Tag Archive for: Perthshire Rugby Midi Section

Instructions for Players as Training Returns to Perthshire

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A simple guide to follow to be ready for the return of rugby on the North Inch.

Stage 3 outdoor training is now permitted for all sections of the Club. Most teams have had one run out already, following feedback from that, here are instructions so training is COVID-19 safe and runs smoothly.

We are using the Sports-Train App for managing training. You must have this installed and be registered with your team. The correct team code can be obtained from your Team Lead. For instructions on setting up your account and registering child players see: https://sports-train.com/return-to-play.php

If you haven’t already done so the Scottish Rugby e-learning course is highly recommended.

This is a video walk-through of what to do and expect for every Stage 3 training session, each of the steps are listed below.

Please note players are allocated to a training “bubble” of a maximum of 15 people. Throughout Stage 3 players should only train with others from the same bubble.

Before Training

  • Every bubble has a designated time and pitch to train on. Know which bubble you are in and where you will be training.
  • Only confirm attendance for sessions of your bubble. On the parent App these are marked as a “reserved” place.
  • On the day you must have completed the COVID-19 Symptom checker and show no symptoms.
  • If you have any of the symptoms then you cannot train, instead you should self-isolate and request a coronavirus test immediately by visiting www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect

Check-in to Training

  • Come to training already changed and bring your own water bottle.
  • Bell’s is closed so there is no access to changing rooms or toilets.
  • Have your phone available (or parent to attend with phone) so that if there are errors on the App these can be corrected.
  • Arrive no more than 5 minutes before your session starts.
  • Go straight to your pitch and the check-in station.
  • The Coach/Team Lead will check you in using the App and give you some hand sanitiser.
  • Please DO NOT CHECK-IN YOURSELF on the App, this must be done at pitch side by the Coach/Team Lead.
  • Put your water bottle and any other kit (this should be minimal) at one of the cones on the top right side of the pitch.

During Training

  • Before & after breaks leave the active area at the middle right where the sanitising station is.
  • Always use the alcohol gel as you leave and enter the active area.
  • Do not share water bottles.
  • Social distancing of 2m must be maintained when not actively training.

Check-out of Training

  • Once the session is over collect your water bottle & kit.
  • The Coach/Team Lead will check you out on the App and give you some hand sanitiser.
  • Please DO NOT CHECK-OUT YOURSELF on the App, this must be done at pitch side by the Coach/Team Lead.
  • Exit immediately down the right side of the pitch.
  • Head straight home, do not congregate around the North Inch.

There are 2 hard rules, don’t get caught out!
1. Symptom check must be green (negative) or you cannot train.
2. No registration – no participation.

Everyone at the Club can play their part to create a COVID-19 safe and enjoyable return to rugby. It has been a long time since we were last allowed to train together so make the most of it and don’t forget to have fun! Any questions can be directed to your Team Manager, COVID-19 Team Lead or Coaches. The Club COVID-19 Safety Co-ordinator is Ewan MacKessack-Leitch.

New players welcome too! Senior men please contact Head Coach Alan Clark, for all other sections contact Director of Rugby Sam Mountain.

For a more in-depth account of the COVID-19 policies & procedures a full range of resources, risk assessments and protocols (aimed at the Team Leads but feel free to browse) are available on the COVID-19 page.

Return to Rugby Stage 3 Update

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COVID-19 Safe Training on the North Inch soon!

Perthshire Rugby would like to advise all members, players, parents and coaches that the next stage of the COVID-19 Return to Rugby plan is nearly ready to go. Almost every team has a COVID-19 Team Lead in place to work with the COVID-19 Safety Coordinator and this week the Club will be organising a training schedule for the duration of SRU Stage 3. These sessions are limited to 15 players maximum and every player will be placed into a “training bubble” who they will ideally train with each session for the entirety of Stage 3.

In due course players (& parents where appropriate) will be contacted by their Team Lead with a code to register for the Sports-Train App. This platform will handle all pre-registration, check-in/check-out and COVID-19 screening for every training session.

