ERRFC Girls u13's - Waterfall Festival At Trojans

Sundays odyssey in rugby took us to Trojans RFC for their Waterfall tournament.

With a staggering squad of 24 girls ( Sophie P, Lola, S, Alexis, Millicent, Elle B, Lara, Sophia T, Olivia, Emma, Lottie, Ellie DC, Lily DC, Molly L, Romily, Romalie, Emilia, Lula, Lola M, Lucy S, Lydia, Maisie, Kitty, Ellie & Belle ) we were in the fortunate position to be able to field 2 teams where we would rotate players every game, so that every girl had the opportunity to play with each other and with their friends. It’s great to see ERRFC Girls u13’s picking their teams on the basis of friendship groups not A & B teams

Round 1 saw both our teams pitted against each other , Team Ellingham vs Team Ringwood. With no holding back the girls got to it , playing some lovely rugby and setting the tone for what was to come.

Round 2 was against the hosts Trojans for Team Ellingham and Team Ringwood were to play a Alton/Winchester/Havant combined team. Team Ellingham took no time at all to get off to a flying start , scoring lots of try’s and showing off a mixture of team skills and individual excellence they took the win. Team Ringwood on the other pitch were in a real battle with Alton , using all the tools in their tool box, the girls fought hard and tackled and rucked relentlessly, Alton proved too strong in the end and went on to win.

Round 3 was a bye for Team Ringwood, who helped out Alton, and Havant for Team Ellingham. A tough match was expected and a tougher match it became. The girls were fantastic from the off and playing a significantly larger side in Havant was no problem for Team Ellingham, double tacking and hitting the rucks with vigour the girls over and over again tried to unleash the runners at the wings. Unfortunately sheer size differences took its toll and the girls succumbed to the crash rugby that was on display. A loss in score but a win in character and heart.

Round 4 had both teams in action, Team Ringwood vs Havant and Team Ellingham vs the combined Alton team. All the girls in both matches were keen to get going and with only a few minutes between games it was amazing how they attacked the task ahead of them. Up to this point we had seen kick chase trys , swerving running trys and good old fashioned up yer jumper trys to name but a few. These 2 games were no exception. Team play and team support became all important as tiredness set in.

Even after 4 tough games the girls all seemed to be able to crack a smile and enjoy their rugby.

Round 5 was rest game for Team Ellingham, who this time helped out Alton, and the final game for Team Ringwood vs Trojans. Literally out on their feet the girls took to the field for one last time, staggering amounts of toughness and determination got them through and they still managed to play with skill and intensity.

A tough day at Trojans and not a wooden horse in sight, the squad showed us all what rugby is all about, the core values are strong in our girls and I for one am very proud of every single one of them . They are a credit to the club and a great bunch to boot.

Now for a few weeks off to enjoy Christmas . See you all in the New Year.

Dave, your roving reporter