Considering how competitive rugby has been completely up in the air due to Covid, we have been blown away by the commitment, energy and focus of the all the players. Across the week we have been seeing 80 players turn up for training which has been fantastic. These numbers consist of existing, returning, and new players who are all gelling well and working hard!
To ensure we prepare not only our fitness but also our mental wellbeing, taking into consideration the lengthy “pre-season”, we have been running a slightly different schedule which sees the players training for two weeks, followed by a week of non-rugby related activities so they can continue to bond together away from the pitch, and then a week off. The reason for this is that we didn’t want the players to burnout or potentially get bored of what essentially could have been a 6-month pre-season.
So far, the feedback has been great and the energy levels and focus on training have been excellent, so it appears to be working. The first activity consisted of a group S&C session hosted by Team CC. The second activity saw the players making the most of the evening light and warm weather, paddle boarding around Sandbanks Harbour with Land and Wave. For the third activity the players headed to Mulligan’s for some indoor golf! We are now moving to a new schedule which will mean the players are training for two weeks, then competing in an inter club tournament, followed by a week of non-rugby related activities. This will take us nicely up to Christmas and then we will reassess the situation based on the RFU’s update.
Due to the RFU guidelines it has provided us with an excellent opportunity to really invest some time in developing the players both on an individual and team basis. We are currently going through a player profiling process which means we are then able to create individual development plans for the players, enabling them to focus on their strengths and work-ons. For our first block of training we have focused on our defensive principles. The players have really bought into the principles which has provided us with a great foundation moving forward. This is our last week on defence before we move on to attack.
Overall, despite the challenges we all face, the teamwork, enthusiasm, and dedication our players have shown has been immense and we are all keen to return to some form of competitive rugby, hopefully in early 2021.
For now, we continue to keep our heads focused and build on what we have developed so far.
Keep well and see you soon.
Mike