What can you do to be ready? Please watch this video from the SRU showing the Stage 3 training regulations and, if not already completed, the online e-learning course is compulsory for coaches and highly recommended for all players/parents.

Thank you for reading and getting excited about the return to rugby at Perthshire. The planned (but not confirmed) date for resuming Mini & Midi training is weekend 15/16th August. Your Team Lead will advise you once training sessions are organised to book on to. It will take time to get used to the new way of working and there will be regular communications from the Club and your Coaches. There may be delays or changes, we’re doing our best to get there as quickly and safely as possible.

Any questions or ideas contact Makka: clubcaptain@perthshire-rfc.co.uk

Return to Rugby at Perthshire RFC

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COVID-19 Safety Coordinator appointed and Club working to resume training once safe.

The SRU in conjunction with the Scottish Government recently published the Return to Rugby Roadmap. This details 6 Stages with indicative dates for the resumption of training then playing competitive rugby. There is a long uncertain road to travel until that point but, be assured, at Perthshire Rugby we are taking the necessary steps to get back as safely and effectively as possible.

Club Captain Ewan “Macka” MacKessack-Leitch has been appointed as our COVID-19 Safety Coordinator. This role is to “oversee the public health and safety measures across the club, ensuring that the club is operating in a safe manner and adheres to Scottish Government and SRU guidelines.”

An Action Plan has been developed following risk assessments, SRU guidance and input from across the Club. This will be a whole Club effort, every team will appoint a COVID-19 Team Lead to work with Macka to monitor and ensure compliance with COVID-19 safety procedures & protocols within their team/group.

Rugby is coming back to the North Inch! It will be different and take a bit more time until the necessary precautions and safeguards are in place, but we will be there soon. Your Team Managers or Section Heads will be in touch regarding the return to training – each will be working to their own timescale.

For more information, all guidance and recordings of training webinars are available and regularly updated on the SRU Return to Rugby site.

If you have any concerns, offers of help or advice around COVID-19; Macka would be very pleased to hear from you e-mail: clubcaptain@perthshire-rfc.co.uk

Perthshire Gather Online to Look Back over 2019-20 Season

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(The evening condensed into only 12 minutes!)

Congratulations to the awards winners and thank you to all who took part!

The evening Friday 29th May saw the Perthshire family dress up smartly and come together online via Zoom for the Annual Awards Night. The COVID-19 pandemic stopped the Club meeting up as normal but all assembled were determined to enjoy the celebration of the past season.

Before the event kicked-off, Jeremy Wares had led the online Cook Along Live where many of the Perthshire members, following his instructions, cooked a 3 course meal to enjoy prior to the main event. The award for best Tarte Tatin went to Dave Lewis, wooden spoon winner Andy Cummins was not impressed.

At 7:30pm Club Captain Ewan “MacKer” MacKessack-Leitch, who compered the evening, welcomed the over 80 households who had signed in to the Zoom call. After a quick reminder of the nominations and a game of “heads & tails,” that sort of worked, the Club Captain’s Toast to Perthshire was played out.

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Then it was time to start the awards. First up Arran Whittle won Colt’s Player of the Year for this ever-improving form which also saw him debut in the 2XV this season. Following that James Mair retained the Young Player of the Year award which he won last year, as he again improved stepping up to make the No. 8 shirt his own. Another person retaining their title from last year was Alasdair Nisbet who collected the Men’s Most Improved Player as he becomes a real force to be reckoned with in the front row.

After a year of phenomenal efforts and encouragements on & off the pitch Chris Wallace was rewarded with the 2XV Player of the Year trophy. James Mair was then back in the spotlight, as he saw off the competition to win the vote to be Men’s Players’ Player of the Year.

