Indian Army Red Win All India South Asia Rugby Tournament, 2011
Rugby is the fastest growing sport in India today. The All India south asia rugby tournament is a testament to this fact. The tournament consistes of the Division-1 teams from across India who will do battle. The participating teams were Army Red (Western Zone), Army Green (Western Zone), Tamil Nadu Police (Tamil Nadu), Delhi Hurricanes (New Delhi), Jungle Crows (Kolkata), CCFC (Calcutta Cricket & Football Club), Bombay Gymkhana, Sergeant’s Institute (Kolkata), Pune Rugby Team (Pune) and KISS Rugby Team (Orissa).
After 6 days of rugby at the tournament it was the final day in the All India South Asia Rugby Tournament, 2011. The two finalists; Army Red, the team that has won this championship on the last 4 occasions and the hosts, Bombay Gymkhanna were evenly matched, and the game promised to be one full of passion, commitment and grit.
As the game kicked off, the first 15 minutes were as close as ever, with both teams battling hard for possession around the half way mark. Army Red were the first team on the score sheet when Pushpendu Das scored from a penalty kick after a Bombay Gym player infringed on a ruck. After the restart Bombay Gym put pressure on the Army defence but came up short, and after a few consecutive infingments once again found themselves in their 22 meter zone. The Army set up a maul from a line out and the Army Red Hooker, Hemant Kumar scored off the rolling maul. Pushpendu Das failed to convert the conversion kick and Army Red went into half time 8-0 up.
When the teams came out at half time, the first 10 minutes were very similar to the corresponding minutes of the first half, with both teams fighting for possession at and around the halfway mark. After a break by the army back line, which was broken up by a good tackle by a Bombay Gym winger, Army found themselves on the Bombay Gym’s 5 meter line. A strong Army scrum put Bombay Gym on the backfoot and Scrum half Sujai lama broke through the gap in the defence to score the Army’s second try right under the posts which was easily converted by Pushpendu Das. Bombay Gym then went all out to pull back some points, and as a result saw captain Nasser Hussain and flanker Anwar Sheik yellow carded for infringements in the ruck.
Bombay Gym were unable to comeback and the game ended, 15-0 to Army A who were crowned champions of the All India and South Asia Rugby tournament for the 5th consecutive time.
The world cup is well underway and apart from Ireland beating Australia there has been no real upsets and even Ireland beating Australia is not a huge upset as Ireland can beat anyone on their day. However this year has seen some of the minnows give a good account of themselves and have given tier 1 countries tough games which turned out to be rather close.
These teams are no longer the pushovers they used to be when cricket scores were a comman occurrence. We have been some very close matches for example Canada beating Tonga and Romania leading Scotland until the final quarter.
I firmly believe that for the tier 2 nations playing in the world cup are generally playing better than in previous years and are obviously getting better with the more matches they play. It seems a shame that these countries walk away with nothing to show for there efforts after the group stages.
I think that the minnows flourish in playing against better teams in a Rugby World Cup tournament and will get better the more matches they play. I propose that teams that go out of the group stages should then enter the plate competition in a format similar to the Sevens World Series. Do you think this is a good idea or one that is not workable?
Also what could be done to make the tier 2 countries more competitive on the world stage? The world cup will in my opinion be won by any one of 4 teams as is always the case. I cannot see that changing unless fully professional leagues are established in these tier 2 countries, perhaps the IRB should be doing more?
Following up on my interest in rugby in India and particularly rugby in the Delhi area I am pleased to report that Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Club is going from strength to strength. The people behind the Delhi Hurricanes are working very hard in promiting rugby in Delhi and their latest venture is starting a rugby academy. It is set to become a very fun day and if anyone wants to find out more or wants to get involved then please get yourself there.
Inauguration of Hurricanes Rugby Academy on 31st July, 2011
On the behalf of Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Football club, I invite you for the Inauguration of Hurricanes Rugby Academy on 31st July 2011. I sincerely believe that you can make difference to this event I sincerely request you to attend this event & make it huge.
Join Delhi Hurricanes facebook page by clicking here.
4 comments - What do you think? Posted by
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July 25, 2011 at 13:36
A big thank you to Chris Callaway for this contribution, which is a great story of how he and a few friends set up Southwark Rugby Club in London’s inner city Borough of Southwark.
Southwark Rugby Club & the Lancers
Looking back it was a strange decision to start playing rugby after 15 years of inactivity but I can honestly say that I have loved every minute of playing again over the past 4 years, I only wish that I had continued to play whilst I was at school. The catalyst to strapping on my boots had been the fact that as a business we wanted to sponsor a rugby team but had no real allegiance to anyone in particular. I decided to watch a local match and immediately knew that I would love to get involved with rugby again.
Not content with just wanting to play again I decided that the team we would sponsor would be one of our own creation. To this day I really cannot accurately describe how or why this decision was made but the club has just finished it’s 3rd full season.
Having contacted the RFU and asked for advice on setting up a club they pointed me in the direction of a junior team in inner city London who had been running for 5 years but had no senior team for the children to progress to. I met Vernon Neve-Dunn (founder of the Southwark Tigers www.southwarktigers.org) in the unfamiliar surroundings of Burgess Park which is situated just off the Old Kent Road and a million miles away from the leafy surroundings that you would normally associate with rugby. His brilliant vision had been to create a club for children who would otherwise never have come into contact with a rugby ball.
November 2007 saw the very beginnings of the Southwark Lancers, 4 friends throwing around a rugby ball on a cold Saturday morning in Burgess Park, nothing at all inspirational but a start. Friends of friends started to join and some replies to adverts meant that we had a motley crew of players ready for our first season playing in the Kent Metropolitan Merit Leagues. In fact we had managed to put together a useful team, many of whom had been out of the game for a number of years and had been keen to get back into the game. Our attractiveness was our central London location that can be reached in 10 minutes from Elephant & Castle tube.
