Your Scrumhalf Connection

In an effort to further develop the U-19 rugby landscape in the New England area, coaches from around the region will converge at MIT on March 14th for a one day only camp. The goal of this camp is to bring the current generation of boy and girl U-19 players together, to help further their skills on the field and build lasting relationships off of it, all while having fun.

The camp will focus on fundamental aspects of the game, such as passing, catching, defensive organization, kicking, rucking, and set piece work. Each coach will bring their own style, to allow players to experience different ideas, expectations, and skills. This will be good for all levels of players. Newer players will benefit from the focus on the basics of the game and more experienced players will benefit from working with higher level (if not future) coaches. In general, this is about building a rugby learning  atmosphere for players and coaches.

Quick facts about the camp:

ELIGIBLE PLAYERS: male and female high school rugby players.
DATE: Sunday, March 14th
COST: $55 for individual players
$100 for two players
$245 for five players
OUTLINE: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Morning Session: Fundamentals
Afternoon Session: Positional and Units

*Registration includes t-shirt for camp participant*

Deadline for registration is March 8th

For Registration please e-mail MITskillscamp@gmail.com with the following:
-NAME
-SCHOOL/CLUB
-ADDRESS
-AGE
-POSITION

All are invited to this event to watch and learn. For registration or questions, please e-mail MITskillscamp@gmail.com. For up to the minute information join the Facebook group “U-19 Skills Camp Hosted by MIT”.

Hope to see you all there!!

Brandon Sparks
Camp Director

This is a good highlight reel of some High school women’s rugby! The Western Loudoun team seems to be a pretty big powerhouse as their girls and boys teams in High school won their respective state championships.

To view more YSC videos hover over the heading ‘Videos’ on the navigation bar up top and choose Rugby Video Monday.

Please continue sending in your videos and I will keep posting them! Send them to wendy@scrumhalfconnection.com.

Dear Coaches and Players,

Please forward this message to your team and teammates or anyone we may have missed!

With the Holidays quickly approaching, we wanted to make sure that EVERYONE is aware that their have been some changes for the upcoming “Forwards Clinic” on Jan. 23rd

First~ Price reduction! We are able to reduce the price due to changes with the facilities.
Players: $15 per session or $25 for both
Coaches: $30 per session or $50 for both

Second~ We want to see EVERY PLAYER in the area, that wears a 1- 8 on their back available to participate in this clinic.
SCHOLARSHIPS are now available! *contact Shawn Loudenback for details.

Third~ there will be T-shirts for the first HIGH SCHOOL TEAM TO REGISTER!

Registration: http://www.huskyrugby.com/Clinics.htm

The University of Washington Men’s Rugby Club is pleased to host technical clinics for both players and coaches. The session will focus on coaching the scrums and lineouts safely and effectively and to better learn basic offensive and defensive strategies in and around the set pieces.

Coach of the lineout session will be Luke Gross, former US Eagle and the most capped
international player in US history.
The scrum session will be led by Bill LeClerc, USA Rugby Men’s National Team Scrum Coach and ex-US Eagle prop.

For attending coaches, EACH session will provide 5 credits in the USA Rugby Coach Certification Program.

Time: Saturday, January 23, 2010

High School
(Boys/Girls)
Collegiate
(Boys/Girls)
9 AM – 1PM

SCRUM SESSION
w. Bill LeClerc
2PM – 6PM

LINE OUT SESSION
w. Luke Gross

Senior Clubs
(Men/ Women)
LINE OUT SESSION
w. Luke Gross
SCRUM SESSION
w. Bill LeClerc

Location: Magnuson Park (both rugby field and classroom)
7400 Sand Point Way in Seattle

Cost: Players = $15 per session, discount to $25 for both
Coaches = $30 per session, discounted to $50 for both

Coaches and players are strongly encouraged to attend together for full benefit. Space is limited in both sessions and will be granted strictly on a first come/first served basis.

from USA Rugby:

DALLAS, Texas – The Texas chapter of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAHPERD) had its annual winter conference in Dallas, Texas from Dec. 2-5 and included over 2500 educators from the state in the Arlington Convention Center, proving once again that everything really is bigger in Texas.

USA Rugby and Rugby Texas took advantage of this large gathering to introduce these educators to Rookie Rugby, the safe, non-contact version of rugby which is great for all ages.

“It is very important that Rugby Texas was a part of this year’s TAHPERD as it gives us the opportunity to meet face to face with educators and speak with them directly on the overall benefits of Rookie Rugby to their students,” President of Rugby Texas, Rick Marshall said. “Specifically, we emphasize how Rookie Rugby meets the six recommended guidelines for physical activities, as well as being all inclusive and overall fun for their students.”

Rugby Texas’ booth overflowed with information on Rookie Rugby, as well as sign-up sheets for In-Service Trainings. Educators were able to gather information, toss around some rugby balls, sign up for future trainings, as well as speak with one of many Rugby Texas representatives. Information supplied included a plethora of handouts and a Rookie Rugby DVD, filled with promotional videos, materials, and a full P.E. Curriculum.

During the last day of the exhibition, Rugby Texas’ Rookie Rugby Coordinator, John Shafto and USA Rugby’s Youth Development Manager, Erin Kennedy led an interactive demonstration in the middle of the exhibit hall. Teachers had a chance to participate in progressive rugby drills and games before playing ‘Ultimate Rugby.’ Teachers experienced first hand a taste of what Rookie Rugby would look like in their classes. The demonstration generated a substantial amount of interest leading to four scheduled In-Service trainings for Rugby Texas to lead in the first two months of the New Year.

