1sts vs Shore 2017
FROM THE CONVENOR OF RUGBY, MR JOHN MCCOY
I hope all members of the Waverley College community enjoyed a relaxing Easter break. This Saturday marks the commencement of the CAS/GPS/ISA trial rounds for Waverley Rugby. Following a successful 2017, we are looking forward to another exciting season ahead.
It is important to remember that, while we all hope to see a high standard of rugby this weekend, teams will be using the early matches as a foundation to build on. I have no doubt that all teams will take plenty of improvement away from Saturday’s run.
Trial Vs Shore (Saturday 7th April, 2018)
This weekend Waverley College will be playing against The Shore School in both Rugby and Football. Our 13s, 16s and Opens will be playing over at Northbridge (on the Lower North Shore of Sydney), while our 14s and 15s will be playing at Queens Park. Those playing away should give themselves around 45 minutes to get to the ground (if leaving from Waverley College).
Shore has a proud history in rugby, producing a number of Wallabies including Phil Waugh. Last year, we had a very successful round through all age groups and all grades, with Shore providing some solid competition by playing a strong brand of rugby.
As mentioned in previous articles, this round will still very much be used by coaches as a trial to monitor player performances and to see how arranged playing combinations do work.
Teams will be uploaded onto Team App as well as being placed on noticeboards around the school. All players are to be at the matches at least 30 minutes before kick-off to ensure that students have a full warm up. Players are also expected to remain to reserve for the match following their own.
As outlined in the Rugby Team Guide which was distributed earlier in the year, if students are ill on Saturdays and cannot play, they are still expected to attend the game to inform the team coach and support the team. If a player is so ill that they cannot attend, Mr O’Donnell (sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au) and Mr McCoy (jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au) need to be notified by email. Students will need to provide a medical certificate on returning back to school.
Uniform
It is important that all students wear the correct uniform to rugby on Saturdays, whether they are playing or viewing. This includes correct playing gear; jerseys, shorts, socks, mouthguards, boots. Players must also only be the Waverley College Tracksuit. Players who wear the incorrect uniform to matches will be asked to hand over any non-Waverley items (including hats, jumpers etc) and will have these items returned at school on Monday.
Blue Card
This weekend you may witness a referee producing a “Blue Card” on the field of play. In matches of U13 and older, when a player leaves the field due to signs and symptoms of concussion or suspected concussion, the referee will show the player a Blue Card. This card is a visual cue for team support staff, it must be recorded by team officials, and triggers an off-field medical process to begin. This off-field process (which applies to all rugby, not just U13s and older) is detailed in Rugby Australia’s Concussion Procedure 2018.
Rugby Australia has included the following Law change: ‘a tactically replaced player may return to play to replace a player who has been shown a Blue Card.’ Waverley College Rugby supports this new initiative.
Lost Gear
Already a significant amount of lost property has been shifted from Queens Park to the Wellbeing Centre at Waverley College. This includes several pairs of school shoes and a number of tracksuit tops. Students who have items of uniform labelled with their name will have a stronger chance of having gear returned. Those students who have not labelled gear are still encouraged to look through the lost property.
Upcoming Training Schedule – Remainder of Term 1
Week 11, Term 1
Monday 9th April – NO TRAINING – Year 7-11 Parent/Teacher Night
Tuesday 10th April – 16s and Opens Training at Queens Park (3:30pm-5:00pm)
Wednesday 11th April – 13s, 14s, 15s Training at Queens Park (3:30pm-5:00pm)
Thursday 12th April – NO TRAINING – COACHES AFTERNOON
Friday 13th April – End of Term 1 – School Holidays Commence
Good luck to all teams this weekend against Shore!
Waverley to Win!
