News from around the world...

A few stories you may have missed...

Worcester U15s had an unfortunate experience on a tour of Scotland. They arranged two games, then found that the first team they met only have seven players, while the second team failed to show up altogether. Curiously this is not the first report of problems faced by junior teams touring north of the border - there were some complaints recently from a junior team that went to Scotland to play tag rugby and found the local sides playing to to rather different law interpretations. It all goes to show that, as far as rugby is concerned, other parts of the UK can be just as much "foreign countries" as anywhere overseas!

The 2013 Women's Sevens World Cup starts in two weeks time - and some countries are "out" already. It has been announced that the North African Sevens will be a qualifier for the 2012 African Sevens, which will in turn be the qualifier for the 2013 world championship. Unfortunately this seems to be news to some nations who may not have realised this when they decided not to enter this year...

Finally dreadful news from the US, where Texas University student Stephanie Flores has died following an injury she received playing rugby for her university in Kansas last Sunday. In what sounds like a freak accident, Stephanie - captain of the university team and a member of the state representative XV - was injured "during the regular course of play...a straight on tackle caused [her] head to come into contact with the ground."

Letchworth "the highlight of our rugby tour"

I've received a short note from John LaBoyne, who runs the Yetis team from Canada that we hosted last season. They are planning their next tour in 2011, but probably visiting Wales or Ireland.

Last season's tour took them right across England, ending with a guest appearence at a big inter-schools sevens tournament where they even had a "min-international" against a Romanian team. However, despite all that guess what leg of the tour was voted by every tour member as the highlight of their visit to England? Yes - the weekend they spent in Letchworth!

Whether it was the on-field mini-festival we put on, or the post game celebrations, or the evening's "entertainment" that followed - or a combination of the lot - isn't clear though other reports suggest that the girls learnt about whole branches of English culture that were previously unsuspected.

Good news is that they all recovered sufficiently to have a productive season, with (if you remember any names) Cheryl Robison now playing for the University of Alberta and Ruth Dyck being selected to captain the British Columbia U17s - so maybe some names to look out for next time the Canadian national teams tour over here.

Yetis look back on their tour

Just came across this article about the Yetis' tour earlier this year.

Fascinated by the line near the end when Lisa Coolidge says:

“We were billeted in Letchworth and got to meet the whole team there and learn some British slang. It was a great experience.”

Who put Lisa up? Anyone care to let us know what particular bits of slang they taught them (if it is printable)?

And still they come...

We could have another fixture against a Canadian touring team before next season begins. A U18 team of 25 players from Manitoba is visiting the UK between August 24th to September 3rd and the have asked Lisa from Gloucester Girls Rugby to help organise their tour. They are looking to arrange four games and clubs interested in playing the team are being asked to contact Lisa by 1st May 2009. 

We'd obviously need to combine with another team, especially as people may still be on holiday, so there are a few matters that will need working out. There is also the small matter of when exactly the 2009/10 season starts (and therefore who would be eligible to play in any game!).

It is amazing how many girls rugby teams from Canada tour the UK each year - far more than make the return journey. Adult clubs from the UK occasionally go to exotic locations, but the furthest I can recall reading about any junior team travelling was the Worcester trip to Ireland a couple of years ago. There are only about 1900 teenage players in Canada - at this rate most of them must visit these shores at some point in the rugby careers!

The view from 6,000 miles away

Just came across the Yeti's pre-tour publicity in their local newspaper - the Salmon Arm Observer. Its always interesting to see how you are looked at from afar... far be it for me to comment on its accuracy!

Possibly our most remote mention in a newspaper to date (well, in terms of mileage perhaps) - though didn't we did get namechecked in a Russian paper once, I think?

PS. Don't you just love the way the picture on the right shows that Mel, despite being tackled, remains determined to ensure that her hair remains tidy. Her "waiter with bowl of soup" style of carrying the ball is equally impressive...

Canadian Weekend

Saturday 21st March

vs F E Maghill Secondary School (Ontario)

1pm, at Saracens

Is there anyone else who wants to play in this game? Saracens are short of players and - if enough of you can go - it will be close to a joint side. Maghill are near neighbours (in Canadian terms) of I E Weldon, who we hosted a couple of years ago, so you know the sort of standard to expect! Transport can be arranged if needed.

Arrival of Shuswap Yetis

5pm, at the club

Arrival now pushed back an hour - so anyone playing in the above should be back in time. The Six Nations is on in the club, so there will be plenty to entertain you while you are waiting. Would be good to have as many as possible of you there to meet and greet our visitors after their drive up from the West Country. 