We were pipped to top spot by Beckenham in our first season but managed to get promotion. At the beginning of our second season we had enough players for two teams, we were also approached by Niall O’Doherty who wanted to get involved with the club and who became our full time coach. We saw an immediate return and the 09/10 season saw us go undefeated and gain promotion mid way through the season.
Season 10/11 witnessed the club entering the proper national league structure and taking their place in Kent 2. We finally started to find our feet after the first couple of matches and strung some good results together ultimately finishing in 4th position.
This coming campaign will see us pressing for promotion but also looking to get our club structure in place. We rent our pitch from the council and at the moment we train once a week, the club has no club house (the excellent local pub is more than sufficient) and manages to field 3 full teams. I have been utterly shocked by the great success of the club and we hope to improve each year. It is a harsh reality that at grass roots level, participation is down and many clubs are folding so I continue to hope that Southwark Rugby Club will continue to buck the trend.
Whether you want to play or not Southwark Rugby Club are always looking for new players and social members. If you want to join a vibrant, friendly and welcoming club in Southwark please contact:
Hello All I have been encouraged lately about the number of people who have contacted me about playing rugby in Delhi. I seem to have a number of people asking where there is a club and how do they join. I have a contact at Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Club and hence if anyone want to play in Delhi then please use the contact details below.
Delhi Hurricanes rugby club normally train twice a week on Thursdays & Sundays. For the confirmation of the time, u can call the following people.
Vicky – 9818440814
Pulkit – 9873786001
Also for general information regarding the club and sponsorship opportunities or just ways to get involved with the fastest growing sport in india then contact the person below.
Finally, I have a weekend in Berlin. As is my lifestyle in Berlin, I got up on Saturday morning and I have no work, excellent so i can lay here and snooze for a bit longer. However though I have a fully functioning kitchen i have yet to use any of it due to the great value eating out in this great city. I can rarely afford to sit indoors for very long as I get hungry and have to get out.
During my time In Berlin working I made good friends with an Irish lad from Dublin, who I spent a lot of time with as we were both new to the city. So the clock hit 11.00am and I could go no longer to wait for my morning cup of tea and most importantly breakfast. A quick text to Ian (my new Irish Mate) and I was off on the U-Bahn to meet him at Charlottenberg which incidentally was the capital of West Berlin before unification of East and West Germany.
The plan was to get breakfast and make our way over to watch some Rugby which was not too far from here. We took a walk and ruled out all the possibilities for brunch until we passed an Irish Pub called the Irish Harp In Charlottenberg. We decided to go here as my Friend Ian felt really at home in these places. I ordered a Guinness and asked for the menu. I was feeling adventurous and decided on a “Irish Breakfast, you can imagine my disappointment when it arrived. Now don’t get me wrong but Sausage, egg, bacon, beans and toast and English tea is pretty much the same as an English breakfast. Irish or English it was a great breakfast and I learned the Irish have the same breakfast as the English therefore it was a Irish/English Breakfast.
After downing two pints of Guinness we decided it was time to leave for the Game. A game between Berlin second team and Hamburg first team.
We arrived at the game on time. There was quite a crown for a second team game I thought and especially for Germany. However the standard of rugby was pretty good and on show were mostly German players however there were a number of British players playing for both teams along with a few Samoans and New Zealanders. The Game was won by Berliner rugby club but the outstanding player on the field that day was the fly half for Hamburg who we later found out was a student on some sort of exchange program from Northern Ireland.
After the game we were invited to have a beer but we declined and headed back to the Irish harp for more beer and food. I now noticed by a poster on the wall of the Berliner Rugby team and later learned that the Irish Harp are in fact sponsors of Berliner Rugby Club. And this is their main watering hole and thus we drank a few more Guinness’s had a chat with a few of the rugby boys who happened to be New Zealanders and off we went. The rest of the night was a blur so can’t report on that.
All in all a rather different rugby day for me but enjoyable and am glad that I can enjoy rugby wherever I go regardless of the standard of rugby it’s just a case of digging around and finding what’s out there are hoping there is a fixture you can attend.
That’s it now for Germany, my 2 months here are done and now back to Rugby in England and looking forward to the Summer touch rugby tournament at Letchworth Rugby Club and Looking forward to Helping out at Little Ruggers a sports development club for children aged 2- 6 years.
I have been very busy lately and have neglected this blog, however I aim to update regularly from now on as I will have more time to devote to it.
As you may have gathered I am now back working in Germany however this time I am in the exciting city of Berlin. After doing a little research I was shocked to find out that there are in fact six rugby clubs in Berlin. I will be giving an overview of the rugby scene here in another post. The plan the coming weekend will be to find a rugby match and pitch up drink German beer and get chatting to as many people as I can and learn more about the people the club and the general rugby scene and hopefully have a decent night out with new friends. I was looking for a game from the highest league in Berlin who play in the Bundesliga.
In Germany because of the winter break, there has been no rugby until last week and that was the weekend I went home to watch my rugby club play and defeat our local rivals but that’s another post. In terms of German rugby all the traditionally strong clubs from across Germany are represented in the current Budgesliga league table as shown below.
Bundesliga 2010/11
Pos
Verein
Spiele
G
U
V
+
-
Diff.
Punkte
1
Heidelberger RK
10
10
0
0
542
57
485
49
2
SC Frankfurt 1880
10
8
0
2
451
143
308
39
3
TSV Handschuhsheim
10
8
0
2
291
205
86
37
4
RG Heidelberg
10
6
0
4
343
169
174
29
5
SC Neuenheim
8
5
0
3
213
154
59
25
6
Berliner Rugby Club
9
3
0
6
133
287
-154
14
7
RK 03 Berlin
9
2
0
7
123
322
-199
9
8
DSV Hannover 78
10
1
0
9
128
447
-319
5
9
RK Heusenstamm
10
0
0
10
103
543
-440
2
As you can see there are two Berlin Clubs in the German Bundesliga and are currently place 6 and 7, the first being Berliner Rugby Club and the Other being RK 03 Berlin. You may have read my post about Rugby in Germany in which I gave a breakdown of rugby in Germany and also a report on the games I watched namely being München RFC vs RC Luxemburg and Stuttgarter RC vs TSV Victoria Linden who both play in the 2nd tier of German Rugby and I said it was possibly equivalent to either level 7 or 6 in the English league system.
