On Friday 29th April 2016 a squad of 12 players from the Girls u15 team headed to Melbourne Rugby Club in Derbyshire, England for the Melbourne Minxes 7’s tournament. We departed Liberton High School at 1345 and prepared for the 5 hour drive. With one stop off we arrived at the camp site around 1915 and quickly pitched our tents for the weekend. Some of the other teams in the various age categories had sent an advanced party to put their tents up for their players which showed the support base of some of the larger Clubs. After some food we settled down for our 1st night.
The overnight conditions were challenging with low temperatures and rain, however, the players took it in their stride and impressed the coaching team with their resilience. On Day 1 we were drawn against Littleborough, Cobham and Tewkesbury. Our first game against Cobham from Surrey was a difficult challenge playing against a team with County and Divisional players. Not only that, but as we took to the pitch the heavens opened with rain and hail… good Scottish conditions you may say. Our Girls stuck in well and challenged Cobham in the early exchanges however, they stretched away from us to get the win in the opening game. Jodie Kidd opened our scoring account in the tournament as well as taking a hefty hit in the act of scoring which she recovered well from.
Some of the players may still have been warming up from the cold first night in game 1 as our 2nd game against Tewkesbury from Gloucestershire was more impressive with some lovely 7’s tries- most notably a first phase score from a lineout on the opposite side of the pitch finished by Natasha Alexander. Not so notable was the fact that, once again, as we took to the pitch, the black clouds coming from the North West opened and we were once again playing in winter conditions… so much for summer rugby. Also on the score sheet in game 2 was Beth Frith- who had met up to play with the squad in Melbourne after leaving Edinburgh 5 months ago, Chelsea Knox and Toni Niven. Tewkesbury held in for a one try victory in this game, but it definitely gave the squad confidence after our baptism of fire against a slick Cobham outfit.
Our Final game of Day 1 saw us play Littleborough from Rochdale, thankfully the sun made a brief appearance for this game. This was an entertaining match which remained close until the start of the 2nd half where Beth Frith completed, not only a hat trick, but went one better with 4 tries in this game. Also on the score sheet was our speedster Natasha Alexander who was a continual threat whenever there was the slightest glimpse of daylight.
Day 1 games concluded at 1830 and the players then went and received medical support as well as recovery sessions to prepare for Day 2. None of the players had taken part in a 2 day rugby event before, so it was stressed upon them the importance of recovery to prepare for Day 2. Part of the tour as well as having fun was to get the players into habits that would serve them well in years to come. It was becoming evident that Night 2 was going to be another challenging one in terms of the weather and the coaching team not only did running repairs to any bruised players, but also some DIY work to the tents to keep them wind and waterproof. The players were fed and then given some downtime where they could listen to some of the bands that were playing in the marquee, or some elected to rest before Day 2.
An early start to Day 2 allowed us the morning to relax as the u15 games didn’t start until after lunch. Some of the players chose to watch the Mini Girls Rugby games that were being played or the u18 and Senior Women’s matches on the main pitch. There were also digital images from Day 1 on display in the marquee and some stalls to buy presents for the family.
After lunch we played Game 4 against Old Richians from Gloucester who were physically stronger than our squad and played a direct game. We held in well against them and punched above our weight.
In Game 5 we played Minehead from Somerset who, again, were a strong side with our players struggling to deal with the physicality and Minehead coming off a good win against Littleborough. The Minehead players had also played together for 4 seasons.
With some tired bodies that was the end of Day 2 and the Girls had got through a massive amount of work and had impressed all the coaching team. However, the awards evening was yet to come. Not only were the scores taken into consideration, but the referees were also awarding points based on England Rugby’s core values- sportsmanship, respect, discipline, teamwork and enjoyment, so this left each pool still wondering who had won.
When Nick Woodhead, the event organiser (pictured with the players) announced the winners of the u15 pools there was great relief amongst the squad who had been 2nd in the Scottish Bowl (15’s), 2nd at Melrose 7’s and 3rd at Perthshire 7's this season, as Lismore were announced the winners of pool 2.
This was a great achievement for the players especially those that are on the Performance Pathway at Liberton High School which is a values based programme. Day 2 was concluded with the fancy dress evening with DJ and band.
An early start on Monday morning saw us dismantle our camp and pack it up before heading back North over the Border with a cheery, yet tired coach load of players. Overall, a great experience for the players in their first 2 day event and especially rewarding to get recognition for the players behavior on and off the pitch. From a coaching point of view we believe that this tour has challenged the players physically, mentally and emotionally in a positive manner as well as developing their rugby skills. It was also great to play against teams from all over the Country and see the different rugby cultures.
A massive thanks to Melbourne Minxes for hosting us and all the referees who put in a mammoth shift!