Page 78 - Southwell School Year Book 2021

RUGBY
Looking after your teammates and having a positive attitude towards what we were doing on as well as off the field was our focus for 2021. We were all grateful that we managed to get through most of the season's planned games, with the 1st XV only missing one of their planned fixtures before Covid-19 struck again. I know the Year 8 players were really pleased they got to play the games they did.
A highlight for the 1st and 2nd XV players was travelling away to Hereworth and playing rugby in the beautiful Hawkes Bay and being hosted overnight by the Hereworth boys.
Once again there was a wide range of rugby players through the grades this year. We had 70 students playing rugby from across the school.
The 11th Grade team had an outstanding season and a number of players developed their skills to a superb level. We will look
forward to these players being in the 1st XV in a year or two. Southwell’s two 12th Grade teams did extremely well in their grades. 12th Grade Blue were unbeaten and 12th Grade White competed strongly in their pools each Saturday.
Several Southwell boys also starred for the Marist 13th Grade, who competed very strongly in the open weight division. We were also lucky enough to have a number of players represent the Gwynne Shield Wasps Team who won the week-long tournament in July. They were coached by our very own Mr Tiffany. Some players were also selected for the Goord Cup Team which managed to get a few games in before the end of the season.
To start the season, a one-day training camp was organised for the 1st and 2nd XV and the players had an opportunity to learn more about the importance of Southwell Rugby.
They also had time to learn about the finer skills in certain positions as well as what nutrition is important for rugby. A special thanks to Paul Martin and Rhys Bayliss from the WRU for supporting us with this.
We really appreciated seeing all players develop over the season. Southwell rugby is in a really positive position for 2022 and beyond. A very special thanks to all the parent volunteers for 2021. We had a number of parents who helped with coaching, managing and providing positive support from the sideline. Without your valued support, we would not be able to field teams and be competitive.
We look forward to your continued invaluable support in 2022.
Damian Mills
1st XV Rugby Coach
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