I am now told that the Bundesliga is probably equivalent to Level 5 in English rugby I have yet to see if this is the case. Anyway onto this weekend I am going to go and watch a game between Berliner RC II vs Hamburger RC. What seems to be quite common is that the second teams of these clubs often play in the same league structure, (Whats happens if the second team gets promoted also?). Berliner RC first team plays in the highest league and their second team players in the second tier. You may be thinking why is he going to watch the second team, well that’s because all the other teams seem to be playing away this weekend.
Heres what the league looks like its the Bundesliga North, if you remember Munich, Stuttgart and Luxembourg all play in the Budgesliga South. Please pop back and see how I get on, who knows if I take my boots along I might get a game.
An initiative that we at Rugbyclubman.com thoroughly approve of is getting more lapsed rugby players playing rugby again. From my experience there are lots of them out there. If you have been out of Rugby for a while it can drop to the back of the mind and before long rugby is often even considered a possible alternative to going shopping on Saturdays. Sometimes all that is needed is for someone to plant the seed in the mind of these lapsed players and make them realise that a run out on a saturday could be the escape they are looking for. So it is the duty of all rugby club members to plant the seed in as many minds as we can. So everyone get on those phones and start getting those legendary teams back together again and get involved.
As a start join O2 Rugby Reunion this summer and make the comeback to end all comebacks. It’s time to put the old team back together and get back out there. Each event has food, drink, competitions, prizes and England players present.
Along with former England player Mike Catt, Rob Andrew, one of the North East’s favourite rugby sons, is backing Newcastle as the perfect venue for this weekend’s launch of the O2 Rugby Reunion campaign, a nationwide initiative supported by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) to encourage players that have drifted away from rugby to reconnect with the game and their friends.
“The North East has a great reputation for welcoming visitors and providing them with a tremendous social environment and that should tie in perfectly with the O2 Rugby Reunion theme.” says the former Newcastle Falcons fly-half and Director of Rugby who is now England’s Elite Rugby Director.
“I think the O2 and RFU efforts to keep people in touch and involved in the game is a really good idea and the launch of the programme at Ryton RFC on the outskirts of Newcastle is an ideal choice.
“When any of us look back on our careers, memories of the early days and the characters we played with always remain vivid and precious. Ironically, while the 16/24 age group which this project caters for is probably the most vulnerable, it is also the period in which RU players get most out of the game and the friendships it generates.
Reunite old rugby friends
“The touch rugby festivals in the O2 Rugby Reunion programme offer a perfect opportunity for schoolmates to rekindle the rugby spark and the use of facebook as a means of pulling teams together is a smart piece of thinking.
“I’m sure Newcastle, the capital of fun and social interaction for a while now, will ensure that the O2 Rugby Reunion series will get away to a great start.”
Teams have been invited to take part in one or more of a series of touch rugby events across the UK, culminating in a finale event, ‘The Big one’ in London on September 12, but more importantly, the project is aimed at bringing together players and pals who has drifted apart.
Aimed at reigniting players’ passion for rugby, O2 Rugby Reunion not only uses facebook to reconnect players with their old teams, but also offers an enrollment on the day option for teams who want to turn up and play.
A captain can register a team and interest in a specific touch rugby event, send invites to friends and confirm attendance at the event(s) once a minimum of six team members have been recruited. Teams can then opt to take part in either the ‘fun’ or ‘competitive’ category for their local event.
The programme is aimed at the 16/24 age group, where, because of further education and employment issues, it is easy for players to become detached and lose contact with the game and their former teammates.
The RFU has an O2 Pathfinder scheme in place which seeks to provide an aftercare and tracking mechanism once players move from the clubs and schools where they learned the game and O2 Rugby Reunion offers a chance for friends to get together again and have a run out.
Registration on Saturday opens at 10.00am, with the tournament getting underway after a team briefing scheduled for 11.00am. In keeping with the mood of the event, efforts will be made to accommodate all teams and individuals who share in the spirit of the O2 Rugby Reunion, even if their arrival is delayed.
And if Newcastle is out of your parish, why not get the ball rolling now and enter one of the remaining regional events. They are:
London, Old Deer Park – Saturday 31st July
Bristol, Portway Centre – Saturday 7th August
Manchester, Broughton Park RFC – Saturday 14th August
Coventry, Coundon Hall Park – Saturday 21st August
Dorset, Oakmedians RFC – Sunday 29th August
To register a team via facebook simply search online for ‘O2 Rugby Reunion’ – and start getting in touch with your rugby mates from yesteryear.
For further information on the Newcastle event please contact:
Tom Wilkinson on 07894 489096
Dave Reed on 07736 517728
Rugby sevens has been played at three Commonwealth Games since its first appearance, at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Appearing in 2002 and 2006, it is now considered a ‘Core’ sport by the Commonwealth Games Federation, necessitating its appearance at all future games, including the upcoming 2010 Games in Delhi India.
The 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia saw the introduction of rugby sevens along with cricket, field Hockey and netball.
New Zealand has never lost a match at the Commonwealth Games, winning gold in all three Games at which the sport has been played.
Following is a list of medal winners in all Commonwealth Games for Rugby Sevens.
Medal Winners at the 1998 – Kuala Lumpur Games Gold – New Zealand
Silver – Fiji
Bronze – Australia
Medal Winners at the 2002 – Manchester Games Gold – New Zealand
Silver – Fiji
Bronze – South Africa
Medal Winners at the 2006 – Melbourne Games Gold – New Zealand
Silver – England
Bronze – Fiji
2010 – Delhi Games
The International Rugby Board (IRB) together with the Commonwealth Games Federation has announced the pool draw for the Rugby Sevens event at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India on 11-12 October.
