As the season draws to a close, we look back at what has been a busy and exciting season for everyone involved with the mini and junior section of the club.
Our club continues to grow, and our young players continue to develop, supported by some fantastic coaches and volunteers. Our under 14s and 15s have tasted competitive rugby by entering the Yorkshire Cup. Whilst results were mixed - influenced by the weather and some unfavourable draws, including a match lost on the toss of a coin - the players really stepped up their performances and did the club proud, competing against some huge clubs from across the region. Several players have also been nominated to take part of the Developing Player Programme, hosted by Yorkshire RFU.
We unfortunately lost our under 13s group earlier this year as player numbers were not sustainable and our under 15s have also played their last season with Wortley. We wish all players involved in these teams the very best with their new clubs.
On the flip side, it has been great to see so many new faces this year, especially in the younger age groups and I wanted to acknowledge the support provided by parents who have taken part in training sessions, helped out with catering on Sunday mornings and act as personal chauffeurs to their little warriors. Thanks for everything you do! And one last special thank you to all the coaches and volunteers who take time out to of their busy lives to run training, referee matches, cook sausages and all of the behind the scenes jobs required to keep the club running.
We cannot sign off on the season without paying tribute to Bruce, our under 11s team manager who very sadly passed away earlier this season. He will be sorely missed by the players, parents and the entire coaching team here at Wortley.
Here are some messages from the respective team’s coaches:
Under 7’s
Our newest age group have settled into life at Wortley with confidence. Learning the basics of rugby whilst having fun and meeting new friends. The team have been introduced to tag rugby, developing their passing skills whilst having lots of fun.
Under 8’s
The entire team showed great improvement over the season, after struggling with the offside rule before the Christmas break they learned about where to position themselves to keep the game flowing and even were planning their own back line moves in very impressive matches against Thorne and Glossop at the end of the season.
Special mention to two new players Louis and Ryan who slotted into the team well, scoring some very impressive tries in matches later in the season.
Under 9’s
This season has been awesome for the Wortley under 9s. New players have joined to form a well-rounded team of tough individuals with differing skills and strengths.
Each player is finding their own playing style and as coaches we hope to harness these styles to build a versatile team strong in both attack and defence.
This season has seen the warriors play against some amazing opposition, showing true grit and determination in all weathers. The final match of the season demonstrated how their skills have truly developed as well as their communication and teamwork. As coaches we are proud of each of them and we are very much looking forward to next season, with ambitious plans to take them to the next level.
Under 10’s
A challenging year our under 10’s as we have introduced more contact with rucks and mauls and a 3 person uncontested scrum. The team have enjoyed these new elements to the game and are progressing well whilst continuing to develop their tackling and passing.
We have played games against some tough local opposition and gained lots of experience along the way.
Under 11’s
This past season has been a mixed bag for the u11s. We started the season weak in contact and strong in our passing and open play. Our team is relatively small so we were trying to play to our strengths with an open running game, but we needed to earn that right so the boys worked very hard on the contact side of their game and have improved immensely. We have worked on strength and fitness as well as rugby and I think the boys are at the right age to really benefit from the strength training.
We have struggled against some of the bigger clubs but the character of the boys in adversity has been extraordinary. We have been in games where we have been under the cosh but no player wants to come off. In many games against the bigger teams we have been overpowered in the first couple of quarters but have fought valiantly to overcome and play the game out with heads held high, often being the better team in the second half. When we have been allowed to play expansive rugby our boys have excelled.
The low point of the season was the loss of our team manager Bruce, that was a very sad moment for the group. We miss him.
Due to adverse weather in mid-winter we did not play as much as we would have hoped. We have lost a few players along the way and gained a few others. But all in all, the team has reached the end of the season strong and united. We will carry on having summer training with lots of laughs and look forward to next season.
Under 14’s
Having spent the summer introducing 8-man competitive scrums, kicking for goal and an uncontested line out, the team came into the season energised and ready to show their skills. We welcomed Hayden, Kai, Charlie, Brad, Fenn and Liam to the team, adding strength in multiple positions and enhancing an already established squad.
We started the season with a series of very competitive fixtures against big clubs, including our first Yorkshire Cup tie against Wetherby. Results were initially mixed as we struggled with player injuries and availability but an outstanding performance against a strong Dinnington side in a friendly fixture, resulting in a 32-10 victory boosted the team’s confidence and demonstrated the improvements made in training during the early part of the season.
In November, we joined with our local rivals Rotherham Phoenix to hold joint training sessions and subsequently agreed to support each other with player numbers, fielding combined teams in several matches over the winter. This agreement ensured both teams could continue to play 15-a-side rugby whilst developing as individual clubs. I would like to thank Andy, Kyle and the entire team at Rotherham for their support during this time.
In April, we also welcomed some of the current under 15s players who did not have any playing opportunities to join us through to the end of the season.
The team have won nine out of the eighteen fixtures played and are now competing in every game against some of the biggest teams in Yorkshire and the Midlands. Highlights include the win at Dinnington, home and away victories against Bradford & Bingley, a 31-5 win away against Nottinghamshire Cup finalists Paviors RFC and a 22-21 win against a very strong York side.
Special mentions go Ryan, James and Sid who display consistently high standards in defence as well as offering ball carrying options in attack. To the try scoring machine that is Hayden, and a breakthrough season for D’Angelo who has started to terrify defensive lines across the north.
