It's the end of the season as we know it

Lots of thanks to get through. Last night: to everyone for turning up, to Kay and Donna for organising, to Huw and his band for making it a great night. Match days are so busy there is rarely a chance to meet everyone. Last night was a wonderful opportunity to see Mike Morgan in his natural habitat.

Still some dates for the diary....no training this Wednesday or next week. But we will resume a bit of contact training on Wednesday (4:30) 14th May for a few weeks before calling it a day. There'll be a presentation evening for the u7s and u8s in a couple of weeks. Dates to be confirmed on the blog.

And that is, almost, it. Thanks to all the coaches. Thanks to all the parents for supporting the boys through 29 matches. Well done to all the players. It started in Bonymaen in the rain. It ended in Penclawdd in the sun.

Party Night

...is tonight! At mumbles rugby club from 7:30 till late. Live Music from The Contenders. ALL proceeds will be split between the under 7s and under 8s teams. Only 5 quid.

Not got your ticket yet? Don't worry - pay on the door. Not free all night? - Just pop in for a pint then and to buy a raffle ticket. Drag some friends along - the band is really excellent. just ask the coach of the under 10s and he will confirm this. Be there.

Last Sunday of the season

For the u8s, at Penclawdd.

As we are restricted by the tournament rules to only take 18 boys then 5 of our squad had to miss out, and we picked the team for Sunday purely on previous match attendance. I have already phoned all those who have missed out this time. Thanks for being understanding. We know there are plenty of reasons for missing matches. Our aim all season has been to avoid being selective at this young age-group.

Be there for 10:00 but be prepared for a long day. We are in a round robin tournament with lots of teams and only one pitch. Even if they get started on time, some patience will definitely be required! A packed lunch and plenty to drink are essential. A fold up chair and picnic mat isn't a bad idea. Or an unbrella given the forecast.

Directions to Penclawdd. You can get to Penclawdd either through Gowerton or over the top through Three Crosses. Either way, continue on the coast road (B4295) through Penclawdd. The Recreation Ground is on the left, just on the outskirts of Penclawdd, set up above the road over looking the estuary and with a big tall wire fence around it. It will be pretty obvious where the matches are, there'll be cars parked everywhere.

Next year - tackling! Oh how the boys are looking forward to that.

Mumbles U7s

The match at South Gower on Sunday ended in a 3-3 draw. There was strong running, good support play and determined tagging from all the players. Well done. Have a good summer and see you all next season.

Thanks Will

Tournaments

We are about to enter our first tournament.

I would great to win but we also have 18 boys to play as well.

So I thought it might be worth looking at these wise words from Frank Smoll, a University of Washington psychology professor and co-author of "Sports and Your Child: A 50 Minute Guide for Parents.":

• Reward your child whether the team wins or loses.
• If you have a complaint or concern, don't raise it in the middle of a game.
• Applaud when either team makes a good play.
• Praise effort.
• Respect the referee’s calls.
• Talk to your neighbour during games (don't get too caught up in scores or statistics).
• Ask your child, ‘Was it fun?’ before ‘Did you win?’

Well done to U7s

I would like to echo Mike's comments about the U7s.

The proof of the success can be seen by the numbers of players turning up week in, week out, no matter what the weather. Either keen children or hardy parents.

No only that, in the glimpses from recent games, there is a plenty of talent on show, and some great rugby being played.

Under 7s season draws to a close at South Gower

A big congratulations to all the under 7s boys and girls for playing out the first ever full Mumbles under 7s season. With 14 matches under their belt they have come a long way from those beginnings in September. They've had some big wins and some narrow losses and always played with real determination. They are in great shape for next year. I'll put up the team photo on the blog as soon as I get it.

Special thanks to Rob, Will and Alex for stepping up when we were getting snowed under with keen rugby players, and taking the team on. They have, without any warning, put in loads of work and been superb all round. Thanks to the parents for supporting the team, reading the blog, and being understanding amidst many last minute re-arrangements.

The last two dates for the under 7s diary are the presentation night for the players - this will be on a week night towards the end of May and will be confirmed here as soon as possible. And the fund-raising parents night out next Saturday at the club. 7:30 till late. Raffle and music by The Contenders. If you haven't got your tickets yet then don't worry - you can pay at the door (£5). Come and support the team, bring some friends.

For the under 8s, 20 games down and one tournament to go.

South Gower Match this Sunday

For both under 7s and under 8s.

As this may be the last match for the 7s and the 8s (apart from the tournament for the 8s on the 27th) this year we will try and get some team photos. So hopefully there will be a good turnout.

Meet at South Gower at 10:30.

Directions to South Gower RFC are here. The ground is easy to find, just off Pyle Corner. Go passed the shops and down Pwll Du lane (not down to Hareslade) and it is just down the Lane on the right. As usual parking is a mess. Try and park facing the exit! There is a nice clubhouse where the team will be invited for hotdogs after the match.

Remember to get your ticket to the fund raising do at the rugby club on 26th. £5 each. Donna will be round to hand them out on Sunday.

Wednesday 16 April TRAINING OFF

Sorry but all the coaches are away on Wednesday.

Lyndon is in a meeting. Mike is getting a costume for Dr Who and Dan is at a rugby trial.