Marking almost exactly one year since sevens’ inclusion as an Olympic sport at the 121st IOC Session in Copenhagen, the tournament will be the first opportunity to witness its proven blend of high-octane action and competitive matches in a multi-sport Games environment.
Commanwealth Games Rugby Sevens
Defending Commonwealth Games Sevens Champions New Zealand are top seeds and head Pool A, where they will face opening matches against World Series regulars Scotland and Canada as well as Caribbean champions Guyana, who also competed on the World Series this season in Las Vegas.
New Zealand have won all three sevens gold medals on offer so far – in 1998 (Kuala Lumpur), 2002 (Manchester) and 2006 (Melbourne).
2002 bronze medalists South Africa head Pool B and face three challenging opening ties against reigning Rugby World Cup Sevens champions Wales, Tonga and the host nation, India.
Reigning IRB Sevens World Series champions Samoa top Pool C and face matches on day one against ever-dangerous Kenya, the Cranes of Uganda and Papua New Guinea’s Puk Puks.
England head Pool D but will meet the vastly improved Australians, who finished this year’s World Series in third place behind the Samoans and New Zealand. The two rugby superpowers will also face matches against the third African team in the draw, Namibia, and Sri Lanka.
‘Memorable tournament’
“Having Sevens played at the Commonwealth Games plays an integral role in the ongoing development and promotion of Rugby around the world. The event features teams from Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, North America and the Caribbean and continues to attract some of the world’s top players, delivering exciting matches and attracting new fans,” said IRB President, Bernard Lapasset.
“Sevens has consistently proven to be successful at the Commonwealth Games and this year we are particularly excited that the event is being held in India, where rugby is reaching out to new, young audiences in a rapidly developing market for our sport. We are looking forward to what promises to be a memorable tournament for the global rugby family.”
Mike Hooper, Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation added: “With a record crowd of 50,000 at the final Rugby Sevens session in Melbourne in 2006, the Rugby Sevens tournament has become one of the most sought-after attractions at the Commonwealth Games, providing an excellent spectacle for both fans and television viewers.
“The inclusion of some of the world’s best Sevens teams and star players from every corner of the world continue to broaden the Games’ global appeal even further.”
The Tournament Schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
2010 Commonwealth Games Delhi Pools:
Pool A: New Zealand, Scotland, Canada, Guyana
Pool B: South Africa, Wales, Tonga, India
Pool C: Samoa, Kenya, Uganda, Papua New Guinea
Pool D: England, Australia, Namibia, Sri Lanka, African qualifier
Venue: North Campus, Delhi University (DU) Training Venues:
• Delhi University – 7
• Jamia Milia Islamia – 1
Competition Venue and seven Training Venues are in Delhi University. The two day competition will be held on 11 & 12 October 2010.
Teams: 16 Team size: 12 Athletes per team
1 comment - What do you think? Posted by
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July 6, 2010 at 14:58
Now that the Summer is allegedly here and the Rugby season is over its time to think about keeping active during the summer and keep in shape for the new season. Touch rugby is a fantastic way to keep fit without the contact and anyone can play.
Touch is one of the fastest growing sports in England, played by people of all ages and skill levels. Introduced from the Southern Hemisphere in the 70’s, touch is a fast, evasive, non-contact form of rugby. Touch is one of the few team sports where men and women compete on teams together not only socially but at an international level. There are currently approximately 12,000 people playing touch in organised leagues around the UK.
It’s a non contact version of the game and is thus much simpler to learn and to play as there is no tackling, scrummaging, rucking, mauling, lineouts or kicking. It’s a fun game and is ideal for beginners to get to grips with the basics In fact, it’s a great way to work on your running, handling and dodging skills.
In Australia and New Zealand there are more registered touch players than the 15-a-side game and this trend is set up to be the case in the UK.
A touch rugby tournament hosted by Letchworth Rugby Club in Hertfordshire UK. This annual Summer touch tournament starts Wednesday 2nd June 2010. This is the fourth year of the Letchworth Touch tournament and every year it grows from strength to strength. Most of the teams are made up of members of Letchworth Rugby Club however teams from other clubs and organisations are invited and welcomed. In recent years there has been teams drawn from the RAF, various football teams, teams of parents from the junior and mini sections, Veterans, as well as current players from Letchworth including junior teams older than under 14s and girls sections.
The touch tournament is a fantastic success for Letchworth Rugby Club and the growth and popularity of rugby in general. It enables players, parents, coaches and to socialise and get to know each other and creates a cohesion within the club that otherwise would not be there. It has been known to enticed some to dig out there boots from the loft and start playing again.
In addition to these positives, it also helps the club with takings over the bar, raises the profile of rugby in the local area and most of all it attracts more potential players to the game, which is excellent for the game overall.
This annual touch tournament starts Wednesday 2nd June and of 10 at £100 per team. You will receive free team t-shirts and there will be a big Finals Party with a barbecue and fun for all!
It’s a real family day and families are encouraged to come along and join in.
An excellent idea for any club wanting to increase membership and raise the profile of their club and get more people discovering how fun and great exercise touch rugby is. Perhaps you would like to start a similar tournament over the summer, its a win win situation for any club willing to hold a summer touch rugby tournament. So if you fancy keeping fit and trying out touch rugby get in contact with your local rugby club and see if they have touch rugby during the summer.
A Short video explaining how to play rugby. There are variations to the rules played however the basics of touch rugby are explained here.
A video of some some touch rugby being played in New Zealand. This is the standard we must get up to, well maybe not yet but with more tournaments and touch rugby leagues, maybe we will get there.
Clips from the Dawgsouljahz touch team at the whakatane touch tounament in New Zealand.
