Local and national provision in Rugby.

AS and A Level Physical Education (Sport & Coaching)

Local And National Provision In Rugby. Alex Pike

In rugby there has always been a strong view to take players from a young age and educate them about rugby. In England rugby is the second most popular sport following rugby but still there are the same principals of taking players at a young age by spotting potential and turning them from amateurs to professional.

In the south west rugby is the most popular sport with 3 major clubs playing in the Zurich Premiership.

With these clubs this brings intrest to the area and therefore many local amateur clubs have developed.

Gloucester has many local clubs that take children as young as 6 and then take them to senior level. Gloucester has 12 major clubs that do this process. This gives the chance to younger players to play week in and week out and this will help them to become elite rugby players

Junior club rugby

Junior rugby is the start to a rugby players career and involves training mostly. Junior rugby ranges from under 6 to under 17 and this will involve matches on Sunday mornings and training sessions in the week. As it is illegal for players under the age of 10 to play contact rugby then the younger years will play touch rugby which won’t involve much contact. The younger years will mainly concentrate on skills and the mechanics of the game. As the team develops they will start playing fixtures against other Gloucester teams and teams outside the county. When the team reaches under 12 they will then be entered for the county cup which gives the players a chance to see and play in competition rugby. This is also a great chance for the young players to be scouted.

School rugby.

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School rugby.

School rugby will involve a team being selected in the 1st year and then being taken through to 1st 15 or 2nd 15. The school system gives players the best chance of being selected at a young age to play county rugby. This will involve the teacher/coach selecting 5 players that he thinks will make Gloucester district. The players will then attend trials in which they will play against each other. At the end of the trials the players will be informed whether the have been selected. Gloucester district will play 4 games in a season and have around 8 training sessions. These games act as county trials if you play exceptionally well in these games you are likely to reach the county squad and play for the county. If there are signs of potential at county then south west rugby may become an option. This will then lead to England school boys which is the highest level a player of junior level can reach. Between county, south west and England it is most likely that an academy scout will be looking for players. All teams in the Premiership have a youth academy which will train players to play for the senior team. Players in mid-teens who reach the academy normally at least play for the county.

Club rugby

If a player stays with his teams academy then he will be able to proceed up the ranks and make the 1st team. This will normally happen when the player is about 21 but if the youth coach thinks they are ready then they will be selected earlier.

Depending on how a player performs against other Premiership teams then they may be selected to go to the England training camp. This is normally a squad of about 50. These 50 players will be able to train with the best coaches in the game and will get to know other players they may be playing with. After about 4 weeks the England training squad is split into 2 squads, the England squad and the England “A” squad. The England “A” squad will then train at different times and places to the England squad. The England a squad will play other “a” squads but the England team will play full internationals against other nations. If performances for England are high then a lions selection may be the next step in a professional rugby players career. This will involve a tour normally of the southern-hemisphere in which players are taken from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This is the elite level a rugby player can reach in the UK today.

Rugby schemes.

The RFU will run a training camp every summer to young players this will involve them being trained by top coaches and gives them the chance to show potential. The RFU also have a grass roots policy in which they will take training sessions for young amateur players who can not reach normal training sessions ie they live too far away. Gloucester rugby club have a community service scheme in which schools and other such groups are invited to attend home matches for free, they are also allowed to train on the pitch before the match. GRFC will also take the teachers and advise them how to train young amateurs they will also provide equipment.

Disabled Rugby Players

There is very little in the way of disabled rugby clubs in Gloucester only a few teams will have a disabled team and will have to rent out a venue to train and for matches. In Gloucester there is very little in the way of suitable facilities for disabled people to play. But on a national scale there are many organisations which cater for disabled rugby players. The great british wheelchair association dp have the facilities and equipmeant for disabled players. Wheelchair Rugby is the only team game for tetraplegics of all levels, or those with an upper limb impairment. If you can push a chair then you can play! They co-ordinate and develop the sport of wheelchair Rugby in the United Kingdom. They also run a National League and select GB teams for International events. There are various clubs nationwide.

Women Rugby Players

Women rugby has developed a lot in the past 5 years. Women are now accepted in the game and we can see this through many local teams that have a women’s team.

There is also a women’s rugby team at international level providing a chance to prove themselves and the chance to play at elite level. Women’s rugby as become popular because young women are starting to see other women playing rugby and these will act as role models for young rugby players. The women’s game is also shown in the media and this will also encourage other women to play. There are also the equivalent of the Zurich Premiership for women today and women have a 6 nations tournament. Women have their own teams now and they are able to be praised for their sporting performances the same men are.