New awards this year were presented to the Women’s Section and Lynn Robertson picked up the Women’s Most Improved Player in her debut season where she has gained in confidence & ability on the pitch. The Women’s Players’ Player of the Year was a tightly contested affair, but the votes fell in favour of Lynne Stewart who has been an inspiration to many of her fellow teammates.

The moment for the big awards of the night arrived. The P6s won Mini Team of the Year in recognition of the amazing effort to win the Land Rover Rugby Tour 2020 Festival at Cardiff Arms Park. Sarah Hogwood was crowned Women’s Player of the Year and Mathew “Biebs” Rae won 1XV Player of the Year; both played on the front foot all season and led by example to their teammates and justly deserved the awards. Team of the Year went to the U16s for their big achievement finishing 2nd in the Shogun Conference and the representative honours for Caledonia, Glasgow Warriors & Scotland some of their players achieved.

Finally, following a difficult year for the Club both on & off the pitch, the Club Person of the Year was awarded to John McLaughlin. As Club President he has been there throughout: supporting the 1XV on match days when results have been poor, working behind the scenes and entertaining sponsors in the Clubhouse, as well as ably helping the Club following the sad losses of both Granny G and Adam Pattinson.

A Boat Race time trial was held and you’ll have to watch the highlights video (top of the page) to find out who won!
Throughout the evening reports of the activities from each section were given either as videos or speeches from that section. The Mini & Midi season review videos can be seen at the bottom of the page.

Full List of Award Winners:

Senior Section
Colts’ Player of the Year: Arran Whittle
Young Player of the Year: James Mair
Most Improved Player: Alasdair Nisbet
2XV Player of the Year: Chris Wallace
Players’ Player of the Year: James Mair
Player of the Year: Mat Rae

Women’s Section
Most Improved Player: Lynn Robertson
Players’ Player of the Year: Lynne Stewart
Player of the Year: Sarah Hogwood

Whole Club
Mini Team of the Year: P6
Team of the Year: U16
Club Person of the Year: John McLaughlin

Perthshire Rugby Awards 2020

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UPDATE:
An alternative online interactive event is being held on Friday 29th May at 7:30pm instead. Login details will be sent out via section heads. Please note formal attire still expected (at least what can be seen on camera).

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Rugby stopped abruptly earlier this year but there is still lots to celebrate from the 2019-20 season.
The last season has been testing on & off the rugby pitch for Perthshire. Our Club values of Sportsmanship, Pride, Respect and Inclusion have shone through and brought some success. Now is the time to look back and recognise some of the players, teams, supporters and members who have excelled this last year.
The nominations for this years’ awards are:
Senior Section
Colts’ Player of the Year:
Adam Mellis, Aedan Milne, Arran Whittle
Young Player of the Year:
James Mair, Alasdair Nisbet, Kieran Ramsay
Most Improved Player:
Andrew Jack, Jack McIntosh, Alasdair Nisbet
2XV Player of the Year:
Rabson Chipakupaku, Rhys Darlington, Chris Wallace
Players’ Player of the Year:
Ewen MacDonald, James Mair, Mat Rae
Player of the Year:
Ross Angus, James Mair, Mat Rae

Women’s Section
Most Improved Player:
Lydia McGinley, Suzanne Rennie, Lynn Robertson
Players’ Player of the Year:
Lydia McGinley, Lynne Stewart, Paula Watson
Player of the Year:
Sarah Hogwood, Heather Kirkman, Lydia McGinley

Whole Club
Mini Team of the Year:
P5, P6, P7
Team of the Year:
U13, U16, Women
Club Person of the Year:
To be announced on the night

Well done to all those nominated.

Perthshire U16’s hold their nerve against Boroughmuir

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As we approach the sharp end of the Shogun Conference, Perthshire U16’s had to hold their nerve against a tough Boroughmuir side who like Perthshire had thoughts going into this game of clinching the vital points which could eventually determine which team qualifies for the National Youth Cup Competition. The game had to be moved to the new 3G pitch at the Regional Performance centre in Dundee to ensure the game could be played amid concerns mid week about the condition of the pitches down at the Inch.