Whilst living in Germany and starting this very website a number of Germans I spoke to did not understand rugby at all. They suggested that I should write a post explaining the the basics of rugby. So for those people out there that can’t really get into watching a game of rugby because you don’t know what is happening here is a brief introduction to the game of Rugby Union.
Whilst this video is a nice introduction there is much more to learn, however the next time you are watching a game hopefully your understanding will be a little better.
It is my belief that talent is overrated when evaluating what is required to be successful in any sport. Every sports club up and down the country have naturally talented players that are not fulfilling their potential. On the Other hand you will see less naturally talented players achieving much greater success. The reason for this is, mindset. If you get your mindset right then you can achieve anything you want.
Sebastien Chabal
You Can If You Think You Can!
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.
~ C. W. Longenecker ~
To be successful you have to believe in yourself, have goals and be capable of visualizing and feeling success in your mind. If you learn to control of your mind and thoughts there is nothing that you cannot achieve.
The winning mentality
Success in any sport or indeed in any sphere of life requires one to have a positive mental attitude and for you to take full responsibility for your life. If you are one of those people that blame people or other external factors for your lack of success then this could be what is stopping you “making it”. Not taking responsibility for your own destiny and blaming others for your lack of success for example “the coach does not like me” or “they only pick their friends”, can be a very damaging way to go through life.
In the above situation players can give up playing completely or they may even leave your club and look for another club where they believe they will have a more favourable environment for them to succeed. However the problem is often not with the club at all. The problem is often with the player and his or her mindset. People with this type of thinking will not make it in any area of there life unless they change their mindset, this change is very possible if you want it to be. Please read on and maybe this will help you reach your goals or maybe give you that edge you are looking for.
Successful people with a winning mentality in any field are active and always looking for ways to improve themselves. They see failure and rejection as temporary obstacles that must be overcome, not as career ending events. When confronted by a challenge, winners immediately start to devise plans for overcoming them. People with a losing mentality will often stop in their tracks and look for someone or something to blame, they will often try to justify their attitude with various excuses, it is always someone else’s fault and not their own. In reality you can achieve anything you want in any given game if you want it bad enough. I honestly believe this to be true and it only takes a slight change in the way you think. By seeing problems or obstacles as challenges that must be overcome will give you the impetus to try harder and work harder to overcome these minor setbacks.
Visualize your goals
Visualize success
A powerful tool that can be used to improve your game is visualization. Before a big game or training vizualise (intend) what outcome you want and step into how it feels.
If your game is rugby then visualize yourself scoring a try or making those big hits and most of all visualize yourself playing the best game you could ever play or remember a time when you had your best game ever and try and remember how that felt. While visualizing these scenarios, you should try to imagine the detail and the way it feels to perform in the desired way and how you felt afterwards.
How Vizualisation Can Help You
Mentally Prepared
Being in the right state of mind at game time is crucial. The ability to focus and block out everything going on in the world outside of your game can mean the difference a mediocre performance and a great performance.
Improve Skills
Spending time visualizing yourself learning a new skill, or improving current ones can help you to perfect your skills. Review Your Game
Reviewing how you play in your position and how you would like to improve can help you perform better.
Rehearsal strategy
Mentally going over possible situations that may come up and imagining your strategies can help you be more relaxed and confident doing your game.
Get a winning attitude
After being dropped from your team or losing a few games, you often lose some your hard earned confidence. This can have a negative effect on your game. Using visualization to “see” yourself as a playing in the next game or as the winner can break through a negative attitude.
A video containing some great tips on using visualization.
Positive thinking and talking about yourself
Positive self-talk during competition is crucial for optimun performance. Talking negatively about yourself and doubting your skills will set you back both emotionally and techinically. Focus on what you are in control of right now.
Do not compare yourself to others. Try and focus on what are your strengths and play to these strengths. Do not worry about making mistakes as everyone at every level of the game can make the occasional mistake, never let it make you lose sight of your goals and objectives during training or in a game. Nervousness and anxiety is a natural response and if used correctly can be used to your advantage. Never let anxiety or nervousness get the better of you.
Never look for excuses
Trying to justify your mistakes is always a bad idea. When you make a mistake in a game or training just let it go and concentrate on your game. Try not try to blame teammates or external factors that you are not in control of, especially during a match. When you are a part of the team, you must share both responsibility and rewards. If you have to point out a mistake to a teammate, try and be constructive and keep it positive. Even more importantly please remember to give positive feedback whenever you can.
These days players not only have to be physically trained to win, they must be mentally trained also. A positive mental attitude and the ability to use Visualization can give you that extra edge coupled with a positive attitude and belief could make you irresitable.
2 comments - What do you think? Posted by
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May 11, 2010 at 15:23
Most rugby clubs in the UK have a provision for mini rugby for children aged 6 to 7 onwards, however a relatively new phenomenon is the rise of rugby themed classes specifically aimed at the younger age groups from 18 months to 7 years of age.
It seems that if parents want to introduce their children to team sports then the options are limited from 2 to 7 years unless you choose a football based class.
This is about to change in Hertfordshire with the advent of Little Ruggers a Rugby themed play class utilizing the transferable skills of rugby whilst instilling confidence and social life skills though there curriculum. The curriculum has been designed by Rugby coaches, teachers and child development specialists.
Little Ruggers will be working with rugby clubs across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Buckinghamshire to enable them to offer rugby at or near their clubs from age 2 to 7 years. This will benefit those clubs immensely by providing skilled and confident children entering mini rugby at age seven.
Some may have preconceptions of rugby being a rough and tough sport which it can be once children reach the under 9 age group at mini rugby. However at Little Ruggers age 2 to 7 years age it is an positively active and fun activity with no contact whatsoever. Little Ruggers is designed so that it will equally appeal to both girls and boys.
