Coaches Córner - End of Season Message

Welcome, I hope this finds you all well and looking forward to the summer. This is likely to be our final home game so this will be the last time I write to you this season. What a season it has been (so far!).

I’m going to start with the 2nd XV. Last weekend they took on Chesham knowing that a bonus point win would bring us into the final game of the season just requiring one bonus point to secure the league title. Chesham were a decent outfit and provided a stern physical test all the way through the game. Now at times last season I would watch the 2nd team’s games back on Veo and they were a tough watch, plenty of quality from individuals but lots of unforced errors and little cohesion. On Saturday and for many weeks now it has been a completely different story. This is not a team that finds themselves at the top of the league by chance having snuck through games by the skin of their teeth. Under Nick Martin’s leadership this is now a motivated and organised team capable of winning big games and putting weaker sides to the sword. It was a pleasure to be on the touchline with Nick on Saturday and was impressed by so many of the players.

Charles Galligan is thriving after his return from injury and is a high quality operator at scrum time as well as being capable of a strong passing game and big carries. Luke Davis led the side with aplomb, an all action performance operating at a physical level the opposition struggled to contain. Freddie Taylor continues to show why he has a bright future in the game, outstanding at the lineout and a turn of speed that most wingers would be proud of. In the backline our playmaking axis of Gerry Goss, Alex Spring and Jack Jones can adapt their games to suit the conditions and open up defences with ease and at the back Joe Brawn had an excellent first half, running some quality lines to bag himself a first half hat trick. So this weekend they finish off against Reading 2’s and will want to finish in a manner befitting of a champion team with a strong five point win. I struggle to find the words to explain what an achievement it would be to have our 2nd team in a league the 1st XV found themselves in only two seasons ago. Gerry Goss spoke to the lads before the Chesham game and told a story of how he returned to a previous club to celebrate a champion season from 20 years ago. Finishing the job on Saturday would carry the same kind of significance and I hope that this group come together in the years to come to share some special memories. How proud we all are of this group.

From a 1st XV point of view they had a weekend off, receiving a bye through to the playoff quarter finals with Aylesbury not keen to take part in the process. I sympathise with them, there are a couple of factors in play. If you look across the playoffs barely any of the fixtures involving the 5th placed team in the league took place. Aylesbury were more than 40 league points off the top of the league, I would suggest no team finishing 5th would be ready to go up to the league above (we will have a lot of work to do ourselves to be ready for that step should we make it) and with no chance of a home fixture in the playoffs it’s not a particularly appealing offer. It was unfortunate scheduling that meant we would have had the same fixture two weeks in a row and that would not have helped. Also there is the fact that the players will vote through their availability. If the club wanted to play but the players had last weekend marked as the end of the season it becomes really difficult. We have excellent availability because we have been talking about the playoffs all year and with our 2nd XV still playing league fixtures we have retained good numbers. The reality is England Rugby will need to revise the playoff structure next season and maybe what we have landed on with the 2nd place team getting a bye is the right way to go.

That leads us nicely into this weekend’s fixture. Belsize had an excellent result away against Old Priorians last week and will be keen to get a result against us having lost the previous two match ups. Last time at our place we secured a narrow 33-29 victory with Belsize excellent in their close carrying and provided a real threat at the breakdown. We are going to need to nullify those strengths through good low tackling and speed of support into the contact area. We have been working on those this week and if we can be at our best we have an excellent chance of progressing. In terms of the squad, selection has been really tough. Harry Berryman is away as he has some wedding preparations to take care of and Callum Saganowski will be unavailable due to a knee injury, a real shame as Saggers has produced some of his best rugby over the past few games and is fast becoming one of the most influential back rows in the league. We do however welcome back Declan McCormack and he will be a big boost to our pack. Competition for spots has been fierce and both Luke Davis and Freddie Taylor come in after some really strong showings in the 2nd XV and through training. Both have the ability to influence the game on both sides of the ball and offer something different to the rest of the squad. In the backline, Ethan Horne continues at 10. Ethan has fitted in seamlessly following the end of his commitments at RGS, he’s super talented and physical but he has a lot of character about him. Wanting to have his voice heard and drive the team on to better standards. Adding him into the squad has had a positive effect on those around him. Next to him will be Henry Revill who deserves a mention. The quality of Henry’s play continues to rise and he has had a massive influence as captain on our best ever season. Henry personifies so many of the characteristics we want to exhibit as a squad and I think we need to appreciate as a club how lucky we are to have a player and person of his quality at the helm.

Moving on to a different note, we are starting to cast an eye towards next season. Looking at pre-season dates, how to drive the culture of the squad and make coaching improvements etc. One of the things I always want to do is to try and offer a range of things to our players that other clubs can’t provide. This enhances their experience and hopefully attracts new players to the club as well. Therefore I would like to put out a call to arms. If you provide a service which you feel the club could make use of then i’d love to hear from you. Maybe it’s to do with building teams or leadership programs, maybe you can support players with their nutrition, maybe you coach another sport which would have some transferable skills or maybe you have access to a facility that players would enjoy coming to. I’m open to all suggestions and I’m not talking about something every week of the season, maybe you can help us once or twice in the year. If you think you have something to offer then contact me at [email protected].

Considering this will be my final message of the season, i’d like to finish with a few thank you’s. The people who contribute to this club are so vast that I won’t be able to get through everyone but know all that you do is appreciated. I’ve said it before but Noel O'Mahony, accepting Noel’s offer to come to the club has been one of the best decisions I have made. Noel is an excellent leader who provides unconditional support and has allowed me to run with things. Having a Chairman who understands what a modern rugby club should be and provides a clear vision for others to work towards is not something that all clubs have. We should be very thankful for the time and effort he puts in. Directors of Rugby, Dave Rendell and Finlay Currie. Again these guys have a clear vision for the club and are really helping to drive standards and create culture across the board. They have been excellent in supporting me but it’s also great to see them as a regular presence on a Sunday morning supporting coaches. To my coaching team of Lee, Aled and Nick, three passionate and knowledgeable blokes that are a pleasure to work with, you make a long rugby season so much easier through your calm and measured approaches. Rhys Amos, what a wonderful job you have done with the colts this year and you can see that with the quality of young men that are now training and playing in the senior teams. Always a sounding board for the next weird and wonderful idea I've had. Also to Rhys for the tireless work you have put into the match day programme this year, what a wonderful addition to the club. Our physio team who have done a tremendous job of patching lads up and getting them ready to play. To Tiana for the excellent service over the past couple of years but now to Emma who takes the lead. You guys are always balanced in your assessments and provide so much support to the group (I'm sure at some points you feel like the club psychologists!). To Angie and Clinton, both of you have a massive impact on the culture of our club. The first faces you see when you walk into the clubhouse. Your welcoming approach and the atmosphere you create do not go unnoticed. To our groundstaff team of Ben, Matt and Aidan what a tremendous job you guys have done on our playing surface this season. That 1st XV pitch takes such a hammering at times it’s a miracle we can get games on it at all and for most of the season you’ve had it looking like an absolute carpet. I hope you guys will still have plenty to do next year even with the robots taking over! And finally to you guys, to all of our supporters, this season would not have been so special without you. Come rain or shine, 1st or 2nd XV the touchlines have been bustling all year. I can’t promise our sides will always win as many games as we have this season but I can promise that we will always put out teams that play with heart, commitment and a willingness to entertain you. I can’t wait to welcome you all back to Windsor End next season (whichever league we find ourselves in!)

See you all on Saturday, let’s make this the best one yet.

Russ