IAPS Rugby Festivals
We started the IAPS rugby festivals in 2018 and they have grown every year with more venues hosting and more teams entering.
They are U11 festivals where every team plays everyone throughout the day. We do not keep scores or publish results at the end as the RFU do not allow there to be winners and losers at this age group. The focus is on player development and not playing to win at this age group. We also play the half-game rule which ensures that every competitor in the tournament squad gets to play at least half the game time available throughout the day.
In 2019, we hosted 7 festivals with 54 teams entering in total. There were 648 competitors who competed across the festivals.
Huw Thomas has hosted a festival at Sherborne Prep School for the last few years. Huw entered the IAPS hot seat to answer some fun questions about his role at school and sports!
Name: Huw Thomas
School: Sherborne Prep School
What do you love most about your job: Every day is different
Favourite Sport: Rugby
Favourite sportsman/woman: Alun Wyn Jones and any one of the current Liverpool Football team
Do you play a sport? Not any more!
If so, do you or have you played for a club/country/country: I played rugby for Wales at every junior level.
What IAPS event do you host? Small Schools Rugby tournaments
How long have you hosted an IAPS event for? Two years
What do you love most about hosting an IAPS event? Providing an opportunity for the pupils to enjoy all that is good about sport.
Favourite colour: Red
Favourite food: Full English
Favourite celebrity: Jurgen Klopp
If you hadn’t become a teacher, what would your dream job have been? Running a beach bar in the Caribbean.
Do you have any pets: A black Labrador called Lexi
Next holiday destination on your bucket list: Lions Tour
What was the best bit about lockdown? Moving out of my office/cupboard at work and in to the back garden!
What you are looking forward to most in 2020-2021: Welcoming all of the pupils back to some kind of normality at school.
Interesting fact about yourself: Last person to score a try at the old Cardiff Arms Park. Welsh Youth cup final for Swansea vs Newport (Yes, we did win!)
We hope to be able to stage the U11 Rugby Festivals later on in the Autumn term if Coronavirus allows us to. Look out for updates on this magazine if these can launch.