Little Ruggers Coach Jag Johal has extensive experience within rugby having played at Wasps, Moseley, Worcester Warriors and Tabard. Now back at his boyhood club Letchworth Rugby Club having served as first team captain for a number of season, he is now first team manager/player. In addition to still playing, Jag has also been actively involved with coaching mini rugby and his twin boys, who both play in the under 8s at Letchworth Rugby Club. Jag is very clear that to keep children entertained and within the sport of rugby then it has to be a fun and positive experience.
The fun at Little Ruggers is achieved using rugby specific skills, social skills and confidence building. It is believed that these skills can not only be developed further on the rugby field later on but also these are life skills which will be transferred into all other areas such as school and other sporting endeavors.
Jag goes on to explain that in New Zealand children are encouraged to participate in Rugby from around age four to five compared to age seven in the UK, which could be the reason for their huge success in the game. The Little Ruggers curriculum has been designed to address this gap in rugby skills by equipping children with the right skills to help give them a head start in not just rugby but all aspects of their lives. An alternative to football classes within this age group is here so get involved.
I think it is a good idea for children to be active from a young age. It instills a healthy lifestyle which they can take into there adult life. It is fantastic that there is a rugby alternative in place and rugby clubs in Hertfordshire and surrounding areas will now have the ability to offer rugby from age 2 to senior rugby.
I though that some of you may be interested in this. Rugby World Magazine are running a competition for junior clubs and this includes Europe. So my European friends get writing them emails now, I know as a fact there are many worthy teams out there.
With these things its usually the clubs that that can be bothered to write that win the prizes and the deserving teams never seem to win. Thats because no one takes the time to write. Lets correct this now.
It’s time for the big one. If you’ve had a season to remember, email alan_pearey@ipcmedia.com to tell us why you deserve to be the Rugby World Team of the Year. The award is aimed at junior clubs in Europe and the winning team will receive 22 sets of team kit jersey, shorts and socks from Playmore! So email your nomination TODAY.
Having been to many rugby clubs across the country it is apparent that ethnic communities are under represented in the make up of Rugby Clubs, even in areas that have a big ethnic populations. Bolton is one such area and they stand to gain a lot from inviting them into their club and making the them aware of what the rugby club stands for.
Bolton RFC earned plenty of points for thinking ‘outside the box’ recently when they staged a bumper programme of music, dance and family entertainment entitled the Halliwell Cultural Festival at their Avenue Street headquarters.
The event, designed to bring local people together in a celebration of food, music and dance that represented all the different cultures of the community, ran from 10.30am until 1am the following day, with a kaleidoscope of free activities and entertainment which helped to introduce the club to a hugely cosmopolitan audience from across the district, many of whom were visiting the rugby club for the first time.
The whole event was aimed at families with children and comprised such diverse groups as a Caribbean steel band, morris dancers, a gymnastics team, a rapper, a folk band, a Somali dance group, a bouncy castle, birds of prey, a climbing wall, tug of war, krishna temple bollywood dancing, food from different cultural groups, a live radio outside broadcast and a Bolton Wanderers FC display and stand.
The rugby elements focused on showcasing the club and its facilities via a social event which flagged up the ambition and resource of Bolton RFC by demonstrating the enthusiasm and imagination to put together an event which brought well over 2,000 visitors to Avenue Street.
“We have raised our profile in both Halliwell and the wider Bolton area which will hopefully bring wide ranging benefits in the years to come,” said Chairman Mark Brocklehurst.
“While we operate as an independent club it is not possible for us to survive and prosper on internal funding alone. Being a community focused club is therefore very important when it comes to looking for future revenue streams, as well as the obvious player recruitment that can be gleaned from the Halliwell area.
“The Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable, Simon Byrne, who came down on the day said, that in 22 years of policing it was the best, most organised and community friendly event he had ever attended, praise indeed from a man who spends his life visiting shows and festivals.”
The ethnic communities are on the whole untapped from a rugby point of view and anything to encourage the participation in both playing and being a part of the club should be encouraged.
From time to time I will pick a random country and today that country is Chile, actually this time its not random at all, its because a good friend of mine recently visited Chile. My friend mentioned the nightlife, beautiful woman and Rugby is all of a high standard, this I thought could be a possible rugby tour. Instantly decided to do some further research into Chilean rugby and what I present here is what I have found out.
Rugby was first introduced by the British during the 19th century. It is believed that the first people who played it in Chile were the English who worked at the saltmines in Iquique. For many years it was a sport associated the upper classes. The first teams appeared in Valparaíso and Santiago de Chile, who latter formed the Unión de Rugby de Chile. The British influence can be noticed today in that several of the main Chilean teams still have English names like the Prince of Wales Country Club, who are one of the leading clubs in Chile. In addition to the English influence some rugby did trickle across the border from Argentina also.
Argentina dominate South American Rugby but Chile used to consider itself, the best of the rest. However they have not qualified for the world cup as of yet, Uraguay have managed that and are now ranked higher than Chile. Chile have however won the 1981 South American Championship in which Argentina did not play in. Chile is currently ranked 3rd in South America, 5th in the Americas, and 23rd in the world.
An incident that bought Uruguayan and Chilean rugby into the limelight was the film “Alive”, which was about the tragic crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, on which The Uruguayans were on tour to Argentina and were on their was to play some return matches in Chile when disaster struck. Alive tells the story of a Uruguayan Rugby team and their friends and family who were involved in the airplane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 which crashed into the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972. What those survivors had to go through was shocking, good film if you get a chance watch it.
During the 1980s, former French national coach Jean-Pierre Juanchich became national administrator of the sport in Chile it was during this time participation in rugby increased dramatically. Previously rugby was restricted to the Santiago and Valparaíso, after this time it spread across the rest of the country and now you can find clubs the length of this country.
