SPORT Rugby
In rugby, 2022 was always going to be a challenging year, with many of us keeping our fingers crossed that Covid-19 would be gone by the time the season came around, and the talk all positive. However, the cancellation of the senior preseason week in Auckland in April kept us on edge for the following four months. For College, 2021 had proved to be a stellar year, with the 1st XV reaching the Miles Toyota final in Nelson and many of our other teams finishing in the top four of the local competitions. So, there was genuine
fun requires more referees and more competent administrators in all areas of our game. Concussion in sport is often talked about as another reason rugby is struggling. However, the initiatives around the 21-day standdown and baseline testing have made our players so much safer. These protocols are not 100% safe, but they ensure that repetitive head- knocks in a short space of time are a relic of the past. Everyone – from coaches to parents – is also more aware and educated around injury, rehabilitation, and balance. This awareness is great for the game and all sports where injury for rehabilitation and balance are seen as crucial to boys being at their best. So, I was incredulous when our registrations from 2021 to 2022 went from 170 to 230. Yes, our school roll has increased by about 70 boys, but this was an extremely rare trend where rugby numbers in all male areas of the game were decreasing. This allowed us to register four senior teams, three U15 teams, and three U14 teams. Along with Covid-19, we had several other hurdles to navigate in 2022. Losing our spiritual home, Upper, for two years had more of an impact on our teams than I had banked on. Upper gives our players and school sportsmen a sense of belonging. It is our place where we support our mates, and helps create a College brotherhood that stays with many of the boys for the rest of their lives and creates a special bond not seen in many schools. Not having Upper meant our teams were spread across Hagley Park, which created logistical problems of its own. It also meant all the 1st XV games were away matches.
With 10 teams now in our stable, 20 coaches and 10 managers were required and grounds to train on. Finding the coaches and managers was easy and we had so many quality people looking after our lads. However, we now had four training venues at Hospital Corner, the Christ’s College Cricket Grounds, Bob Deans, and Carlton Corner. The positive was that I got my 10,000 steps in on training days, but ultimately this was not practical and we went back to CCCG and
Carlton Corner. Stephen Dods MiC Rugby
excitement as winter came. Rugby is going through some
extremely tough times. From the top down to junior rugby, times have changed but the game has not kept up. In schools’ rugby, in particular, the game is siloed and many schools are struggling to find coaches and managers. There are many reasons for this but, ultimately, amateur rugby has suffered with the roadshow that is professional rugby and the income required to drive that. The pathways to professional rugby or sport are now cemented in place and boys know if they are on or off the pathway by the time they leave school. This has a big effect on our clubs as aspiration seems to win over participation in modern society. Perhaps the biggest challenges facing our sport are the lack of referees and administrators. To get a match going, only two parties other than the players are required – referees to rule the game and administrators to put the game in place. All the rest involved in rugby are great, but they are not required to create and run an actual game on the day. For rugby to remain strong, safe and
1ST XV RUGBY Manager: Neil Porter Assistant Manager: Kosuke Hashimoto Coach: Ross Kennedy Assistant Coaches: Sam Chamberlain, Tom Meates Trainer: Benn McBrearty Physio: Grant Chittock Team: Jack Smith (captain), Liam Jack (vice-captain), Jayden Sa (vice-captain), Callum Summerfield (vice-captain), Levi Astle, George Austin, Jaiden Beer, Ash Cassidy, Sam Chittock, Will Coombes, George Howard, Leo Jelley, Ethan Jones, Armani Lemalu, Hopo Leota, Ben McAlister, Lachlan McVicar, Frankie Meates, Benji Nation, PJ Palamo, Alex Speight, Tom Thyne, Flynn Topham, Benji Ward For the 2022 preseason programme, a large group of senior players headed to Oˉ nuku Marae in Akaroa for the annual Going To The Well (GTTW) experience, followed by a series of training days at College. GTTW was its usual mix of physical and mental challenges, which tested the players.
297
Register 2022 Sport
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online