It's September so it must be the rugby season again. Travels with Dinno - Doncaster

On a glorious sunny day in September we trooped off to Doncaster. This was a minor miracle as a few hours before my car had broken down. This is a new ground for me and I was impressed with the stadium and grounds and let's get right to it the bacon sandwiches were good as was the hot chocolate. But as these blogs are loosely based on rugby I suppose we had better talk about the day's events.

Throughout the summer and the pre-season the lads have been showing promise after the somewhat strained end to the season. In training the lads are focussed and are showing a willingness to move the ball around and to work as a team. The forwards in particular have impressed. There was a diverse set of views about what people thought was going to happen but my thought was always that this season was always going to be more about rebuilding and if we could show the pre-season form we stood a good chance.

For the first fifteen minutes of the match it was something of a wrestling match with lots of mistakes. The scrum was excellent and we were driving Doncaster backwards. We nearly scored but the try was held up. Neither side was showing any signs of dominance. Dinno continued their dominance and from a ruck the ball came out to one of the Chessie boys, Richard and he passed out to Harry who ran in a try which Jacob then converted. The team was showing strong tackling going forward and was winning a lot of ball and had Doncaster under control. Unfortunately it didn't last and a missed pass in midfield let Donny in and then some poor tackling let them in for a second.

The team worked themselves back in and moved the ball around and the ball worked itself out to Evan on the wing who ran in a try. At half time it was Doncaster 14-12 Dinnington.

The second half of the game started with a number of changes but in a similar manner to the first half. Another missed tackle and Donny ran into score. We struck back with a debut try by Jack which was converted by Brendan. 19-19. Doncaster then ran in two more tries in the corner due to missed tackles. Despite a 'sin binning' the team was good going forward and made chances. Following a penalty Jacob ran in a try which left Doncaster wondering what had hit them. But yet again our tackling let us down and Doncaster put the tie out of reach. Final score Doncaster 38-26 Dinnington.

There were a lot of positives to build on from this performance as the last time these teams met Doncaster demolished us. There is work to do. But a good positive day.

Travels with Dinno Update - Wath, Doncaster and Moortown

Well here is the latest fix for all my readers. The reason for the delay is that I was waiting for some information to come through. That is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Since my last post there has been lots of rugby, lots of nonsense (mainly off field) and lots of positive steps forward in rugby terms despite the results.

On our travels with Dinno we recently visited Wath Upon Dearne. My father in law described it as the last place God made. Other less kind commentators have described it as the arse end of creation.  The snow by the roadside on the way in looked like industrial waste which had spread across the land in some industrial accident. The  sat nav guided us to Moor Road. Unfortunately the location was on the other side of a wall and a two lane highway.

We arrived safely. This is in spite of having to stop and talk to some suspicious looking locals. My advice is when seeking guidance to rugby clubs is only stop somebody who is wearing  walking gear such as Regatta, Berghaus etc. This people will proportionately be more likely to be rugby folk and so be able to help you.

The weather was pleasantly warm after the recent weeks. There was a breeze but for the first time in months we were able to dispense with the winter gear. The clubhouse though small served excellent bacon sandwiches and had an excellent vending machine which served quality coffee and hot chocolate.

We then trooped off onto the rugby pitch and were treated to an excellent game of rugby. Both sides moved the ball around. Both sides had periods where they threatened scores. The team in the first half were ahead but there was no coherence in the forwards. At the changeover a new forward line up came on and was more structured and effective. The forwards not only won the game but they also determined the size of the score as most of the points were scored by forwards. Final score Wath 20 – Dinno 36

Home v Doncaster

Another bright spring day beckoned only the force ten gale seemed likely to affect things. The prior week had seen a clear the air meeting of the parents and the coaching staff. Balance having been restored to the force and having partaken of a bacon roll and a hot chocolate ( maybe I am addicted to this delightful combination)we moved out onto the pitch.

