During August, the Bloxham 1st XV and the Colts had a great time on a pre-season rugby training trip to Exeter
Before leaving, all 40 boys had a fun training session at Bloxham to get them in the mood for all things rugby. Although the weather was fairly miserable at Bloxham, the boys were extremely excited to see each other and to get their hands on a rugby ball again. The lucky staff’ accompanying the trip were Andy Goldsmith, Richard Devesa, Brett Richmond and recent World Cup winner Amber Reed!
Our venue for the week was Exeter University’s Mardon Hall, one of the university’s oldest accommodation blocks with fantastic views overlooking the River Exe. As soon as we arrived the boys were set to work on the brand new rubber crumb (4G) rugby pitch at the University’s main sports park. One of the main focuses of the training was basic attacking structure. The training was hard work, with the boys taking part in two two-hour, high intensity training sessions a day. That evening, everyone enjoyed a nice pub dinner close by, and then headed back for a well-deserved night’s sleep.
Wednesday was a tough day as the boys were taking part in contact training, giving them plenty of time to rest up before their game on Friday. The morning session focused on basic individual tackling technique and then working as a team in defence, whilst the afternoon session was on rucking. Both teams worked really well throughout the day and enjoyed a swimming recovery session for an hour in the evening – giving many of the boys the opportunity to practise their underwater wrestling techniques! A trip to town in the evening to taste the finest food that Exeter has to offer rounded off a great day for both staff and students.
Thursday saw everyone up early for a’7:30am training session. The focus on the morning’s training revolved around defensive structure for the 1st’XV, whilst the Colts tried out their aerial skills. The early start meant left plenty of time for a trip to the beach at Exmouth, with good weather, great local food and crazy golf. Upon our return there was a late training session which concentrated on forward and back play moves.
With MCS Oxford in town, Friday was the perfect opportunity to play two pre-season games. The Colts were up first and, despite being under pressure for the first 20 minutes, defended very well. One of the main positives of the game was the presentation at the ruck and the intensity of the rucking itself, this garneted lots of quick ball for the backs to use. Two well worked tries gave the Colts a 10-0 lead going into the last 20 minutes. The long week was certainly showing in the last section of the game, but Bloxham held on to win the match 10-5. The most pleasing aspect of the game was how well the lineout went, especially as the majority had only started learning how to lift less than 24 hours previously. Next, the 1st XV came out to play in what was a very physical and well-matched game. Bloxham played with great intensity in their defence as MCS had much of the ball for the first 20 minutes. When Bloxham had the ball in hand they found great success out wide, with plenty of space to exploit of which they did, finishing off a fantastic run of offloads for their second try. The game finished in a 10-10 draw, a fair reflection of the game. Post-match, the 1st XV highlighted their defensive structure and rucking technique as key areas to work on for the future. With the rugby finished, all that was left was a relaxing afternoon, which ended in a fun and competitive 5 a-side football tournament, giving the staff the chance to show the students how it’s done.
A very well organised and fun pre-season was had by all, the boys worked very hard from the start with lots of progress being made during the week. From what we saw of the boys there is a lot to be excited about for Bloxham Rugby this season!