Referees are noticing that the amount of back chat to referees is reducing and there is less and less physical violence between players. Instead the athletes are playing better rugby and concentrating to a very very high level and the quality and intensity of the rugby is developing higher and higher as a consequence. For real!
Professionalism in all aspects of what we do is a characteristic and a growing trait of grassroots rugby, controlling emotions whether in front or behind and focusing on implementing the physical training and skill to play consistently good rugby is based on many foundations, not least of which is set pieces. The set pieces that we are seeing are superb, the physical conditioning of the athletes is high, the concentration levels and control of emotions is superb. Today for example we visited Donegal Town in the Morning for Omagh Youth v Donegal Town at U16 & U14 level and in the afternoon we visited Letterkenny RFC for the 1s v Belfast High Schools Former Pupils 1s a top of the table clash. At U14 level we again witnessed 13 year olds with a developed knowledge of drift defence, set pieces, tackling, off loads while in motion and saw at least one successful choke tackle, at U16 level the rugby was again coordinated intelligent and the players were employing drift defence, off loads, well practiced set pieces, rolling mauls, and we actually saw rucks later in the game never mind at the start in which the 15 year olds were not committing too many numbers to the ruck, and then we saw them attack an opposition ruck in order to overturn the ball, these are wolfpacks, thinking as a group, communicating on the pitch and capable of the total concentration and physicality, the red zone was brilliant today, focused and determined crossing the line.
The top of the table clash at Letterkenny between the 1s and BHSFP 1s was a feast of rugby for a good gathering of supporters as the concentration levels under which both sets of players were controlling their emotions was if you think about it very very impressive.
Very few games at grassroots rugby have any back talk to referees or any physical violence breaking out between players instead what we have is improving developing rugby, squads of athletes who have clearly absorbed the latest information on pyschology and training and nutrition and are setting themselves very high standards!
Looking through the results today is very very revealing as we approach the half way point in the season!
Educative, developing across the key areas of conditioning, skill set, set pieces, attack formations and defensive lines, controlling emotions and focusing emotions on development towards perfect rugby.
Kukri Qualifying League 1
15/11/2014
Ballyclare 37 vs 7 Ballymoney
Bangor 15 vs 22 Dromore
Donaghadee 7 vs 38 Instonians
Cooke 12 vs 19 Clogher Valley Colm Dawson
Portadown 21 vs 8 C.I.Y.M.S Jason Cairns
Kukri Qualifying League 2
15/11/2014
Grosvenor 5 vs 34 Academy
Randalstown 32 vs 3 U.U.C
Holywood vs Coleraine Mark Hermin (postponed)
Lisburn 11 vs 38 Carrickfergus Johnny Wilson
Kukri Qualifying League 3
Larne 62 vs 11 P.S.N.I
Limavady 32 vs 8 Lurgan
Kukri Qualifying League 3
Strabane vs Donegal Town
AIL Ladies Division 2 North
16/11/2014
13:00 Cooke 60 vs Sligo 0 Robbie McGreer
Ulster League Womens Division 1
16/11/2014
13:00 Ballynahinch 0 vs 46 Queens Terence Cooke
13:00 Ballyshannon vs Carrickfergus Jonny Gibson
13:00 Cavan 44 vs 0 Newry Kevin Bartlett
Kukri Qualifying League 4
Letterkenny 22 vs 28 B.H.S Fp
Londonderry Y M vs Civil Service Chris Russell
2XV League
Ballymena 2 68 vs 0 Dungannon 2
Ballynahinch 2 48 vs 0 Ards 2
City Of Derry 2 17 vs 22 Belfast Harlequins 2
Malone 2 65 vs 10 Banbridge 2
Rainey Ob 2 0 vs 40 Queens 2
UBL
Banbridge 23 NUIM Barnhall 17
Naas 23 Rainey Old Boys 31
Queen’s University 26 Seapoint 13
Ballynahinch 7 Dolphin 7
Junior League 1
15/11/2014
Banbridge 3 15 vs 16 Larne 2
Coleraine 2 0 vs 14 Ballynahinch 3
Grosvenor 2 19 vs 12 Carrickfergus 2
Omagh 2 35 vs 3 Ballyclare 2