The game did not start well. Through a combination of poor tackling, high winds and Doncaster’s fast back line they went four tries to nil up. Dinno then woke up and brought the score back to 22 – 17. The problem the team had was that a team with players such as Doncaster possess you can’t allow them that sort of lead. Despite Dinno playing well Doncaster added  another try and conversion 29 – 17. Dinno managed to get over for another try and conversion. 29 – 24.

There were positives from the performance. The team continues to bond better. With a better judgment they might well have brought the score back level at least with a scrum move.

The future whilst being uncertain looks bright if the team continues to progress in this manner. Next up for the Dinno treatment is Moortown.

Home v Moortown

When I arrived today the weather was delightfully spring like. I had dispensed with a coat altogether. But that is the kind of life I lead on the edge. I went into the clubhouse to see a stressed looking Val dealing with a parent from the opposition whose little darling did not have a gumshield. The mother seemed intent on trying every gumshield in the place and I feared for her ability to escape the clubhouse intact. 

Having had my regular nourishment (bacon roll and hot chocolate) I ventured out into the 'warmth' (only a force 5 gale today). I went round to the top edge of the field and waited for the match to start. Beforehand having come up against Moortown I was relatively upbeat and confident that a win was on the cards. Unfortunately somebody had merged Moortown with Yarnbury. Moortown were not great but Yarnbury usually were. As with last week's match the opposition went 22-0 up including a 60 metre interception try. The lads then woke up and started to drag things back. The set pieces were better and by half time the score was 22-12 to Moortown.

After half time Jake came on and ran in a try - 22-17. Unfortunately 'Moortown' had worked out how to deal with him. They then ran in a number of tries. Final score 17-41.

The result does not flatter Moortown. There were positive signs in development terms. There is now just a Festival match against Scunthorpe in a couple of weeks.

During the close season I will be working on some other posts and also a team management tool.

The festive season and Travels with Dinno 2013: Scunthorpe

Well greetings from the Costa del Worksop. The weather in these last few weeks since my last post has been a balmy barely getting into single figures and the heatwave is set to continue into the weekend.

My daily sojourns to work in Sutton In Ashfield, cultural hub of Nottinghamshire, have been interrupted by rain, floods, vanilla drivers[1], the festive season, a lethal dose of flu and work.  I survived the festive season by entering that state of my being known as ‘grumpy old bastard’.

Despite my illness I cooked and entertained over two weekends and also survived the annual visit to the in laws and the reactions to various seasonal offerings.

Due to the weather rugby finished early and due to the illness the planned visit to the club on Boxing Day was shelved.

Last weekend I revisited a place I have not been for probably 13 years. The club’s first fixture of 2013 was in ‘sunny Scunny’. Well if we are being strictly accurate ‘misty, cold Scunthorpe’.  I used to visit the place a couple of times each year when my sister was in Irish dancing tournaments every weekend. I have always visited it either in the dark or on a train and so this visit was a new experience, actually visiting for something I enjoyed. My previous visit was for business purposes. I attended a business conference where the person delivering it said that ‘If your friends don’t support your business get rid of them and get some new ones.’ Shortly after this revelatory conference I decided where they could stick the business.

In this life you will encounter many people a few of whom will become friends. Of these, a handful will become true friends who may not always agree with you but will be there for you. I decided that these people were more important to me than wealth, which was by no means guaranteed.

Anyway back to the rugby. The journey up the motorways was relatively uneventful, apart from the police car at the entry to the M180 and the unmarked police car a few miles further on which had pulled over a motorist. The weather drifted from beautiful sunshine right through to full blown mirk.

Scunthorpe have a nice little set up. The clubhouse is well maintained and the pitches had held up well in the weather. I was missing the staff and bell around my neck. The gentle banter of the Dinno parents was a joy as I announced that I was recovering from flu.

The match started with the development team. The boy was at fly half again. The game started at a fast pace and quickly Dinno started to dominate with strong passing and driving runs. We soon went 7-0 up with a try from Olly and a conversion from Will (I think). The referee was praised because he clearly explained his decisions to the players even if those decisions left the spectating parents somewhat baffled at times. The development team maintained their style of play but were unable to make another breakthrough and Scunthorpe despite their pack appearing to tire early on managed to get the ball out to their backs who had plenty in the tank.