The game itself was a very close high quality game where contrasting styles made it a very interesting game for the neutral observer. Boroughmuir had put their faith in their big forward pack against the more versatile Perthshire side who preferred to run the ball wide at every opportunity.  In the end a great defensive effort combined with the ability to play wide open rugby won through for the Perthshire boys winning the game 24-17. Perthshire now move up to 4th in the table and if they overcome a struggling Biggar side on Wednesday evening they will jump up to 2nd with only 2 games remaining in the conference.

Unfortunately there were reverse fortunes for our U15’s and Colts  and the U13 and U14 games were cancelled as the pitches down at Meggetland were unplayable. Next weekend the Perthshire Midis take on Highland RFC.

 

U15’s and U16’s take all the points down at Ayr!

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Its not a headline you have seen before but its true, our U15’s and U16’s made the long trip to Ayr on Sunday to take on Ayr/Wellington in round 7 of the Shogun Conference and both teams came away with full points in nail biting fashion. Both games were incredibly close right up to the final whistle with U15’s crashing over the line to win the game on the final play. The final score 26-28 to Perthshire. This will be a major confidence boost for the boys who got their season off to a very slow start but at last they found belief that they are capable of competing with best teams in the conference.

The U16’s were also involved in a classic and right up until the last few minutes the game could have gone either way, but the boys held firm even without their talisman no. 8 Doug Yellowley who was down in Cardiff playing for Glasgow Warriors U16’s, the boys still showed real determination and held out for a great win. Final score 24-35 to Perthshire. Next Sunday will be another big test as they take on table toppers Stirling County away at Bridgehaugh Park. Ko 2pm.

The fortunes of the midis were reversed however at home when our ultra reliable U14’s were beaten at home for the first time this season against the arguably best side in the conference. Maybe the 2 week October break was a factor but an under-strength Perthshire side seem to lose their shape in this game and Ayr ran out convincing winners 3-33. Next Sunday will be a chance to make amends with a home game V Stirling County. KO 2pm. Our U13’s had a week off this week but I’m sure they will be keen to get playing against Stirling County at home on the Inch next Sunday KO 2pm.

The Conference table at halfway looks as follows with Perthshire on the brink of breaking into the top 4. #montheshire

Team Rounds Points
Boroughmuir 7 82
Ayr / Wellington 7 80
Stirling County RFC 7 78
West of Scotland FC 7 72
Perthshire RFC 7 70
Highland RFC 7 65
Biggar RFC 7 60
Hamilton Rugby Club 7 47

 

Shire U13s vist Highland and Glenrothes

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Highland RFC

A clear, dry and cool day at Highland RFC was ideal for some great rugby.
Following last weekend when the team got drawn into a narrow battle this week’s plan was for a wide expansive game with quick ball through the hands.
A try in the first 20 seconds by Lloyd at number 11, converted by Max G, demonstrated that this strategy was likely to provide results.

Another quick try from Lloyd nearly followed but unfortunately a final pass that was forward denied Perthshire the score.

Highland came back with some great running from their Full Back, a lovely line to cut through Shire’s defence to score under the posts.
This was followed by another and Highland were ahead by a conversion.

Perthshire had lost their width and the game was slowing down. However a great improvement in rucking by Perthshire meant that Highland were not able to steal the ball and benefit. Perthshire’s defence held strong with many players contributing to the tackle count. Max G was exceptional with a high work rate and superb tackle technique.
A great hand-off and leg drive from Jack nearly got him over the line but he was stopped short by a determined Highland pack

A quick reminder at a water break of the strategy for the day and soon the ball was moving through the hands again.
Max G at Outside Centre, Fergus at Full Back and again Lloyd all making runs to get behind Highlands defence.

By half time Shire had 3 tries.