Junior League 2
15/11/2014
Bangor 2 5 vs 32 Ballynahinch 4
Rainey Ob 3 12 vs 11 Ballymoney 2
Malone 3 34 vs 0 Omagh 3
Cooke 2 vs Clogher Valley 2 Dan Carson (postponed)
Junior League 3
15/11/2014
Academy 2 9 vs 6 Limavady 2
Portadown 3 15 vs 29 Ballymena 3
Ballynahinch 5 vs Lisburn 2 Mark Taylor
Junior League 4
Carrickfergus 3 64 vs 6 Ballymoney 3
City Of Derry 3 vs Coleraine 3
Ards 3 12 vs 57 Instonians 3
Junior League 5
Ballyclare 4 17 vs 3 Newry 2
Junior League 6
15/11/2014
Dromore 3 36 vs 5 Dungannon 4
14:30 C.I.Y.M.S 3 vs Banbridge 4 Patrick McGrath
14:30 Monaghan 2 3 vs 27 Inishowen James Linford
Ladies Friendly
Ballymoney vs TBC David Coey
Coleraine vs TBC Billy O Gorman
Minor League East 1
B.H.S Fp 2 vs P.S.N.I 2
Belfast Harlequins 4 19 vs 12 Armoy
Larne 3 8 vs 51 Malone 5
Minor League East 2
Civil Service 2 15 vs 64 Queens 4
U.U.C 3 0 vs 55 Bangor 3 Gordon Taylor
Minor League South
Clogher Valley 3 33 vs 12 Portadown 5
Omagh 4 vs Cavan 2
Cookstown 20 vs 11 Ballynahinch 6
Minor League North 15/11/2014
Ballyshannon vs Strabane 2 Paul McAlister
Limavady 3 vs Letterkenny 2 Teddy Hall
Qualifying U18
Inishowen vs City Of Derry
Larne vs Randalstown
U18 League Section 1
Banbridge vs Lurgan
Rainey Ob vs Armagh
Ballymena vs Monaghan Marcus Malley
Carrickfergus vs Virginia
U18 League Section 2
Letterkenny 32 vs 7 Malone
Coleraine 12 vs 41 Portadown
Donegal Town vs Omagh
Dromore vs Ballyclare
U18 League Section 3
Ballymoney vs Dungannon
Ballynahinch 34 vs 5 Clogher Valley
Cavan 7 vs 31 Newry Noel Treanor
Lisburn vs Ards Ted Edwards
U18 Friendly
Civil Service vs Instonians (Win for Civil Service)
Qualifying U16
Ophir 10 vs 38 Randalstown
Ballyshannon vs Enniskillen
Inishowen vs City Of Derry (win for City of Derry)
U16 League Section 1
Carrickfergus 5 vs 31 Virginia
Ballymena vs Monaghan
Rainey Ob 5 vs 35 Armagh
U16 League Section 2
Coleraine 36 vs 0 Portadown
Donegal Town vs Omagh
Dromore vs Ballyclare
Letterkenny vs Malone
U16 League Section 3
Ballynahinch vs Clogher Valley
Cavan 7 vs 31 Newry
Lisburn vs Ards
U16 Friendly
14/11/2014
19:30 Dungannon vs Civil Service
15/11/2014
Enniskillen vs Ballyshannon U15
Qualifying U14 15/11/2014
Ballyshannon vs Enniskillen
Inishowen vs City Of Derry (win for City of Derry)
Limavady vs Instonians
Ophir vs Randalstown Conor Boyle
Virginia vs Larne
U14 League Section 1
15/11/2014
Carrickfergus 3 vs 14 Virginia
Ballymena 20 vs 38 Monaghan
Banbridge 14 vs 45 Lurgan
Rainey Ob 0 vs 38 Armagh
U14 League Section 2
15/11/2014
Coleraine 31 vs 0 Portadown
Donegal Town vs Omagh (win for Donegal Town)
Dromore vs Ballyclare Justin Gerring
Letterkenny vs Malone
U14 League Section 3
15/11/2014
Ballynahinch 41 vs 0 Clogher Valley
Cavan 20 vs 32 Newry
U14 Friendly
14/11/2014
19:30 Dungannon vs Civil Service
15/11/2014
Enniskillen vs Ballyshannon U13
Schools Friendly
13/11/2014
11:30 Carndonagh Comm Sch vs TBC 1
15/11/2014
Friends School vs Carrickfergus GS Mark Orr
Limavady GS 14 vs 20 Omagh Academy
Lurgan College 27 vs 14 Antrim Grammar School Gary Treanor
Royal Belfast Academical Inst vs Royal School Dungannon
Bangor GS 10 vs 48 Ballyclare High School
Belfast High School 15 vs 7 Banbridge Academy
Belfast Met 0 vs 0 Wellington College
Cambridge House GS 45 vs 0 Strabane Academy
Dalriada School 62 vs 12 Larne GS
Grosvenor GS 12 vs 15 Campbell College
Portora Royal School 3 vs 27 Coleraine Academical Inst
Royal School Armagh 5 vs 55 Wallace High School
Sullivan Upper School 5 vs 17 Methodist College
Belfast Royal Academy 12 vs 34 Down HS More
Portadown College 10 vs 31 Regent House School
14/11/2014
Royal Belfast Academical Inst 10 vs 13 Ballymena Academy
13/11/2014
St Columbs 24 vs 0 Lisneal College
II XV 15th Nov Ccb 3rd xv 14-12 grosvenor 2nd XV
Limavady GS 2ndXV 0 – 14 Omagh Academy 2ndXV
Medallion 15th Nov
Campbell 36-0 Grosvenor
Wallace 17-0 Armagh
Limavady GS MedXV 5 – 5 Omagh Academy MedXV
CAI 3-15 Portora Royal
Bangor gs Medallion 28-24 Ballyclare Med
14th Nov RBAI medallion 3-3 v Ballymena Academy