The development team lack the devastating pace of some of the first XV and so could not catch their opposition. That being said they played rugby in the right way. At half time the score was 15-7 to Scunthorpe. In the second half the first XV turned things around and the score finished 38-20 to Dinno. 

Normally I would go into detail about scorers etc but I didn’t keep a track of what was happening. I would also normally comment on the refreshments available at the club but due to the delicate state of my constitution I didn’t sample the delights on offer, maybe next time.

The weekly awards went to Kieran, Jake, Ben and, much to my surprise, the boy. He seems to have taken to the position of fly half and he at least went home happy. I remarked to the coach before I knew this that he had come off and for the first time had had no complaints[2].

The boy is starting to settle within the team and is starting to enjoy his rugby more. He now has a rowing machine to train on and is at least thinking about his fitness.

Weather permitting this weekend we are against Old Brods a blast from the Huddersfield days. They like to grind out the results through the pack and if you don’t try and blast down the middle and use width you should beat them.

See you beside a rugby pitch soon.

---

[1] Drivers who are physically incapable of driving at any speed other than 40mph

[2] The boy has a tendency to overanalyse his performance and that of his teams and be a bit hypercritical. We are trying to get him to lighten up a bit but he is a teenager and so there is little danger of that.

Travels with Dinno (4/11/12): Sheffield Part 2: The Revenge

Hello again rugby fans. It is that time of the week when I regale you with my travels around the country in support of Dinnington u13s. This week's fun and frolics were at Sheffield RUFC at Abbeydale Park. This was our second visit of the year and as ever the ties were much anticipated. Local bragging rights were on offer.

The weather was dull and icy cold. The boy had goosepimples on his goosepimples. Like a typical teenager he just stood there shivering. He refused the offer of hot chocolate (which was very nice by the way especially with the bacon sandwich). It didn't occur to him to keep his tracksuit bottoms on. He stood there like a typical teenager grunting when asked questions and trying to convince the world that he is tough and that the icy cold didn't bother him.

So on to the match. First up with the two first XVs. Sheffield quickly set about their business of getting revenge for the absolute thumping they got last time. They went 12 - 0 up. Shortly after a try was not awarded to Dinno but we couldn't see why but then Adam shot down the wing and got one back. The difficult conversion was missed and the score was 12-5. After that we didn't trouble the scorers and Sheffield ran out 29-5 winners. The first XV did not seem to be up for the match and there was possibly a hangover from last week's match. Their usual fluency was just not there and Sheffield made the most of it.

While all this was going on the second XV were spending their time periodically running laps around the pitch to keep them warm and limbered up.

The match started and as with the match a few weeks ago this was a tight affair. The forwards were pumped and were driving and mauling and stealing possession. The thing they did differently this time was that they moved the ball out to the backs. The boy was playing at Fly Half (his fourth position of the season) and seemed to thrive. He is not a natural there as he has no kicking game at all. What he did do was keep things moving. He worked with Sam at scrum half dictating moves and with Kieran and James in the backs. They were communicating with each other. When they got the ball they ran it. The icing on the cake was that they passed the ball early after drawing in the man and created space.

After an aggressive forwards move the ball came out to the boy who popped up a pass to Brad who ran it in  for a try in the corner 5-0 at half time.

The performance continued after half time as before. The boy got into a position near the try line and could probably have run in the try himself but he gave the ball to Kieran who scored near the posts and then Brendan put the conversion over. After that Sheffield started to feed in their first team players partly due to injuries (all three hookers were injured in the matches). They scored two tries due to speed and pace on the break.

Personally I think the draw flattered them a bit. Dinno were worthy of the win. The most pleasing aspect was the all round display. There were forwards running down the wing, making driving runs through the middle of the pitch. When it came to picking the awards after the match the award could have gone to any number of players.

It was rugby at its best. Next week Dinno face Morley in the Yorkshire Cup 2nd round.

PS any suggestions of bias in my reporting of matches is entirely justified because like everybody else involved I am biased. Happy rugby.