VOLUNTEER URGENTLY NEEDED - CLUB SAFEGUARDING OFFICER

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ADHD IN RUGBY

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CRACK UP FOR BACK UP - EGGCITING LAUNCH EVENT FOR NEW CHARITY PARTNERSHIP

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THE SENIOR SQUAD NEED YOUR HELP

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SENIOR SQUAD HELPING OUT

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THIS WEEK'S PITCH PLAN

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COACHING CORNER

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VOLUNTEER URGENTLY NEEDED - CLUB SAFEGUARDING OFFICER + ADHD IN RUGBY + CRACK UP FOR BACK UP - EGGCITING LAUNCH EVENT FOR NEW CHARITY PARTNERSHIP + THE SENIOR SQUAD NEED YOUR HELP + SENIOR SQUAD HELPING OUT + THIS WEEK'S PITCH PLAN + COACHING CORNER +

Mini and Youth Rugby introduces our future stars to new experiences and people each week and last Sunday was certainly a weekend of firsts…

  • first festivals of the season for our mini age groups

  • first festivals ever for our under 7s

  • first Kent match ever for our U12s

  • first Kent match of the season for our U14s

  • first international try for former Oaks player Pat Pelligrini - playing for Tonga against the Boks

…and whilst our 1st and 2nd XV didn’t get the rub of the green, there was still plenty of success to celebrate elsewhere with wins from the 3rd XV, the Academy Boys, the U12 Boys and the U14 Girls and U16 Girls.

THE SENIOR SQUAD NEED YOU THIS WEEKEND

This Saturday’s action kicks off, as ever, with our Under 5s first thing at the Paddock who are at the very start of their journey with rugby and we hope they will have long playing careers and join the many mini and youth players who go on to play for the Senior Squad at Sevenoaks. 

We pride ourselves on being a family club, which means more than being a friendly and safe place for our young players - it means we are a family. It means that, no matter where you are in the world, when you meet someone from Sevenoaks Rugby - whether you’ve played together or not - your know you’ll be welcomed and have a friend.

This weekend, at 14.45, the 1st XV are looking to put the last couple of weekends behind them and return to the winning form we know they’re capable of and they need your help. They’ll be ably supported by this week’s Ball Technicians - the Under 11s, but we’d love to see as many mini and youth players and parents at the Club as possible to raise the roof off of the balcony and cheer them on.

The 2s are also in action at home against Maidstone 1st XV, and the clubhouse will be showing the England match too which kicks off at 16.45, so there is even more reason to head down to the Paddock and make some noise.

MATCH SUMMARIES

UNDER 14 BOYs

The Under 14 A team had a great contest with defending Kent Champions, Canterbury, at home. The lead exchanged hands four times throughout the game and including some stylish and skilful play from both teams. Unfortunately for the Oaks a last minute try for Canterbury gave them the edge, with the final score 20-26 at the whistle.

The U14s Mixed side experienced a tough day on the South coast against Dover As, showing plenty of grit going down 53-5.

UNDER 12 BOYs

After being ball technicians for the 1st XV on Saturday, the U12 Boys sent their Spartan squad to Vigo for their first Kent Waterfall match ever. The Spartans are one of our two mixed ability teams entered into the U12 waterfall competition this year and they came up against a physical Vigo squad with 6 Under 13 players in their squad.

It took a little time for the Oaks boys to settle into their first competitive match and Vigo came out on top in the early exchanges - going 3 tries up thanks to some strong carrying. Oaks defended with spirit though and stemmed the tide before scoring themselves, going into the sheds 3-1 down at half time.

After the break, Oaks lifted again and scored 5 second half tries - including a brace of tries for Josh Mais, who won the Attack award. Despite a resolute effort from Vigo, Oaks defence also stepped up a notch and conceded only one second half try and, whilst many players put their hands up, Jack Hodder-Williams was a stand out winner of the Defence Award. In the end Oaks were comfortable victors, winning 6 tries to 4.

Welsh coach Will Devennney told reporters that it was “a really gritty performance” with Alex Mais adding “there were some positive lessons for us and the boys showed heart, bottle and determination in spades and their rucking was outstanding”.

At home the U12 Samurai Squad welcomed 1st XV player, Ben Adams, who ran a masterclass in kicking and attacking play which the boys loved!

If you have photos or other content from your age group - please share it with your head coach.

ADHD AWARENESS MONTH

ADHD Awareness Month runs from 1st to 31st October and aims to help educate people on the issues and obstacles ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) people face on a daily basis.

Between 2 to 5% of UK school children have a ‘type’ of ADHD therefore, it’s likely that most age groups have 1, 2 or more ADHD children.

ADHD Awareness Month is the perfect opportunity for our coaches to educate themselves about ADHD and promote respect and compassion for those with the condition.

VOLUNTEER REQUIRED URGENTLY - CLUB SAFEGUARDING OFFICER

After many, many years of faithful service we’re very sorry to see Andy Clark stepping down as the Club’s Safeguarding Officer (CSO). He’s done a fabulous job of keeping the Club (and most importantly the children at the Club) safe in what is an extremely important role, and after a long and patient wait he’s found his dream home towards the South East coast where we hope he’ll be extremely happy (although we hope he’ll visit often!).