Don't forget South Gower away on Sunday.

Busy Weekend

I hope Dan has recovered from the weekend efforts. Two great matches for the under 8s, one for the 7s, Swans promotion, Ospreys Champions....

First up for the 8s was Fall Bay on Saturday, and the boys squeezed as much rugby out of a half time break as humanly possible. A helter-skelter game ended 6-6 against the excellent Fall Bay side. Again my highlight was the number of different try scorers (Max, Ben C, Rhys, Dom and Tom G). Faultless handling too.

On Sunday we played at Tonmawr, with the luxury of 7-a-side (which Tag rugby is supposed to be) and no substitutes for the very first time this season. This led to participation for everyone and a bit of a try fest. Aled, Rhys, Liam, Lloyd, Matthew, Ben H and Harry put in all the hard work and I think it finished 14-11 to Mumbles.

The under 7s turned out fearlessly as usual at Tonmawr. Match report to follow.

19 games gone this season, and it is almost over. Next week South Gower away (for both 7s and 8s). Please turn out for this one looking smart, as it is one of the last opportunities to get a team photographs (7s in particular).

Coming up....end of season presentation night (TBA)....fund raising party night (with 'The Contenders') at the club on Saturday 26th April. Donna will be looking to get some good ticket sales at the South Gower match - so check your diaries, organise the baby sitter and bring some cash next Sunday!

Tonmawr match for 7s and 8s

At long last, unless the pitch is still frozen, we will be playing Tonmawr this Sunday. They have 2 teams, so the under 7s and 8s are both going.

The under 8s also have a match with Fall Bay (taking the place of South Gower at the last minute) at St Helens on Saturday. To fit this game in, with its very short duration, we have to split the squad in two again. This is the only way we can meet these fixtures and give all the boys any ball time. Ideally we won't have to do this next year. The teams then will be 10-12 a side and we need the big squad as contact is much more tiring. For Saturday against Fall Bay we have Ben M, Ben C, Dom, Max, Tom G, Keiran, Rhys C, Jack, Thomas and Cian. For Sunday at Tonmawr we have Tom L, Aled, Cam, Ben H, Matthew, Lloyd, Liam, Rhys D, Connor and Harry.

For Tonmawr, we need to get there at about 10:30. If you are uncertain of directions, meet Dan at the car park at Underhill at 9:30 and go in convoy.

Click here for a Map to Tonmawr. Head towards the M4, and either go through Jersey Marine, get on the A465, get off at Neath and head through Cimla to Tonmawr. Or, cross under the M4 and go east over the old bridge, turn left to Briton Ferry carry on the A474 turning right at Neath to Cimla and through to Tonmawr.

It is a bit of a trek. But remember you are all welcome in the clubhouse to re-fuel after the game and the boys will be offered some food.

Don't forget party night on the 26th April at the club. £5 a ticket. The contenders will be playing. Bring friends. See Donna for details.

Fall Bay Matches

Fall Bay in April. Ice cold. The south westerly blowing the snow down Cefn Bryn and horizontally across the pitch. As South African Greg remarked: this is rugby in Wales.

Well done everyone for turning up, and for getting in contact after the change of plans to let us know. In the end we only had to ring a few people, and this makes the organisation so much easier.

The 7s got underway quickly for a change and sneaked an entertaining match 7-6. Report to follow.

The 8s split up into two teams, each playing a full 15 mins. Fall Bay are clearly one of the best teams around, so it was fantastic that we could field two teams to stand toe-to-toe. The first set of 8 boys even ran out 5-4 winners, with a seriously mean defensive display and some straight running from Keiran and Matthew. Despite opening up an early lead, the second set of boys finally went down 9-6 as Fall Bay stretched the game wide (something to learn from). It was an excellent close contest all round. A great achievement was that out of the 11 tries, 9 different players got on the score sheet, including a first (of many to come) for Liam. I think this reflects their efforts in support, passing and teamwork.

Next week Tonmawr. Where it is still mid-winter.

Wednesday training 4:30 down the park.

URGENT FALL BAY AWAY

Sorry - Fall Bay fixture for both 7s and 8s is away.

In our diary we had it as home.

Meet at 1030.

Directions to follow.

Please let us know if you have got this message. We'll probably have to do some ringing around before Sunday to make sure we have enough players in both the 7s and 8s, so it would really help if you could let us know that you got the message that it is at Fall Bay and whether or not you are coming. Please send a simple text to Mike on 07761 048024, or an e-mail to m.b.gravenor@swan.ac.uk, then we don't have to ring absolutely everyone. Sorry for the balls up.

Directions to Fall Bay
The club is quite easy to find, it is in Scurlage. Take the South Gower road all the way to Scurlage, continue through the village on the road to Port Eynon and the Fall Bay RFC clubhouse and pitches are on the right hand side. It takes about 25 minutes from Mumbles.

Fall Bay Fixture

Sunday April 6th, matches for both the U7s and U8s. Meet at Underhill Park at 10:30.

Team Photos
As long as there is a good turn out we'll take some team photos of both the 7s and 8s to put on the blog to remember the season. So try and be there and bring your mumbles kit. We'll do the same the week after and use the ones with the most players!