First High School Practice

So, we have begun our Fort Hunt Rugby high school program. A good six years in the making, and now we're on our way. I couldn't be more happy.

We have almost 40 boys out, and 5 girls. Most of our veterans are back, we have a number of rookies, and we are extremely fortunate to have two new UK veterans coming out to help us out. Things are looking up very well.

Rookies: we need to work on our concepts. Discard football, think movement, flow, moving forward, and no whistle after five seconds. Things have to be fluid, so as soon as you get tackled or are a tackler, you've got to get right back up and get back into the game. Next practice we're going to introduce the maul, go over the tackle, and introduce the ruck. We want all rookies integrated into practice with everyone as quickly as possible, because the best way to learn rugby is not drills and lecture but to get into the field and actually play. And we will be doing a lot of play, full-on 15-v-15 scrimmages to get everyone familiar with all aspects of the game.

Mouthpieces. Buy 3, mold it, and bring it. No exceptions, non-negotiable.

Kit Bags: we are going to order kit bags. Need a $50 deposit in the next month, so we can order these. Choice of black/blue or green/gold.

Saturday we'll be doing paperwork: parents will be signing the USA Rugby and Rugby VA waivers, and players will be signing the players code of conduct. We'll have the team box out with gear for sale: balls, stickers, magnets, patches, pins, jerseys, etc.

The bare-bones schedule will be out soon. We're still working on exact dates, times and a suitable venue.

Parents: ask lots of questions.

Fort Hunt Rugby newsletter for March will be out on 1 March, via email, and posted to the website.

--Coach Dacey