Whilst safeguarding in rugby is everyone’s responsibility, the CSO is responsible for championing safeguarding and the safety and welfare of all children and adults at risk at the Club. It is vital that we find a volunteer for this role imminently so they can receive a full and proper handover from Andy.

If you are interested in finding out more about this important role, please contact us now or see the full job description here. The role is suited to school teachers, policemen or other forces personnel or someone who has worked in social care, but if you have other experience and are interested we’d love to here from you.

CRACK UP FOR BACK UP

We’re delighted that - with huge support and drive from U14 coach and parent, Ben Parker – we’re teaming up with the Back Up Trust this season to improve the lives of people with spinal cord injury.

What does this mean? 

Sevenoaks Rugby will be asking its incredible players, parents, and coaches to participate in several events throughout the season to raise much needed funds for this extremely deserving cause. We want to make the most of the unique competitive, collaborative and community values that rugby embodies and that we all stand for to make a difference for those that need it. So, whilst we’re going to organise Club-wide events for us all to get involved in, we also want to create some friendly competition by pitting our age groups against each other and seeing who can raise the most money!

What do we need from you now?

We need a point of contact from each age group to help us coordinate activity and disseminate information/get feedback from your age group/provide ideas into the mix/rally the parents to attend events. We’ll default to the head coach, but we’re keen that the load is shared, so don’t be shy in volunteering.

What is Back Up?

Back Up inspire people affected by spinal cord injury to get the most out of life.  For over 30 years, they’ve helped people and their families to rebuild their independence after a devastating spinal cord injury, with award-winning, practical services that challenge the perceptions of what’s possible and increase skills and confidence. Back Up is at the forefront of helping people adjust positively to spinal cord injury – because their support is provided by people who have been there.

 What’s next? 15th October – Crack Up for Back Up

We want to kick things off with a very eggciting (bad yoke) event on the 15th October. We know a few age groups have away matches or festivals that day but for those at home we will be testing your throwing and catching skills with our very own version of the game “Donkey”. Stay tuned for more information in the coming week… but if you’re feeling generous or what to find out more in the meantime click on this link

MIGHTY OAKS HOLIDAY CAMP EARLY BIRD OFFER


Holiday Camps are back again this coming half term - just a few weeks away now!  We are currently offering an early bird discount offer - ends Sunday 8th October so get booking quickly!  Book here .

THIS SUNDAY’S PITCH PLAN

FILL YOUR KIT BAG

Don’t forget that the Club Shop is open online using the link below and in the Clubhouse on Sunday mornings. The Clubhouse shop has additional items and the second hand rack - don’t miss out!

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR CLUB

Don’t forget that there are plenty of other ways to support the Club:

COACHES CORNER

COACHING COURSES & RESOURCES

We’re looking to improve the accessibility of resources to all of our coaches, including sharing session plans across age groups and passing down knowledge from year to year. In addition, we’re signposting some of the key courses and resources available.

ONLINE RFU COURSES & RESOURCES

There are plentiful resources here at the Keep Your Boots On website, but check out some of the resources directly below.

KIDS FIRST TAG

This course is designed to help you coach and referee contact rugby to your U9-11 players safely and effectively. You'll find the England Rugby codes of practice, ideas for games to coach your players, information about the rules of play and tips for successful refereeing of children.

KIDS FIRST CONTACT

In this eLearning course you'll find the England Rugby Codes of Practice,  ideas for games to coach your players and information about the rules of play.  This course is designed to complement the face to face Kids First Tag Rugby course.

RFU VIDEO RESOURCES

Short, sharp and Informative RFU videos to show you how to get started as a rugby coach or referee. Playlists about available courses as well as insights from the coaches and referees who go on them.

FACE TO FACE RFU COURSES

KIDS FIRST TAG

For those coaching and refereeing U5 - U8 players. This course supports the development of active, purposeful, enjoyable and safe tag rugby environments for children. Participants will also learn the rules and practice refereeing tag rugby.​

KIDS FIRST CONTACT

For those coaching and refereeing U9 to U12 players. This course supports the development of active, purposeful, enjoyable and safe tag rugby environments for children. Participants will also learn the rules and practice refereeing contact rugby.​

ERCA

The England Rugby Coaching Award (ERCA) is the entry point for those coaching U12 and above. Provides the knowledge, skills and attributes to safely and effectively coach young players and adults.

We have a limited budget available for coaches to attend courses appropriate to their age groups. Please contact Hendo, Justine or Adam Bowman for more information

RFU AGE GRADE RUGBY REGULATIONS

Age Grade Rugby is played to RFU Regulation 15 which is available on the RFU Regulations page here. It is important that everyone involved in the age grade game is familiar with and applies the regulations in full throughout the season and off season. The regulations for summer 2023 and the 2023-24 season are confirmed. The key updates to the regulations are covered in the Updates document; please click the link below which provides the latest version and share this across your networks:

Age Grade Regulation & Playing Updates 2023-24 

SAFEGUARDING

All our volunteer coaches need to be DBS checked in order to coach at the Club and the club regularly monitors that its coaches are up to date. Coaches can proactively check their status on GMS.

HEAD CASE

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