The Chile national rugby union team who are nicknamed Los Cóndores, “The Condors” made their international rugby debut in 1936, against fellow South American nation, Argentina. However, Chile were defeated 29 points to nil by the Pumas. Although there was no qualifying tournament for the first World Cup, Chile would try and qualify for the third tournament, the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. Chile lost a close game to Paraguay, but losses to Uruguay and then Argentina saw them knocked out of the qualifying tournament.
Today rugby is a big sport Chile, particularly in the Capital city Santiago. Hospitality my friend tells me, is fantastic and they are very keen to host Generic pharmacy visiting sides as they want to improve their game by playing against teams from bigger rugby playing nations in order to compete with their Argentinean and Uruguayan neighbours.
That’s a little bit about rugby in Chile, however I can hear you saying he has not mentioned the interesting stuff like nightlife, beer and woman. This is a family site so get out there do some research and get organising a tour to Chile.
My nephew gave me this idea, he told me there was a certain video he liked to watch before a big game to get him psyched up. I thought to myself what a great idea for a post, so here goes.
I have come up with a few videos that may inspire you the next time you feel you need that extra push or want to get psyched up before that big game. Bookmark this page so you can come back to it time and time again.
Not all these videos are related to rugby however they are very much relevant for any sports, especially rugby.
To start with here is a video to remind us why we play the game.
The next video is a very inspirational speech by Al Pacino from the film Any Given Sunday. Enjoy this scene, because this is why people play sports and why we watch sports. This is why we are passionate about sports. It really gets me fired up this one, I hope you enjoy it.
This one is from a sky sports add for rugby with Stephen Berkoff doing the Al Pacino ‘inches’ speech, but this time its definately about rugby. Personally i prefer the original Al Pacino speech. Which one do you prefer?
Now if Al Pacino or Stephen Berkoff did not inspire you enough thenl have a look at Ireland & Lions legend Willie John Mc Bride’s interpretation of the “inches” speach.
The Following video is some Rugby Video Clips set to music which i found to be very motivational.
Now I am going to have to put a little warning on the next video as it contains a few swear words,if you are easily offended please do not watch this next video. If however you can handle a little bit of swearing then go for it. The captain has a very nice way with words, I love the story about some bitch in the olympics, very inspiring stuff indeed.
Were you inspired and which ones work for you? I definately was.
If you have enjoyed them then great as i will be adding some more in the future.
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April 13, 2010 at 18:43
I currently work in Germany and on the rare occasions I do stay at the weekends I usually go and watch a rugby game, this weekend was such a weekend. Woke up, the time was 10.30 so I had to decide what I am going to do today. I then quickly had breakfast and headed out of the door a long walk to the train station for a short train ride to Ulm.
The rugby club VfB Ulm is situated in the city of Ulm. Ulm is a city in the German Region of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the River Danube and incidentally the birthplace of Albert Einstein and Ulm is home to the Ulm Minster Cathedral, having the world’s tallest church steeple (161.53 m (529.95 ft) high and 768 steps).
The Rugby club is known as VfB Ulm a small club that plays in the Bavarian regional league. Today was a match against the Ingolstadt Baboons; no seriously that is what they call themselves.
Ulm is a one team rugby club which consists of players from a number of countries around the world but most were actually Germans. At Ulm the experience is added by the expats with the youth and energy provided by the less experienced Germans. Ulm have hopes on developing a junior and mini sections in the future which would be fantastic for them in providing a steady flow of players and for German rugby in general.
The Germans in the team are mostly new to the game having either just started to play or played just a couple of seasons however they are very keen and are taking to rugby like ducks to water. I would say the standard of rugby to be similar to level 10 rugby in the UK. The actual game was quite an even affair, with the Baboons showing there superiority in the forward play, which is not surprising as they had some big lumps in there including a huge prop from Blackpool. On the other hand many of Ulm’s forwards were playing there first ever game of rugby today. The final score 17-7 to the Baboons.
A notable difference observed at the end of a game is that both teams line up facing each other on the half way line give 3 cheers for the opposition and then they form the tunnel, which is slightly different from back home. Crates of beer were bought to the pitch for the players as soon as the game ended, so efficient these Germans.
Ulm is a club that does not have a club house so for afters the players and spectators are able to purchase beer and I am told some days they have barbecues after games. However most of the post match drinks and food the players almost always end up at the pub called cheeers who are also the sponsor of Ulm rugby club. I was invited to come along, which I did Online Generic pills and had a very enjoyable evening. I can remember having a few beers and a little something to eat however not much more, needless to say that I made it back okay.
All in all I have a lovely day with the Ulm rugby club with some great people. Much like any other club in any part of the world this German team showed that they are a great example of a rugby club upholding the true spirit and traditions of Rugby Union, long may it continue.
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April 11, 2010 at 14:03
Is your club registered?, if why not get yourselves registered for a chance to win some great prizes and a great way to raise money for your club and grassroots rugby generally.
Clubs, schools, referee societies, Constituent Bodies and universities across England have raised nearly half a million pounds for the game thanks to the latest RFU Grand Draw.
Organised by the RFU, the Grand Draw encourages institutions throughout the game to sell prize draw tickets, and across England £475,000 worth of tickets were sold since summer 2009. With 90% of that money (£420,000) staying with the institutions who sell the tickets, it brings the total raised for grassroots rugby over the six years of the draw to £2.2m.
Leading the way in sales this year has been Truro School, who shifted a mammoth 11,370 tickets in the RFU’s annual raffle.
And thanks to their efforts in the RFU Grand Draw, the Cornish school raised £10,233 for Max Levene, their 17-year-old schoolmate who was seriously injured while playing in October last year.
This year’s draw of the 60 prize-winners took place at the London Marriott Twickenham Hotel on March 30 – the first anniversary of its opening – with General Manager Paul Davies, his staff and guests joining RFU President John Owen to pick the winners, including the £10,000 first prize from England Rugby sponsors Investec.
A record 708 institutions entered, and Owen said: “The RFU Grand Draw is an effective and simple way for clubs, schools and universities to raise funds and its success over the last six years has been phenomenal. It gives them much needed income and at just £1 a ticket a great chance for people to win quality prizes.
