Hampshire Under 18s

Manager: Sarah Mitchell email Sarah

 

Lead Coaches: Malcolm Osborne, Pierre Clark

Coaches: Nathan Bond, Andy Egford, Andrew Tart

Physio: Andy Horton

 

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Hampshire County U18s

 

Dear Parents and Players 

 

Well, we acheived our objective - win every game and have fun ! 

 

Huge thanks to everyone for your commitment this season - thanks to the players for training hard and playing so well and to parents for your support and especially for your help  and generosity on Sunday!

 

The list from the selectors has come through and is attached:

 

Sam Bridges

Zachary Clow

Tom Knight Owen

Tom Nixon

Luke Spring

Karter Whittock

 

Huge huge congratulations from us all but especially from Malcolm and Nathan, Pierre and Andy - it is a recognition of your  skill and hard work and we look forward to supporting you at the trials. Please can you fill in the form attached / or email me the information and send it  to me asap so that they can contact you directly with the trial details - I have most of it but not addresses easily to hand.

 

For those players who have not been chosen or who are still suffering from injury, we know how painful and disappointing this will be but you have already proved yourself to be a great rugby  player by playing for the County and we wish you the very very best in your future rugby at club or university level..... and for those of you who are still around in Hampshire there is the U20 Hampshire squad to go for. 

 

We will be in touch with you all about a New Year Curry evening, but thank you again for your committment this year, for playing some brilliant rugby and for making the squad a pleasure to coach and manage.

 

We wish you a very Happy Christmas and peaceful New Year.

 

Best wishes 

Sarah

Welcome to the 2017 Hampshire County U18 rugby squad. It is a real achievement for you to have been chosen for the squad and we are keen to make this an exciting season of County rugby, keeping it fun and friendly but physically and technically challenging as well and making sure we win!

 

This year is the selection year for the England U18 squad. There will be selectors at every game we play and they will identify players who they want to see play again and if a player is chosen twice ( coaches will be advised that you have been “starred”) you will be invited to SE divisional trials in January 2018. We have a squad of 31 and we can only take 23 players to each game - they will be those who are playing the best rugby in the Sussex game and subsequent training sessions and games.

 

Our approach is to play great rugby, support each other, keep it fun and win every game. If we do that, every player will shine.

 

Training Sessions and Matches.

 

There is a list of training sessions and matches below – not too much training as we know you have club and college commitments but enough to build a team spirit, to understand how to play together as a team and to help you play your best in the game. Please look at the list and tell us now when you are not available. We expect you all to attend every session and match and, if possible, to turn up if you are injured so you can see and talk to Andy, our physio, and keep in touch with the team.

 

* PLEASE NOTE THE MATCH DETAILS FOR 3^rd DECEMBER

 

Training and the HOME match will be at Portsmouth Rugby Camp, Norway Road Portsmouth PO3 5EP

 

 

Friday 13^th October 2017

6.30pm – 8.00pm – Training at Portsmouth Rugby Camp

 

Friday 20^th October 2017

6.30pm – 8.00pm – Training at Portsmouth Rugby Camp

 

Sunday 22^nd October 2017

12.30 – Match vs Sussex – 2pm Kick off – Chichester RFC - PO19 6BB  -  Friendly 26 - 35 to Hampshire

 

Sunday 29^th October 2017

12.30pm - Match vs Middlesex – 2pm Kick Off – Farnham RFC – GU9 9ND

 

 

Friday 17th November 2017

6.30pm – 8.00pm – Training at Portsmouth Rugby Camp

 

Friday 1^st December 2017

6.30pm - 8pm – Training at Portsmouth Rugby Camp

 

Sunday 3^rd December 2017

9.30am - Match vs Hertfordshire– 11am Kick Off – Old Merchant Taylors School Venue  HA6 2HT

 

Friday 8th December 2017

6.30pm – 8pm – Training at Portsmouth Rugby Camp

 

Friday 15^th December 2017

6.30pm – 8pm – Training at Portsmouth Rugby Camp

 

Sunday 17^th December 2017

12.30pm – Match vs Surrey – 2pm Kick off – Portsmouth RFC – PO3 5EP

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1. Kit

 

We will provide you with County socks and a County tie at the first match and we will be ordering sweatshirts for the players joining the squad this season. We expect you to wear a shirt and tie,smart trousers (not jeans) and smart shoes (not trainers) to matches and afterwards. We ask that you buy a pair of shorts and you may want to buy other kit – but those are entirely optional. Details of how to order from the RFU shop are below and on the website.