A quick try for Perthshire after the break and Highland’s heads started to go down.
Perthshire started to move comfortably clear. The forwards driving into Highland’s pack and then the ball going out to the backs for them to run into space.
Fergus and Max G both nicely drawing defenders before offloading to the wings.
Another two tries from Lloyd, both 60+ metre runs gave him a tally of 4

Man of the Match could have gone to a number of players. Lloyd’s 4 tries made him an obvious candidate.
But it was finally awarded to Max G. A brace of tries, along with his great defensive work and well timed offloads made him a worthy winner.
Perthshire look forward to hosting Ayr/Wellington in the final game in the first round of Shogun matches.

Not wanting to miss out on some game time the remainder of the squad headed down to Glenrothes for some time in the Lancer Conference. Unfortunately with low numbers Shire were not in a position to field a full team and with low numbers all round teams combined to give every player the opportunity to play competitive Rugby against and beside new players.

Shires Charlie A-H rose to the occasion by playing number 10 for Glenrothes and taking them to a win in the first game with Fin R providing support and constant pressure when defending forcing the opposition to think twice about their attack. Suilven and Ramsay worked together in the pack and proved a force to be reckoned with by leading the forwards to take control of their game and putting over a couple of tries in the process.

Nathan took a couple of minutes to settle into his new team but quickly found his feet with some great textbook tackles and more than often being the first in the ruck to secure the ball for the backs to move it into space.

Joshua H, although a forward, proved that with commitment you can play anywhere on the pitch and make a difference. Providing a foundation for attack with his one man rucks Josh also showed that with enough speed and determination you can break any line with a blistering 40m carry into an offload leading to a tremendous team try.

Shire Vs Biggar & Alloa

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Biggar

Perthshire started a little slow allowing Biggar to take the upper hand in the first few minutes of the game but they soon found their stride and started to compete on par with Biggar.

Both teams were playing good strong rugby, Perthshire forwards continuing to improve game on game, understanding their strength and power and using this to drive into the opposition pack.

During the pre-match team talk the coaches stressed the need to play simple rugby well, drawing in the defence and then moving the ball wide with the ball going through the hands. The team certainly delivered on this and soon the ball was steered wide to allow the backs to start scoring.

At times the support players were a little too far behind the ball carrier and Perthshire could still be stronger at the breakdown, but the team is certainly moving in the right direction.

Well played Max G (Man Of The Match) whose well angled runs got the team behind Biggar’s defence and resulted in several tries. Fergus and Harvey were also nominated for MOTM by Biggar’s coaches but it rightly went to Max.

Special mentions to

Cian. When the play looked like it was getting bogged down in the forwards Cian delivered a great pass missing out 2 players, getting the ball wide to out flank Biggar.

Jack. A great forward’s try to finish off Perthshire’s tally. Jack used the power he clearly has and a perfect handoff the break through Biggar’s forwards to get over the line.

Joshua is a fearless player and although not one of the largest players he tackles with the best of them.

Alloa

This 7 a side game was no less enthralling that the Shogun game. Played on a half size pitch it gave both teams a lot of opportunity to show their skills.

Tackling in this game from both sides was exceptional. Max (Man of the Match) carried out a tackling masterclass. Every tackle was textbook bringing the ball carrier down cleanly each time. Max was playing at number 9 and his work in this role also contributed to MOTM.

The game was played at a great pace with both teams moving the ball well from one side of the pitch to the other. With some great individual runs and sidesteps thrown into the mix.

As in the Shogun game Perthshire forwards continue to learn of their strength and used this well to drive into the opposition push them onto the back foot and getting the ball onto Perthshire side. Good rucking and then feeding the back kept the score ticking over.

Just as importantly both games were played in a great spirit by all players involved with great skills and sportsmanship on display.

The U13 team continues to grow both as individuals and as a team, with all pulling their weight and capable of competing with the new challenge of the Shogun Conference.

Knowing they needed to keep up the pressure and consistency throughout the game Shire have walked away with a plan to increase their fitness and pitch awareness in support of great displays of skills that will challenge any team in the league on their best day.