**I've emailed those hosting players with details of who you will be taking (and contact emails so you can get to know them before they arrive). If you haven't had this email please let me know asap!**

Sunday 22nd March

Triangular vs Kettering and Yetis, at Letchworth

(More details nearer the time).

A weekend of Canadian rugby?

As you know, we are expecting to play a Canadian team on Sunday 22nd... but does anyone fancy a game against another Canadian team (a school in this case) the day before?

Saracens are hosting their own North American visitors and need a few more girls to make up a full XV - with it being a Saturday quite a few girls work I expect. Kick-off will be at 1pm at Southgate.

If you are interested please let Simon at Saracens or me know asap, especially if you are likely to need transport.

Meet the Yetis

These are the girls due to visit us from British Columbia next month (and therefore also the girls we are looking for beds for...). 

Coach John LaBoyne (who I presume - indeed hope - is the one pictured front right) has been following us on the blog and says that he can see where some would not want a nine foot tall, foul smelling, 80 stone woodlands creature in their house.  However, while that may be true of the males of the species, he can assure you the females are not as tall.  The above photo was from their practice yesterday (a couple of players missing due to illness). 

 

Recent pictures on her made them right at home. They train on an indoor pitch when the fields are covered in snow - an unheated (he emphasises this point) old ice hockey arena with "field turf fake grass" - and apparently the girls water bottles froze while we were on the field yesterday, so they are hardy souls. Only other snag is that they only get access to this for two hours every two weeks, and their next practice has been cancelled for a football tournament (round ball version), so they only have one more practice session on March 8th before they depart for the sunny UK (hmmm....). 

They are looking forward to meeting us all - which reminds me, as well as beds are there any volunteers to help organise (or just suggest) post-game (or pre-, depending on timings) festivities a la I E Weldon? 

Obviously there are the is crackers game, Twix, Bomber, and the broomstick - not to mention that really painful one with two chairs and rugby ball (Nim was the star last time - who will take her place?). Anyone know of any other good ones? Clearly the honour of the team and indeed nation will rest on this - we cannot afford to lose this time! Suggest our new captain gets into practice with the family sweeping brush...

Adopt-a-Yeti

Can you find room in your home for a British Columbian Yeti? Though no relation to the Himalayan creature (or so we are assured) the Wild Okanagan version does hail from a mythical land with the salmon have arms (apparently). 

Another feature is that they play rugby, and sixteen of them are due to visit this country in March - and they have asked us for a game. All we need to do is find them somewhere to sleep. So we need your help to for two nights (Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd March).

We're already pretty much half-way there already with firm offers of seven or eight places already made, so we just need a few more of you to fill the gap. 

So - can you find a home for a Yeti? Let the usual management team know asap.

Canada Day II?

West Hill Secondary School, from Owen Sound in Ontario, have contacted us about a possible fixture during their tour of England in March.

West Hill would appear to be a "near neighbour" (in Canadian terms!) of IE Weldon, being only 150 miles or so away, so perhaps they have been talking. The school would appear to be not quite as strong as Weldon - but any Canadian opposition has to be taken seriously.

The proposed date - 8th or 9th March - is a regional training weekend so we do not currently have a fixture, and there will also be a fair few girls from other clubs looking for a game so a "mini-tournament" like last year's Canada Day would seem to be possible.

Nothing is confirmed yet - Mike and Heather will be contacting the Canadians this week - but it all looks very promising

Fern makes the grade... and unearths an error

Confirmation has now come through that Fern has made the East Midlands county team.

The news (or at least the earlier trailing of it) has resulted in a small flurry of email exchanges as apparently the initial draft of the "Regional Rationale" (ie. the document that describes how the regional programme will run this season) stated that Bedfordshire was in East Region - not East Midlands.

The mild mayhem this would cause (Beds not being a CB in its own right, but part of East Midlands county along with Northamptonshire, would have no-one to run their regional selection!), not to mention the complete lack of prior consultation, resulted in some of us suspecting that something was amiss when the new regional management at East brought it to our attention.

And the good news is that RFUW have not taken leave of their senses and that Claire Sanderson from RFUW has confirmed that it is indeed a mistake. Phew! However, if Fern had not been selected for East Mids from a Hertfordshire club then who knows how long it would have been until someone had spotted it!

Free Sports Equipment!

There is a promotion at Tesco stores & filling stations until 4th November whereby 'TESCO SPORT ' vouchers are issued to customers making purchases of over £10. These vouchers can be exchanged by registered clubs and schools for a variety of sports equipment such as rugby balls, kicking tees, tackle bags, etc..

