Hi everyone! I am back here to update my blog once again on my recent rugby game! The game took place today at St Joseph Institution (SJI). The Saints Alumni Rugby Team played against the SJI U-15 Team in both the 10-a-side match and 15-a-side match.

The Saints U-35 Team played against SJI U-15 Team (Sec 3s & 4s) in two quarters of the 10-a-side match whereas the Saints Over-35 played against the SJI U-15 Team (Sec 1s & 2s) in the remaining of the two quarters of the 10-a-side match.

The 10-a-side made all of us exhausted! I was sent into the field to play the position of a hooker! We didn't really played well for the first quarter and beacause of poor defence and broke down in communication , we conceeded in a try to the opponent's team. During the 5 minutes break , we gathered around and discussed on a new strategy. We came up with a strategy whereby we will get the ball into a corner of the line-out throw in line and before any of us who is holding on to the ball got pushed out of the line-out throw in line , will do a long distance pass to the center to do the finishing move! When we were 2 minutes into the second quarter , we scored a try using that strategy we came up with! Not long after , during the 8th minute , we scored another try! As the time pass by , the final whistle blew and the Under-35 Team won!(:

After the 10-a-side match , there was a 15 minutes break followed by the 15-a-side game. For the 15-a-side game , the Saints Alumni Team (U-35 & Over-35) played against the SJI U-15 Team (Sec 1s - 4s) for four quarters.

This time round , I was sent in to play the position of tighthead prop and then exhanged position with Yap to play loosehead prop! Playing in a 15-a-side game isn't that tired as compared to 10-a-side. For the 15-a-side game , the Saints Alumni dominated in the game and I was praised for the great runs that I did!(: We made use of the forwards to dominate the whole game while the backline players did the runnings! Overall , the game was well-played!(:

Reflections:
I was told that I need to train up on my running speed as I am beginning to slow down a little. So , I am planning to run for 30 minutes per day from my house to my secondary school and back home again.



Until then..

Today's training was mainly focusing on physical and strength conditioning. In other words , it ia work-out at the gymnasium! I was told to focus on training my bi-ceps & tri-ceps for today's training. The purpose of that is to help me to gain more arm muscles to help in playing the field positions of hooker or props. These positions requires a lot of strength expecially during a scrum play whereby we have to contest for the ball. Though gym training was real tough today but overall , it was still fun! :)

Today's blog post , I shall be blogging more about the background of rugby and an overview if it! Adding to that , I will be blogging about the rugby union field positions in which I will be training for as well! :)



Rugby Union Background:

A rugby union team is made up of 15 players - eight forwards , numbered from 1 to 8 ; and seven backs , numbered from 9 to 15. Depending upon the competition , there may be up to seven replacements.

Each player has a fixed role with specialist positional skills and each team uses the same formation , with only minor variations ; in this respect it is different from both football with its various formations (4-3-3, 3-5-2, etc.) and cricket , where players are commonly moved from one field position to another (e.g. from silly mid-on to deep cover point).

Early rugby did no more than distinguish in tactics between the great bulk of the players who played as forwards and the relative few who played back defensively as "tends" , as in goaltenders. After a while , the attacking or at least counter-attacking possibilities of playing close behind the scrimmage (which later came to be called "scrummage") came to be recognized , and some players stationed themselves between the forwards and tends as "half-tends". It being seen that the players outside scrimmage (the "pack", i.e. the forwards) were not limited to a defensive role , the tends and half-tends were renamed "back" and "half back" positions.

As the game became more sophisticated , backs positioned at different depths (i.e. distances behind the forwards) were further differentiated into half back , three quarters (the fraction 3/4) back , and full back, according to British nomenclature , which was eventually adopted worldwide , with the word , 'back ," often omitted for brevity from the half back ("half") and three quarters back ("three quarter") names , and "fullback" as a single word.






Overview:

Individual players' positions are made clear by the number they wear , as this generally indicates their role on the pitch (unless they are a substitute or have switched position during the match). This meansva player does not get a personal squad number for his entire career , as in most American sports or in football. The International Rugby Board (IRB) has laid down a numbering scheme for international matches , which is adopted at almost all levels of the sport.

The main role of the forwards is to gain and retain possession of the ball. They take part in set pieces of the scrum and the line-out. Generally , forwards are larger than the backs , and were traditionally stronger but slower and less agile. However , the modern game has seen a change in the athleticism of forwards - many are now just as fast and adept in open play as their counterparts in the backs. Forwards also have a role in ball carrying, but generally do so by driving into the opposing forwards. The Laws of the Game define the terms prop , hooker , locks , flankers and number eights and clearly state that a 3-2-3 or 3-4-1 formation must be used at scrums.

The role of the backs is to take the ball won by the forwards and score points , either by running or kicking the ball. They are usually more agile and faster than forwards , but not as strong. The key attribute for most positions in the back line is pace - however , the various specialist positions also require different skills , for example , the kicking abilities needed by a good flyhalf or fullback. Again , the type of person who would traditionally play in the backs - small , agile , fast - is changing , with the advent of professionalism bringing increased size and strength into the backs.

The following diagram locates the various positions in the 15-man team. All members of the starting 15 wear shirts numbered from 1 to 15 and keyed to their positions (though alternatives exist) ; these numbers appear on the diagram below. The first eight players , known as forwards or the pack , play in the scrum. The remaining seven players play as the backs.



