, in this brand new position, is tasked with ensuring women’s and girls’ rugby becomes a fully integrated part of rugby in England. He will work closely with the RFU, Sport England and other delivery agencies to ensure that there are as many opportunities as possible open to women and girls to play rugby.
Rose said: “This is a fresh new challenge for me. These are exciting times for women’s rugby as it continues to grow and the national teams strive for more success.
“I believe that much of what I have experienced so far professionally will be of invaluable experience to this new position, but I also understand that there are several new challenges ahead. I am very much looking forward to getting stuck in, in September.”
Rosie Williams, Managing Director of the RFUW, added: “We are really excited that David is joining us. He is very well known and highly respected in the game and will bring experience and knowledge to the RFUW.
“The RFUW is continuing to grow and women’s and girls’ rugby is becoming an important part of the game across the country. That is why this is such an important appointment.”
Ends…

Under 18s Women’s Talent Development Group for 2008/09 named

The RFUW have announced the names of girls selected for next season's 36-strong U18 Talent Development Group (TDG) - including three from Hertfordshire:

• Hannah Gallagher (Welwyn)
• Claire Shutler (Saracens)
• Megan Williams (Welwyn)

Following selection from four regional High Performance Academies, 55 under 18s were invited to attend the National Talent Development Group trials at a three day camp in July at Hartpury College, Gloucester. Players took part in an intensive programme of nutritional workshops, strength and conditioning education, fitness testing, and rugby coaching sessions over the three days. Following the camp, the final 36 players were selected for the TDG.

Tom Stokes, the RFUW’s Player Development Manager, said: “The TDG, in its third year, is a programme designed to provide the very best Under 18s players with a thorough, planned and progressive individual player development programme. The group provides a step up from county and regional rugby and aims to raise the standard of England representative players and squads for future years.”

The 36 selected players will attend another TDG camp in August as well as national and local sessions over the season. They will receive core rugby skill development, game understanding, strength and conditioning education and development, nutritional advice, sports psychology, performance lifestyle, online training diaries and training kit.

Congratulations to those selected. The full national list can be found here

England U20 trials

The first round of open trials for the England Under 20’s squad will take place on Saturday 6th September 2008 at RAF Halton, Aylesbury (please click here for directions). Following the open trials approximately 50 players will be selected to play in two trial matches, on Sunday 28th September and Saturday 18th October 2008. Both matches will be played at Birmingham University.

The England U20’s squad gives the next generation of talented players the opportunity to train and play within an international environment. The RFUW is committed to the identification and development of players of the future and it is anticipated that players from the U20’s age group will progress further and represent the England Senior Squad at future World Cups and 6 Nations competitions.

To be eligible to trial for England U20’s players must be:

• Eligible to play for England
• Over 17 years old and under 20 years old on or before 31st August / 1st September 2008

To download a registration form click here

Whilst the trials remain ‘open’ we encourage players who have played Regional Rugby to register and attend.

Players should arrive to register by 10.30am to register. The trials will finish at around 4pm. All players should bring own lunch / refreshments, training and playing kit (including protective clothing).

Final Information regarding the trials will be sent to you via e-mail in the week commencing 1st September 2008.

ELV's Presentation 14th August Herts Sports Village

A further opportunity to hear about the ELV’s will take place at 7.30 on Thursday 14th August at the University of Hertfordshire Sports Village for Referees and Coaches in the Adult game when the speaker will be Alan Biggs Midlands Referee Development Officer and Premiership Touch Judge.

May 2009 Tournaments

The following Girls Tournament dates at the end of next season have now been confirmed:

• Sun 3rd May: Worthing Festival.
• Sun 10th May: Dorking Festival.
• Sun 17th May: Herts 7's (Venue T.B.C).
• W/e 23-24th May (Sat or Sun T.B.C): National 7's (Venue T.B.C).

Herts Sports Partnership courses for coaches

Summer courses:

29 July Coaching Methods & Communication (at University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield) Click here
5 August An Introduction to the FUNdamentals of Movement (at University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield) Click here
11 August An Introduction to Long Term Athlete Development (North Hertfordshire College, Hitchin) Click here
12 August Equity In Your Coaching (at University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield) Click here
18 August Developing Partnerships with Clubs and Schools (North Hertfordshire College, Hitchin) Click here
21 August Safeguarding & Protecting Children (North Hertfordshire College, Hitchin) Click here
3 September Fitness & Training (at University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield) Click here

All of these courses cost just £10! (Except FUNdamentals, which is £15.) They run from 6.30pm to 9.30pm.

Clubmark courses:

Is your club working towards Clubmark accreditation (or its equivalent) or re-accreditation? Do you or your colleagues need to attend the courses that are required for accreditation? The Herts Sports Partnership is running a number of relevant courses in the coming months (all courses are at the University unless stated):

12 August Equity In Your Coaching (Further information & booking form)
21 August Safeguarding & Protecting Children (at North Hertfordshire College, Hitchin) (Further information & booking form)
28 September First Aid for Appointed Persons (Further information & booking form)
1 October Safeguarding & Protecting Children (Further information & booking form)
17 November A Club For All (Further information & booking form)
26 November Equity In Your Coaching (at West Herts College, Watford) (Further information & booking form)

To book, click on the links above. To see our full programme of courses, visit our website:
http://www.sportinherts.org.uk/deliveringsport/courses

HPA's

Following last weekends High Performance Academy Trials (HPA's) at Brunel University congratulations are due to the following Herts Players on being selected:

U15's : Courtney Arberry (Welwyn) who now joins the School of Rugby at Felsted School Essex for the next season, which starts this Summer.

U18's : Claire Shutler (Saracens) who now progresses to the Talent Development Group (TDG) Trial taking place later this month.

Herts Women County Trial Sunday 10th August St Albans RFC

Sunday 10th August is the date of the first ever Herts Womens County Trial. It is taking place at St Albans RFC starting at 1.00.

Please ensure all Senior players in your Clubs know about this, and those players going up to Seniors next season will of course be eligible to Trial if they are already 18 on 10th August.

Herts Womens County Team will be entering the L&SE County Championship against Essex, Sussex, Kent, Middx, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Buckinghamshire.

If you have any questions please contact Sammy Field by e-mail: sammyfield@aol.com

Womens International Rugby: Nations Cup

Girls Schools Age Bands: Important changes

The competition structure of the RFUW aims to support all players and teams with clear guidelines to enable participation at all levels.

It was agreed last season that the for the forthcoming 2008-2009 season the age-bands in schools would mirror those played in the club environment.

The following age-bands apply to schools, clubs and a colleges playing girls rugby in England. Any breach of theses age bands could lead to disciplinary action of coaches and clubs.

Age at 1^st September of the year playing

U12 Schools– playing to continuum guidelines	Year 7 – can be mixed sex , but we encourage the playing of girls only rugby at this age group where possible
U15	Aged 12,13 or 14 on the 1st September 2008 (normally School Years 8, 9 and 10) – laws as shown in RFUW handbook
U18	Aged 15,16 or 17 on the 1st September 2008 (normally School Years 11, 12 and 13) – laws as shown in RFUW handbook
FE / HE Colleges.	Under 19- 3 year age band OR Under 20 - 3 year age band Both teams MUST be playing the same band. Laws as shown for U18 in RFUW Handbook

All laws and regulations covering the RFUW age bands are available through the RFUW Hand book and through the Women’s rugby section of www.rfu.com/women resources section.