Rugby Union
After the incredible performances by the home nation rugby teams at the Rugby World Cup last year- Wales reached the semi finals and England reached the finals- the 6 Nations Championship this month should be fantastic.
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
England Rugby have shared their squad announcement with you here…. https://www.englandrugby.com/news
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
If you’re not able to attend the matches don’t worry as they will be shown on ITV. The England fixture list is below:
February:
02 – France Men v England Men (4pm) (Stade de France)
08 – Scotland Men v England Men (4.45pm) (Murrayfield)
21 – England U20 Men v Ireland U20 Men (7.45pm) (Franklin Gardens, Northampton)
23 – England Women v Ireland Women (12.45pm) (Castle Park, Doncaster)
23 – England Men v Ireland Men (3pm)
March:
06 – England U20 Men v Wales U20 Men (7.45pm) (Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester)
07 – England Women v Wales Women (12.05pm) (Twickenham Stoop)
07 – England Men v Wales Men (4.45pm)
14 – Italy Men v England Men (5.45pm) (Stadio Olimpio)
As you can see, the men’s and women’s first XV are playing as well as the men’s U20 team.
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
The following is a link to the players for both the women’s and the men’s senior XV squads:
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
We at bsporty are especially excited to see the wonderful Josh Hodge make an appearance as an England men’s squad apprentice
Josh is 19 and a sporting all star. He featured in the very first edition of bsporty in June 2019 and here’s a video of him in action plus a link to his inspiring interview.
So, do you want to go and watch some of this great rugby live?
There are still some tickets available for various matches although the Six Nations for Senior Men is harder to get as most tickets go via clubs. There are tickets and offers for juniors at other events – good games to try are the U20s, Red Roses and the Quilter Cup. If you and your family wish to buy tickets, just register on the website:
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
Did you know that the All Schools programme that the RFU launched to get more schools involved in rugby hit their 750 target last September? Is your school one of that number?
https://www.englandrugby.com/news/article/duke-of-sussex-joins-all-schools-milestone-celebration
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
Find out if rugby is a game for you...
Rugby is a game for girls and boys equally and you can get involved playing wherever you live in the country and whatever your age and standard. If you go on the RFU website www.rfu.com and click on ‘My Rugby’ then ‘Players’ there is a ‘Find a local club’ section. So why not search away and give it a go? In this section it also gives you a link to ‘Rugby basics’ which is a beginner’s guide to rugby.
With thanks to England Rugby for the use of this video.
Wasps player Jacob Umaga HAS GIVEN US A GREAT INTERVIEW WITH LOTS OF ADVICE FOR YOU ALL.
How old were you when you first started playing rugby?
I started playing rugby when I was 4 years old for the under 6s at my local club. Didn’t get involved much at first but got there eventually.
Did you enjoy the game straight away or did you play lots of different sports?
I played all types of sports growing up. Football, cricket, basketball, netball, rugby league and took part in athletics. Most of time was spent either playing rugby league or union.
What appealed to you most about rugby when you were younger?
The enjoyment and freedom of having a ball in your hands is what made rugby appeal to me the most. Playing a sport I love with mates on a Saturday/Sunday morning was what I looked forward to during the week. I also really enjoyed being part of a team and being able to express myself and try different things that I had seen on tv.
You now play for Wasps, did you become a professional rugby player straight from school?
I joined the Leicester Tigers academy a few months before my 16th birthday having just finished my GCSE’s. At that age, we were all living in a 10/11 bedroom boarding house and also would start year 12 at a college in Leicester. The rugby mainly took priority over the studying but it was good to try and get some elements of both study and sport of those 2 years.
Does Wasps have lots of links with junior players wanting to learn rugby?
Yes, Wasps has good connections with all the local teams and have a lot of the Community Classes where we as players sometimes go down and help out. The community team also run a programme called playing advantage which is for kids with learning difficulties and that group has increased massively over the time they have been running. So to be able to tap into 2 different areas of people wanting to play rugby and to have those numbers increase year on year shows the good work Wasps are doing.
Would you advise kids to join a local rugby club wherever the live in the country?
Absolutely. Playing rugby as part of a team encourages teamwork, promotes hard work and communication, it also helps to meet new people and get out of the comfort zones that people are currently in. As well as the fact it’s good for general health and an easy way to stay active.
Which position do you play at and did you always play at that position?
I play fly-half (10) I played this a lot growing up because I was one of the players on my team that could kick which is a general role of the fly-half. But as I’ve got older I’ve played every other position in the backline excluding scrum half (9). Majority of my England age group rugby was at inside centre (12), I played a lot at full-back (15) when I was out on loan at different clubs. Centre (13) and wing (11/14) have only really come from being moved around on the pitch due to injuries, but it is very good to learn other positions.
What’s your most memorable moment in a rugby match to date?
Most memorable moment in a game would be scoring my first points in the premiership from a penalty kick at goal. The game was close and the kick took us within a few points, it was late in the game and I was very nervous.
Do you have a special pre-match routine you like to follow?
Only have a few routines, always eaten plain spaghetti for a pre match meal on the day of the game. Very strange one but I’ve done it for the last year or so! also I have the same routine for warming up to kick at goal every game.
Who is your rugby idol?
I have a few rugby idols, my dad and my uncle both played internationally. My dad for Samoa and my uncle for New Zealand so they were pretty big Role models growing up. As well as a guy called Dan Carter who was playing for New Zealand. He played fly half and really took the rugby world by storm when he started playing.
What would be your top three tips for our 7-14 year old readers who want to play rugby?
Tip 1-Be safe, learn the correct techniques so you don’t get hurt because it is a contact sport. Tip 2- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, don’t worry even if you’re new to the sport-even full time professionals make the simplest of mistakes. Tip 3-Enjoy it. Rugby is meant to be fun, it’s a place to run around and throw a ball about with some of your best mates, who end up becoming your mates for life! Always have a smile on your face when playing the game!
