Torquay 2010 Report

As the rugby season comes to a close, the ritual of the end of season tour comes into play.

This year Monmouth embarked on a trip to Torquay, to take part in a weekend of rugby and fun on the English Riviera, hosted by Torquay Athletic. What a fantastic time was had by all from the base camp just off Brixham sands.

In all Monmouth travelled with 220 tourists, fielding sides across 7 age groups over the weekend. An impressive feat of logistics, organisation and parental commitment; a special mention must go to Chris Webley, the clubs ‘Social Secretary’ who approaches these tasks with such verve…

Tim McCord, current chairman of Monmouth Young Rugby commented, ‘’what a fantastic bunch of tourists; the young players conduct, attitude and skill levels across all of the age groups were a tribute to themselves, the club and to the town as a whole. As a parent and official of Monmouth RFC I felt very proud to be involved in such a successful trip‘’.

Age group highlights:

• The under 16’s had a tough tournament, but in the last match with only 15 able bodies left standing beat a Coney Hill side in the plate final, having lost by 4 tries to the same team the previous day, a real never say die performance from these young men.
• The under 14’s, or the Warriors as they prefer to be known, attended the tournament with a skilful and large squad. A very satisfying first day for the team who finished runners up in the group stages and qualified for the semi - final of the main competition on the Sunday.
• Disappointingly, injuries took their toll on the squad on the second day, the impact of intensive rugby and unusually hard ground for the time of year. The Warriors narrowly lost out on silverware, losing to Merthyr and Stowe respectively. A special mention should go to Pete Saran and Spencer McNaught who in the traditional nature of the game played for Merthyr for most of the tournament, to help supplement their small touring squad. Both travelled home with a winner’s medal for their effort and sporting endeavour.
• The U12’s went on tour with enthusiasm high, on the back of a very successful season. The team under the guidance of Andy Norman were primed to provide a spectacle of running rugby under the Riviera sun. They didn’t disappoint and were the side of the tournament at this age group, disappointingly losing the final on the toss of a coin after extra time failed to deliver a definitive result.
• The U11’s also travelled with a large squad, enabling them to field two sides over the weekend.
  As always they played with their own brand of high energy rugby, driven on by their coaches and band of ever enthusiastic, travelling supporters. They ended the tournament on a high securing a 3rd place spot at the end of the weekend.
• The U10’s, or Tigers as they’re known, travelled with a slightly depleted but skilful squad, packed with plenty of enthusiasm. The team faced some formidable opposition, blessed with large physical squads. As the weekend progressed the team managed to adapt to the environment and the English rules, developing their game throughout the weekend. Having gone close on a few occasions the young players eventually put in a fantastic performance against hosts Torquay to finish the weekend on the up.
• The under 9’s had a great tournament, playing some fast flowing rugby, again having to come to terms with a different set of playing rules over the weekend. They did themselves proud and will take a lot away from the experience, ready to plough back into the new season.
• Tag rugby at its best, that is what the U8’s squad brought to Torquay. Fielding 2 sides, they made the final of the cup, losing to Torquay narrowly in the final, having played each other along the way. Monmouth eventually got their reward and walked away as winners of the plate final on the Sunday, after a breathless game of tag rugby. Well done to all involved, particularly Nick and Rob who have put in so much effort over the last year developing these young players.

This coming Friday (7th May) will see the annual awards evening at the club for junior rugby, commencing at 6.15pm.

Monmouth RFC is a community based club, with its routes dating back to the 1870’s. It now runs one of the fastest growing junior rugby sections in South Wales, fully affiliated to the WRU and the Dragons Region. Our coaches and club officials are fully vetted and WRU trained to ensure we provide a safe, fun and progressive environment where young people can develop their sporting and social skills. If you would like to be part of this team based environment then please contact us via our web site, or call into the clubhouse at Chippingham Gate Street.