Two teams, twelve Hatchlings and another fantastic Sunday morning of rugby!
The Pythons Hatchlings travelled to Aireborough with two strong teams, bags of enthusiasm and a determination to put our famous motto into practice: “Attack the spaces, not the faces!”
With the Hatchlings continuing to grow in confidence and ability, it was another brilliant opportunity to show just how far our youngest Pythons have come.
Hatchlings Aces: Rory, Oliver, Curtis, Caleb, Ben and Phoebe. Head coach Colin.
Hatchlings Aces produced some excellent individual performances, with plenty of tries, fantastic running and some determined defensive efforts.
Caleb was in flying form, crossing the line an impressive six times, while Oliver wasn’t far behind with four tries of his own. Ben also found his way over the line on three occasions, with both Curtis and Phoebe adding to the team’s tally.
Ben and Curtis produced some lovely attacking runs, showing real confidence with ball in hand. Curtis also deserves a special mention for some outstanding try-saving tags, refusing to let the Aireborough players through without a fight!
Oliver was another standout performer, combining some excellent attacking runs with committed defensive work. Rory and Phoebe also showed great determination, making some lovely runs and growing in confidence as the morning progressed.
There are still a few things for this group to work on. At times, our passing disappeared and everyone seemed to develop a sudden fascination with standing in exactly the same bit of grass! Spreading out, recognising space and maintaining our defensive shape will be big focuses in training.
But there’s no doubting the effort, enthusiasm and attacking ability on display!
Hatchlings Bees: Arthur, Athena, Willow, Mabel, Frankie and Seb. Head coach Sean
Hatchlings Bees were equally impressive, producing some genuinely lovely rugby and showing how well they are beginning to understand the game.
What really stood out was their willingness to pass the ball, look for space and work together, rather than simply running straight into the opposition.
Willow and Athena demonstrated some fantastic footwork, with lovely sidesteps that left a few Aireborough defenders wondering where they’d gone!
Frankie was in particularly determined mood, running with real intensity and powering his way through the Aireborough defence. Once Frankie gets going, stopping him is certainly no easy task!
Arthur, Mabel and Seb all played their part in a strong team performance, showing enthusiasm, commitment and a growing understanding of how to support their teammates.
Defensively, the whole group was absolutely superb!
The famous Pythons Wall was out in force, with all six players working together, holding their defensive shape and producing some fantastic last-ditch tags to prevent Aireborough tries.
It was brilliant to watch the determination to get back, defend together and support one another. Some of those try-saving tags were every bit as impressive as the tries being scored at the other end!
Monty the Python: Player of the Day!
A huge congratulations to Oliver, who was this week’s very deserving recipient of Monty the Python! Presented by our Director of Rugby Tom Baxter.
Oliver had a fantastic morning, scoring four tries, making some brilliant attacking runs and showing real determination with his defensive tagging. A great all-round performance and a thoroughly deserved award!He even took a knock to the face!
Oliver now has the honour of looking after Monty for the next week. Look after him, Oliver! We expect Monty to be fed, ed and treated like royalty. No leaving him in the garden, no letting the dog get hold of him, and we want him back in one piece next week!
What we loved
Across both teams, there was so much to be proud of. We’re seeing more confident running, some excellent footwork, increasingly positive passing and, perhaps most importantly, children beginning to understand how to play together as a team.
There were some fantastic individual moments, but the biggest positive was seeing the Hatchlings supporting one another, enjoying their rugby and continuing to grow in confidence.
What we’re working on
We’ve still got a few things to sharpen up, particularly our passing, defensive shape and spotting the spaces rather than bunching together.
Sometimes we look like a beautifully organised rugby team. Other times we look like twelve children chasing the last biscuit at a birthday party!
But that’s exactly what minis rugby is about. Learning, developing, having fun and getting a little bit better every week.
A big thank you!
A huge thank you to Aireborough for hosting us and providing another excellent morning of rugby. It’s always great to see young players from both clubs enjoying themselves and developing their skills.
A special mention must go to our brilliant coaches, Sean, Tim, Jon and Colin, for their hard work, enthusiasm and encouragement throughout the morning. Giving up their Sunday mornings to help our Hatchlings develop, grow in confidence and, most importantly, enjoy their rugby is hugely appreciated. We couldn’t do it without you!
And, as always, a massive well done to all twelve Hatchlings and the carers/parents who continue to support this fantastic little group.
Every week we’re seeing more confidence, more skills and more smiles, and that’s what it’s all about!
Player First. Rugby Second. Winning Third.
Every Kid. Every Chance. Every Session.
Up the Pythons!