Hi all,
Gilly has spoken from day 1 about the importance of setting small goals rather than making goals such as ‘we are aiming for promotion.’ That mantra and philosophy has never been more important than it was at the start of October, after losing our unbeaten record at the end of September we knew it was vital that as a squad we bounced back in October and put performances in that we are proud of, and looking back on all fixtures in October we can proudly say that was the case.
With the World Cup no longer providing selection headaches for myself and Gilly both the first XV and second XV have been much more settled in October, and with standout performances from numerous players selection is taking longer and longer each week. This coupled with the fantastic numbers we are having at training highlights the fantastic work that the coaching staff and players have put in so far this season. We are consistently hitting 40+ on a Tuesday and Thursday and when you add Colts and Touch into that we are having in the region of 60 players training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Couple that with M and J training on a Sunday and Wednesday, the club is in a fantastic place.
1st XV Results
Veseyans 43 - 36 Old Wheatleyans
Coventry Welsh 21 - 44 Veseyans
The two games that the 1st XV have had this month show both the strength in depth and the belief in our own ability. The home game against Old Wheats highlighted both the best and worst of Veseyans Rugby this season with an opening 25 minutes which is the worst we have played in a long time coupled with the next 40 being some of the best we have played this season. The character shown to come from 20 points behind to win the game was outstanding. We then travelled to an unbeaten Coventry Welsh who had been relegated from the league above last season, where we knew we would need to play much better. The team performance was fantastic and again epitomised the kind of rugby both me and Gilly want us to play, it was only due to some lapses in concentration towards the end of the second half where Welsh were able to bring some parity to the score line.
2nd XV/Casuals Results
Veseyans 41 - 35 Aston Uni
Veseyans 53 - 14 Aston Old Ed’s 2s
Veseyans Casuals 17 - 14 Burntwood 3s
The 2nd XV remained unbeaten in October and now haven’t lost a game since the opening day of the season. What has been most pleasing about the 2nd XV so far this season is the consistency with which selection has been, there are now 10-12 players who are consistently available and this is having an impact on both individual and team performance. This has been highlighted in the quality of run throughs in training where often it is difficult to see the difference between the two sides in quality. There are a number of players knocking on the door of the 1st XV and this only drives players to play better in both sides. With the success of both the casuals and 2nd XV we have also seen more players return to Veseyans this month with several ex colts returning to training as well as Alex Morgan returning after some inspiration from Ten Mile Rugby. This again only further improves standards in training as well as increased numbers for selection, we are close to fielding a 3rd XV on a regular basis and that is now the aim by the end of the current season.
Looking forward to November, both sides have some challenging fixtures but with the current positive vibe in the squad we go into them full of confidence.
1st XV Fixtures
4th Nov v Uttoxeter (home 2:15 ko)
11th Nov v Southam (away 2:15 ko)
18th Nov v Woodrush (away 2:15 ko)
2nd XV Fixtures
4th Nov v Old Yardleians (away 2:15 ko)
11th Nov v Bromsgrove 3s (home 2:15 ko)
18th Nov v Woodrush 2s (away 2:15 ko)
Casuals Fixtures
11th Nov v Old Yardleians (away 2:15 ko)
Looking into December we have our Former Players Lunch on the 2nd of December where the 1st XV host Barkers Butts in what is likely to be a top of the table clash. I look forward to seeing plenty of former players down and potentially coaxing some out of retirement for potential 3rd XV games or the Captains v Chairmans game on Boxing Day.
Finally from me, make sure to go to the below link to vote for try of the month for October, as you can see the standard and quality of some of the tries that have been scored is excellent;
I look forward to seeing many of you over the next few weeks.
Up the Vs!
Ali