Billingham hosted a second ladies development day on Sunday 19th February. Rovers travelled with 13 players and were joined by guest Rachel and coach Emily pulled the boots on to help give direction from the pitch.

Rovers were joined by Billingham and Bishop Auckland. It was decided to play each team as individuals and then join up for a full 15 a side game.

First up was Billingham. Billingham had 7 ladies so Rovers matched this and played 7 a side. Rovers started really brightly and ran up a lead with some really strong direct runs. The second half was all Billingham who started to move the ball around in typical Billingham fashion and started to find room. A very entertaining game.

Next up was Bishop who had 8 players so we played 8 a side. Bishop had some experienced players and this showed when their super fast 10 raced through for a couple of tries. Another excellent game of rugby.

Bishop and Billingham then teamed up to create a 15 and they played against Rovers in their first ever 15 a side game. Scrums and line outs were uncontested but everything else was live.

Rovers played some really good rugby and scored a few good tries. Strong runs with good support allowed the ball to be moved around the big pitch. Tackling was first class with not one tackle missed. All the coaches were pleasantly surprised how well the ladies performed and put into play what they had been practicing so hard in training.

This festival was the first taste of 15 a side rugby for the majority of players who took part...and they loved it. The ladies will learn more from that experience than any training session. It really helped bring the team closer together and get them even more excited for training and games ahead. Rovers had 13 players attend the development day which is incredible considering the short space of time they have been formed. More are needed and any new players who may want to give it a try, or any players that have played in the past and want to start again are very welcome.

Thank you to Phil of Billingham for organising the event and Rovers will be looking to host a similar event in mid March. Billingham and Bishop ladies are a credit to your clubs with the RFU core values on show throughout.

Training continues on Wednesday 6:30pm and Sundays 2:00pm. All new players are welcome. Don't think its too late to join...its not. We have plenty of coaches to help you take your first steps into rugby.

We have a thriving female section with teams for girls from year 7 right through to a senior ladies team. Come and join the fastest growing female sport in the country.