A bleak December morning and a bracing winter wind faced both sets of players as the Old Pats U11s Barbarian’s squad travelled along the Golden Valley to play Gordon League RFC. The cold weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of either team though!

Upon arrival, as Gordon League RFC are a newly formed team at this age group, both teams came together to participate in a collaborative 30 minute training session, focussing on the basics of tackling and rucking. Once the training session had been completed players then separated back into their respective teams and got ready to play a match against each other.

The Barbarian’s, being more experienced, were the dominant team throughout and were able to play the game on the front foot, scoring some excellent individual tries and demonstrating some great teamwork to retain possession of the ball. However, Gordon League were far from outclassed and played their part well with some strong running, only to be denied by some last-ditch tackles by a determined Barbarian defence.

In summary, a thoroughly enjoyable morning with players, coaches and parents from both teams demonstrating the core rugby values of Teamwork, Enjoyment and Sportsmanship. The joint training session certainly promoted a sense of camaraderie between all the players, which was very evident when the final whistle went and everyone enjoyed a hot dog together, out of the wind, in the home team’s club house.

A massive thank you to Gordon League for hosting us. We look forward to returning the favour, both in the very near future and for many years to come.