If you or your family get any of these vouchers, could you please pass them to Mike.

Exeter Tour: The DVD

Now available - the ultimate film and photographic record of the historic tour to the South West. Relive everything - from the coach trip out, to the coach trip back, plus everything in between.

Well, everything that was captured by the camera of an Alcock.

Over an hour and a half of edited highlights of the games - that is both games of rugby and the rounders as well!

Don't miss out - place your order today from Alcock Productions and you'll be able to pick your copy up on Sunday (or get it delivered to you some other way!). Only £5 - all profits to the tour fund for 2008!

Girls rugby grows in the Emerald Isle

Back in the distant past (ie. early 2004 when this section was a mere gleam in the eye) there was thought of a club tour to Ireland. Nothing much ever came of it, but at the time it was suggested that the nascent girls section would be included.

Research at that time revealed pretty much no record of any girls rugby in Ireland. Enquiries to the IRU resulted in a big silence, and their website barely acknowledged that there was any adult women's rugby, never mind a junior game.

Times have clearly changed. Worcester recently toured the country, playing against county (Tipperary) and provincial opposition (Munster), winning both games - see report on RFU website and IRU website (also here), and now an article has appeared showing that the game is still more widespread with teams form both north and south of the border taking part in a tournament in Wicklow (see here).

One thing we hope to discuss at the meeting on the 6th is a tour for 2008. The growth of the game in Ireland (and our proximity to an airport with regular flights there) means that there are other options we might look at other than purely domestic destinations!

More tour pictures

Phil has done the business again - but in a slightly different place. His collection of 90 tour phots can be found in a separate "set" from the usual - click here to see them or here to sit back and watch a slide show.

There is the usual selection of great action shots - but also a few slightly different pictures. A random selection...

The team at Liskeard before the first game

On the beach at Dawlish Warren

The crowd at Liskeard in breathless anticipation

The girls go down to their only defeat of the tour...

Not that long now....

U14s UPDATE

Awards dinner for both 14s+17s

Firstly a huge thankyou to all for a briliant weekend. Some of you can be a pain in the backside most of the time but it was a truely successfull weekend. My first tour as a coach and results wise the most successfull tour I've been on ever. A huge thanks to all parents on tour couldn't have been done without you all.

First things first training tomorrow night normal time. I should be there for anyone who wants some specialist skills help from about 6:15. Kicking Lineout throwing and so on.

A reminder that for the U14+U17s this years awards will be at an awards dinner at the club on Friday the 27th of April. Awards, Buffet dinner and disco. £6 a tickets parents welcome. Please let me know how many you require by the end of the week please.

And on the subject of awards I need to know your Players Player of the year. So please can you all email your votes for this. I need them by the end of the week.

Finally I now have all the trophies from last year bar 2. Hayley and Mel (if you still read this) can you get these to me or John asap please!!!

In pictures: Slaying the Saracens - excellence in Exeter

Sunday at Exeter Saracens. No pictures of the rounders yet available, so we'll have to make do with the rugby...

Nim passes out of tackle...

... and ends a Saracens attack
Carla involved in everything...

... all day

Sophie recovers a loose ball

It takes three Saracens to stop one Nikki...

Letchworth forwards domiant again

Nim with her new friend

Carla drives forward...

... to score the try that gives Letchworth back the lead at the start of the second half

Teams at the end

In pictures: Cornish conquest - last minute in Liskeard

Recalling Saturday at Liskeard and Looe, where the team began affairs by disguising themselves in the colours the Cornwall county team, and where weather conditions varied from one end of the ground to the other (for those who were not there, it rained - but only in one corner of the ground. Moreover the corner where everyone was sitting...)

Hayley gets to grips with a Liskeard prop

Liskeard's defence gets ready for a rhino rush

Katie breaks through to score Letchworth's first try of the tour.
Nim signals a more determined approach in the second half
Emily catches in line out - the base for eventual victory
Jess thwarted by a very small wing...
"Give me the ball!!!" - Hayley demonstrates what she can do when she is angry
The winning try - and the first time Letchworth had held the lead. Liskeard player's face says it all...

All smiles at the end

A tour in pictures: starting soon

The touring party attempt to remain inconspicuous and adopt a low profile on their first evening in Devon.

Tour coach: ETA Letchworth [REVISED]

The coach is making good progress and should reach Letchworth around 5.15.

The team will disembark in the coach park at the Leisure Centre.