 

XAMAX Club Shop now Online - http://www.hampshirerugby.co.uk/teams/xamax-kit-orders.html

 

The Club Hampshire online shop is now open:) 

Individual players can create an account of their own and order CH items, by clicking on the link above. 

Players can then order and pay for their items and get them delivered to their home addresses.

All items will have the Red Hampshire logo on and CLUB HAMPSHIRE in white underneath.

Items take 10-14 days unless they are the sublimated kit items which take 3 weeks.

 

 

2. Safeguarding and Injury

We take safeguarding and injury very seriously and if you have any concerns about your fitness or the expectations of the squad then please talk to us. Our physio Andy is part of the team to support you to keep fit and well and to decide if you are fit enough to play after injury or illness. Please read all the advice about concussion – google Headcase – we will be sticking strictly to the rules ! We will be expecting you to obtain and maintain high levels of fitness – all of you aiming to improve on the fitness test you did at trials – we will help you to achieve that.

Communication with players must come through the manager and parents because of the safeguarding rules even though some of the players may be 18. Players will be copied in but we ask that it is a joint endeavour between players and parents to keep up to date with the squad communication and check the U18 team tab on the Hampshire RFU website regularly.

We are concerned about your emotional health as well as your physical health so please talk to us if you are concerned about anything and parents can talk to Sarah about anything which is worrying them.

We are looking for a good photographer amongst the parents to take photographs at the games which then can be accessed through the Hampshire website. All parents need to sign a consent form for photography but if anyone is keen and competent please let Sarah know!

 

3. Developing the Squad and Communication

You are all now experienced rugby players who will have had some good coaching and been part of some good teams already. Do speak up with your ideas about training and how to build the squad as we want to make sure this is a good experience for you to help develop your rugby further as well as winning games for Hampshire. If it is not working for you – tell us.

We are looking forward to coaching you, to building a successful team and to playing some brilliant rugby.

Malcolm, Nathan, Andy E, Pierre, Andy T, Andy H and Sarah 

 

Club Hampshire U18 fixtures 2017-18

 

Objectives for U18 season

 

This is another performance season with the opportunity for selection to Divisional and England squads which therefore means the focus will be different to U17’s. We will pick the best available squad of players for each fixture, there is no guarantee all bench players will get equal game time and we expect players to be available for all dates on the programme.

 

 

 

Schedule for Trials / Training / Games 

 

Date	Match	Venue	Time
8th October 2017	Trials	St John's College Playing Fields in Farlington Portsmouth PO6 1UN	09:30 – 14:00
13th October 2017	Training	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	18:30-20:00
20th October 2017	Training	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	18:30-20:00
22nd  October 2017	Trial game v Sussex	Chichester RFC - PO19 6BB	14.00 k.o.
29th October 2017	Middlesex U18 v CH U18	Farnham RFC - GU9 9ND	14:00 k.o.
17th November 2017	Training	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	18:30-20:00
1st December 2017	Training	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	18:30-20:00
3rd December 2017	Hertfordshire U18 v CH U18	Old Merchant Taylors school - HA6 2HT	11:00 k.o.
8th December 2017	Training	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	18:30-20:00
15th December 2017	Training	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	18:30-20:00
17th December 2017	CH U18 v Surrey U18	Portsmouth RFC - PO3 5EP	14:00 k.o.

 

For those with aspirations for divisional selection (following the 3 assessed games), then subsequent dates in 2018 (including in half term week) will need to be kept clear:-

28^th January 2018 - Divisional Trial

4^th   February 2018 - Divisional Training

18^th February 2018 - Divisional Training

25^th February 2018 - Divisional Weekend

 

Coaching, Physio and Management Team 

                                                                  

Manager: Sarah Mitchell  07795346378

 

Lead Coaches: Malcolm Osborne, Pierre Clark

Coaches: Nathan Bond, Andy Egford, Andrew Tart

Physio: Andy Horton

Sarah Mitchell U18s Manager

sjmitchell@waitrose.com