“I must make special mention of Truro School. To sell that many tickets is an amazing effort to help Max, a very courageous young man, and they should be applauded, as should all the 100 schools who entered.”
The RFU Grand Draw is a simple and risk free way to raise funds for your club. Each year the Draw Society organises a pool of fantastic prizes for the draw. RFU registered clubs, schools, colleges and Referee Societies are then eligible to receive a quantity of free Grand Draw tickets, from which they keep 90 per cent of all sale proceeds.
The 2009/10 Grand Draw was made at the end of March this year. With a top prize of £10,000 donated by Investec, second prize of a pair of Business Class return air tickets to Dubai courtesy of Emirates plus 38 other great prizes, ticket sales once again raised tens of thousands of pounds for the game.
As well as the Grand Draw prizes, there were also awards for the clubs who raised the most money and returned their tickets on time.
The benefits to your club
Each year the Grand Draw provides clubs and schools with everything Online Generic pharmacy they need to take part in the fund raising: tickets, instructions, promotional material – even the postage is pre-paid. This means:
• No cost to your club
• No risk to your club
• Minimal time in organising ticket sales
• You receive 90 per cent of the value of the tickets sold as a tax-free donation
With the current economic climate making it harder than ever to raise funds, the Grand Draw gives your club or school and excellent opportunity to help itself.
Details of the 2010/11 Grand Draw will be available in August this year.
Having spent a considerable amount of time in Germany during the last year, I thought I would a good idea to report on the seemingly little known rugby scene in Germany.
Rugby union was introduced to Germany in the 1800s by British students who attended posh private grammar schools or studied in Heidelberg and others having completed their military service in Hanover and played rugby in their spare time. Heidelberg and Hanover are still to this day the major Rugby powerhouses in Germany.
The first German rugby team existed at Neuenheim College (Now called Heidelberg College) in Heidelberg. At around the 1850s, rugby started to attract lots of the students. It was during this time that the Heidelberger Ruderklub von 1872 (HRK 1872) in 1872, which is today the oldest German rugby club and still is amongst the strongest teams in Germany. The history of rugby in Germany is documented in the Deutsche Rugby-Sportmuseum, the German rugby sport museum, which is also located at Heidelberg.
In the build up towards the World War II the Nazi party did not like rugby, as it was considered as “too English”. As a result it lost all financial support to the game and much of the popularity it had gained in the western and northern cities of Heidelberg, Hanover, and Frankfurt. The sport was then further decimated by World War II as most of the players were killed.
The German Rugby Federation was set up in 1900 (Deutscher Rugby-Verband). The Germans claim to fame is that they were Olympic silver medallists in the rugby union competition in 1900; also they also beat France twice in the 1930s. The German national team is a third tier Rugby Union playing nation and competes in the European Nations Cup, the senior men’s rugby tournament for European nations just below the Six Nations. As of yet Germany has not qualified for the Rugby World Cup.
Today Rugby is on the up again in Germany. There are over 13,000 registered players and over 100 clubs across the country. The main goal for the German national rugby team is to qualify for the 2019 world cup, whether they will or not is anyone’s guess, but with the current growth it could well be a possibility for them.
Germany has a number of clubs across the country playing national and regional leagues and new clubs are springing up all the time. The national leagues in Germany are listed below. These are the top 30 clubs only, there are lots of clubs also playing the regional leagues and more clubs are being created as the popularity of rugby union grows in Germany.
The National Leagues in Germany
Bundesliga
Bundesliga Nord
Bundesliga Süd
The teams that currently play in Bundesliga (level 1) (2009-2010) are listed below.
ASV Köln
Berliner Rugby Club
DSV Hannover 78
Heidelberger RK
RG Heidelberg
RK 03 Berlin
RK Heusenstamm
SC Frankfurt 1880
SC Neuenheim
TSV Handschuhsheim
The second tier of German rugby is split into the Bundesliga North and Bundesliga South. You will find a good standard at all these clubs
Bundesliga North (level 2) (2009-2010)
Berliner RC II
DRC Hannover
FC St. Pauli
FT Adler Kiel
Hamburger RC
RU Hohen Neuendorf
SC Germania List
SG SV Odin / VfR Döhren
TSV Victoria Linden
USV Potsdam
Bundesliga South (level 2) (2009-2010)
Heidelberger RK II
Karlsruher SV
München RFC
RC Luxemburg
RC Mainz
RG Heidelberg II
SC Frankfurt 1880 II
StuSta München
Stuttgarter RC
TSV Handschuhsheim II
I have been to watch Stuttgart who played a friendly in pre-season against Victoria Lindon (Hanover) and on another occasion I was in Munich and I watched a game when they entertained Luxembourg. I would compare the standard in Germany’s second tier to be similar to the standard to a level 6 game in the England, which is London/Midland/North/Southwest 1. So the standard is not too bad at all. From my observance, it was clearly noticeable that the squads of all the teams were very international in nature. I heard Irish, American, British, New Zealand, South African and French accents. Which makes going to play in Germany a wonderful life enriching experience, if anyone fancies taking a contract to play over there.
Germany without doubt has great beer and great sausages; I have tried many types of both and have not tasted a bad beer yet. I have noticed a lot of clubs are sponsored by Irish pubs, perhaps something to do with the number of expats around rugby in this country. So in conclusion Germany is a perfect for a rugby tour destination which you can combine with one of the many beer festivals. Germany has all the essential ingredients and if you fancy a change of scene and play a good standard of rugby then it is possible to get a good contract to play here too.
Over the next few weeks, which are to be my last in Germany, I will be going to a number of games across Germany. In addition I will be attending an International game Switzerland v Lithuania which will be hosted at Basel Rugby Club in Basel Switzerland. So please check back for my reports.
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April 2, 2010 at 19:19
