Food for thought.

Well, a welcome return to the rugby season proper and along with the weather we were treated to sunshine and showers. The game as a whole has radically changed from previous years; to all intense purposes we are really playing full on rugby now. I have to say it’s absolutely great to watch and comments from our parents would suggest the same. However unfortunately we are still making the same old basic mistakes. I am very much aware that we have a difficult fixture list ahead and I’m not sure how successful that performance would fare against any of our upcoming encounters. That said, there was a general improvement across the board, and in that respect I can’t ask for more. Our summer transfer window dealings were all given game time and it was very nice to see all the new recruits perform well above expectations. With a bit of individual tutoring (all in different areas) I can foresee some selection headaches ahead.
So in summary, apart from the usual suspects, we all need to tackle more – it’s not hard, it’s not scary, it’s the biggest part of the game. The first people to the breakdown need to be lower than the opposition and drive past the ball – all too often we are upright and dither at the breakdown. We need to run straighter and harder and at gaps – Do not accept the tackle, keep pumping, turning and spinning. We need to pass to people in better positions than ourselves (where the space is). We need to make sure we are in support to give that man an option. So do all that, and we’ll breeze through the season!!!!!
On Sunday we welcome Old Bristolians. We know what to expect and we know that anything less than our best will not be good enough. So hit hard, hit low and send them homeward!!!!