One school that has Rugby Texas excited is Houston ISD, which includes 39 middle schools, 43 high schools, and 179 elementary schools. Houston ISD is not the only school jumping on board, though – Rugby Texas was able to make contacts within 147 different school districts across the state of Texas regarding In-Service Trainings.

“Houston ISD is a very important school district for Rugby Texas as it allows us to promote fitness and a healthy lifestyle through Rookie Rugby within a school district which is traditionally within the inner-city and lower income areas,” stated Marshall. “It will allow us to promote a fun way to fitness and a healthy lifestyle to over 202,225 students, while promoting the values of rugby to a community. It will also create more opportunities for us to reach out to other school districts within Texas.”

Rugby Texas is working on getting sponsorships that will enable them to supply balls to interested schools in the state of Texas. Currently, the Marines have agreed to sponsor Rugby Texas and supply five rugby balls for each high school that works with the State-Based Rugby Organization (SBRO) on incorporating rugby into their programs. They are currently seeking additional sponsorship for middle and secondary schools as well.

“Rugby Texas has been making incredible strides on growing the game of rugby at the youth and high school levels. Their efforts at this year’s TAHPERD conference are just the beginnings of what will soon emerge from the state of Texas,” commented Erin Kennedy.

To download the Rookie Rugby guidebook, take the on-line coaching course, or for more information on how to get started with Rookie Rugby today, visit www.usarugby.org/goto/rookie_rugby or contact USA Rugby Youth Development Manager, Erin Kennedy at ekennedy@usarugby.org. For more information on Rugby Texas visit www.texasrugbyunion.com.

After two hugely successful Coach Education Tours of the US in 2009, where over 200 coaches, including High School, Club, Collegiate, Super League, USA Age Grade, Collegiate All Star, and Women’s National Team, and Men’s National ‘B’ Team Coaching Staff attended 5 courses from Vermont to Georgia to California, Coach Education Staff at the Queensland Rugby Union (QRU) will be conducting  a NEW and updated 2-Day Advanced Coaching Course at Georgia Tech University, Mid-Town Atlanta GA on the 16^th and 17^th of January, 2010.

By way of introduction, the QRU is the largest Sub Union in the Southern Hemisphere, servicing an area of 1.1 million square miles (4x the size of Texas), comprising an even ratio (1:1) of population distribution between regional and metro areas (population 3.6 million).  Comparatively, NSW has a population of 7 million 75% of which is spread over 9000 sq miles.  Despite the tyranny of distance, over the past 6 years, the QRU High Performance and Coaching and Development Departments, utilizing an even mix of players and coaches from regional and metro areas, have consistently produced the most successful elite player and coach development programs in Australia.  Specifically, the QRU Elite pathway has achieved the following:

· Won 5 of the last 6 Australian Schools (Year 17 & 18) Championships including the last 4 (2006 – 2009)

· Won the 2008 Australian Year 16’s Championship with both Queensland (Qld) teams (1 & 2) contesting the final

· Won 3 Trans Tasman Championships (Qld, ACT, NSW (Aust), Canterbury, Wellington & Otago (NZ))

· 12 of the 26 players selected in the 2009 Australian U20 Squad, just under half of the current Wallaby squad (14 of 32 players), and just on a third of Australia’s professional player pool (45 of 132 players – 4x Provincial Squads of 33), were developed through the QRU Elite Player Development Pathway.

The QRU’s flagship – “the Qld Reds”, competes internationally in the Super 14, and currently consists the youngest and least experience in the Super Rugby Competition, averaging across the squad less than 20 games of Super Rugby experience.  Comparatively, the 2009 Super Rugby Champions – the Northern Bulls averaged 35 games).  With the new appointment of one of the World’s best coaches and ‘Ruggamatrix’ favourite – Ewen McKenzie, all pundits, including Wallaby Coach Robbie Deans are predicting that the Qld Reds will be the biggest improvers in Super Rugby over the next 5 years.

The new and updated 2-Day Advanced Coaching Course has been designed utilizing over five years of experience conducting player and coach development in the United States, the experience and expertise that has significantly contributed to the above-mentioned triumphs, and will present evidence based coaching techniques used successfully and effectively at Super Rugby, Super 14 Academy, International Seven’s, Regional Academy, Australian Rugby Championship, Age Grade National Championships and Premier Rugby levels.  Different from the first course, the new course is workshop and case study based, looking at giving coaches an opportunity to experience and develop high level player and team profiling skills, which will allow them to develop effective playing an strategy which are culturally specific and relevant to the group they are coaching.  Further to this coaches will be given opportunity to further develop their technical recognition and programming skills as well as session execution, with feedback from the course facilitators and participants.  Finally participants will be taken through a process that will allow them to analyze their strengths and weaknesses as a coach and develop an individual personal development plan moving forward.  Essentially this course is a MUST for any coach at any level, that desires to further develop their craft, and provide a program and framework that is specific to the group that they are coaching.

Further the QRU also produce a variety of coaching resources/ aids. These cover many game facets and are some of the highest quality coaching resources available in World Rugby. By attending a Qld Rugby Coach Education Camp you will have access to and receive a selection of these.  A comprehensive list can be found by clicking on the following link:  Resources.

A draft program which includes hyperlinked session outlines and summaries, including biographies of the two presenting instructors can be found at the following link – 2-Day Coach Ed Program.

Registration for the program is 100% secure and entirely online and can be found at http://www.qru.com.au/rugby_education/coaching/usa_rugby_courses,67050.html.  Essentially just click on the link and follow the instructions all the way through to payment.

As a bonus – the Georgia Rugby Union is offering a $100 refund of the cost of the course, which is currently set at USD200 per participant.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to email myself, otherwise we look forward to seeing you on the 16^th & 17^th of January, 2010.

Regards

David Hanham