Tournamental weekend for the U8s!

 
4 months ago By Sam Ward

Terrific results for all teams at Middlesex Cup competition and Allianz Festival tournaments on same weekend.

With the Allianz Finals Festival on Saturday 5th March and the highly competitive Middlesex Cup on Sunday 6th March it was always going to be a tough weekend for the Under 8s.

 

Ahead of the Saracens Vs Northampton game on the Saturday, our team that had qualified in December for the Alan Day event narrowly missed out on a semi-final place. They were very unlucky to lose by one try to a well-drilled Rosslyn Park in their first game but once warmed up, found some impressive form winning in all their remaining group games.

The Festival also featured the finals of the Allianz Cup which was contested by 60 teams in the qualifiers at Twickenham in October. Our qualifying team did incredibly well, each giving their all to battle their way to the semi finals.

The boys' skills all complemented one another and they pulled together fantastically as a team. After beating Rosslyn Park and Wendans Ambo, and drawing with Sevenoaks, on the way to the semi-finals, they came unstuck after losing shape and having a try disallowed against the eventual cup winners, a very well organised Tring. The margin, however, was a single try and on another day the result could easily have been the other way round.

All the kids had a great day out and a full day of rugby, which ended at 5.30pm with Northampton beating a depleted Saracens team.

 

The following day, three dedicated teams made the journey south of the river to compete in the highly competitive Middlesex Festival held at Barnes RFC.

An exciting and promising display from the B and Development teams resulted in two 3rd places, which is a real credit to the boys.

The A side, went one better than on the Saturday and came 2nd against a very good Barnes team. Again, competition was fierce and the placing, considering the 60 or so teams competing, a tremendous achievement. The team was still a bit exhausted from the previous day’s exploits but high spirits, determination and playing as a strong unit saw them win four consecutive games on the way to the final.

We are really starting to develop as players and teams; punching above our weight with great results. It is worth noting that Saracens are a comparatively small club, with some opposition squads having about 90 kids in each age group. The coaching team are delighted with the boys’ development, commitment and the way they give 100% and love the chase of the ball. All are looking forward to building on this from one season to the next.

Well done everyone. Although knackered, the kids had a great weekend and certainly looked like they were enjoying themselves! Also well done the parents for all turning up on time on both days. It's a big help for the coaches, as we can get the kids warmed up.

A special thank you to Aaron for organising both days AND finding the time, resilience and energy to referee!

Finally, we are always looking for more volunteers to help at festivals. We ideally need 2 coaches, a referee and a match day manager for each team. Festivals are a great way to identify the squad’s strengths and weaknesses and the coaching team are eager to roll out some fresh ideas. Watch this space! If you are keen to help, please let Aaron know.

Updated 18:02 - 27 Mar 2016 by Charles Portsmouth

Where next?

Close Call at Allianz Tournament Great team effort and thrilling matches for Sarries Under 8s
Season's End for U8s Last training session of 2015-16 Season as the Under 8s get set for the summer.

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