Rugby Union Positions:

1. Loosehead prop & 3. Tighthead prop
The role of both the loose - and tighthead props is to support the hooker in the scrum and to provide effective , dynamic support for the jumpers in the line-out. Along with the second row , the props provide the main power in the push forward in the scrum. For this reason they are usually the strongest and heaviest players in the team. Under modern rules non-specialists are not allowed to play as props (or hooker) as specialist skills are required to ensure the scrum does not collapse , a situation which can be very dangerous sometimes resulting in crushing or breaking of the neck and spine. If there are not enough props or hookers on either team (and no replacements are available) , uncontested scrums will be set , where no pushing is permitted , and the team putting the ball into the scrum has to win it.

A tighthead prop is so called because they pack down on the right-hand side of the scrum and so (because the players engage to the left of their opponents) their head fits between the opposing loosehead prop and hooker. In contrast , the loosehead prop packs down on the left-hand side where their head is outside that of the opposing tighthead prop. Although it may look to the neutral observer that the two positions are quite similar (and some players have the ability to play on both sides of the scrum) , the technical challenges of each are quite different.

The laws of the game require the tighthead prop to bind with his right arm outside the left upper arm of his opposing loosehead prop and similarly they restrict what the loosehead prop can do with his left arm. Hence , the laws implicitly require the loosehead prop to be on the left side of the scrum. Although the scrum half may put the ball in on either side of the scrum, he is unlikely to choose the tighthead side because otherwise the opposing hooker would be between him or her and his or her own hooker.

Props are also in the position of being able to direct the movement of the scrum in moving side to side to prevent the other team's scrum from "wheeling" the set scrum and forcing another "put in" from the opposing side.

Outside of the scrum and line-outs, props use their great strength and weight to win rucks and mauls for their teams and to make large drives forwards with the ball.


2. Hooker
Hookers are a key position in attacking and defensive play. The name is derived from the fact that hookers use their feet to 'hook' the ball in the scrum ; because of the pressure put on the body by the scrum it is considered to be one of the most dangerous positions to play. They also normally throw the ball in at line-outs. Hookers have more in common with back row forwards than props or locks only during line-outs as they have a roving role at line-outs. Hookers typically are a key player in the scrum as they are the main force pushing and resisting , although some teams give the responsibility to the props. In addition, hookers may act as an extra prop in the scrum , instead of contesting the feed , to wreak havoc on opposition feeds.

The hooker is assisted by the props in scrums and often leads a ruck. In defensive play , the hooker will regularly be the main attacker in most open-ended plays. In more complicated moves , the Hooker may remain a defence for the backs. Hookers are usually the leaders in most attacking moves and tend to control the forwards.


6. Blindside flanker & 7. Openside flanker
Flanker is a fairly dynamic position with the fewest set responsibilities during the game. It is their responsibility to clear up messy balls to start a new phase of play , meaning they play a major role in maintaining/gaining possession after handling errors.

In the scrum , flankers do less pushing than the tight five , but they have to break away quickly and attempt to tackle the opposing backs if the opposition wins the scrum ; and to cover their own half backs if they win the scrum. Due to their role in the scrum , flankers should be fairly heavy whilst still having speed and power.

Considering how dynamic this position is , flankers can adapt slightly to their own style of play ; for example , they can become big figures in tackling and mauls , or use their speed to run with the backs for tactical manoeuvres.


14. and 11. Wing
The wings act as "finishers" on movements by scoring tries. The idea is that space should be created by the forwards and backs inside the wingers so that once they receive the ball , they have a clear run for the try-line. Wings are almost always the quickest members of the team , but also need to be able to side step and otherwise avoid opponents in order to score tries. In modern games , wingers often "come off the wing" to provide extra men in the midfield , in the same vein as a full back , particularly if play has moved away from their wing. Traditionally , wingers are small and fast but since the game became professional (and largely due to Jonah Lomu) , wingers are often as big as forwards. Wingers of this variety are often used as extra flankers to gain the "hard yards" by carrying the ball directly into contact with opponents , gaining ground slowly through phased play.

Wingers often act as additional full backs on opposition kicks. In addition to this responsibility , they must get back from an opposition kick to give the full back options on either side. The modern game means that the back three tend to act as a unit in fielding kicks and counterattacking , rather than all responsibility lying with the full back. Wingers need to have all the skills of a full back , though the emphasis would be on attack rather than defence. As such , many players are as competent on the wing as at full back.

A common tactic is to have the winger receive the ball and then cut towards the centre of the pitch. This changes the direction of play , which may catch the opposition off guard , or may create space for the outside centre to receive a switch pass or "scissors pass".

A modern use of the wing is as a link player. They retain all the traditional skills of a wing , but are able to combine these with skills more traditionally associated with half backs. As the play goes through multiple phases, the scrum-half or fly-half may be taken out of the play. If this occurs the blind side wing can step in to perform a creative role.



As you can see , I will be training on a few rugby union positions due to the fact that I have those qualities in me. Not only that , but also , the old boys of the Saint Andrew's Alumni Rugby Team would like me to act as a replacement just in case anyone of them are injured and etc. Overall , I will still focus more on training the field positions for hooker and winger!:)

I shall end here for now.
Until then.. :)

Yeah! Finally this blog is created for my personal development project. The project is regarding about choose one out of the two smart goals that I had did a write-up on and further elaborate on how am I going to go about carrying it out! So do check it out my blog more often and stay tune for the next blog post coming soon!

Until then..