Training in the snow

The S1/2 aiming for the camera man.

Nice kick Robbie.

Duncan scoring a try.

Last Sunday saw us having to train in the snow at Union Park . With silly hats and welly boots may tries were scored and the scoring team were able to pelt the opposition with snow balls.

After training it was back to the clubhouse for soup , hot chocolate and Robbies birthday cake !

Thanks to everyone who came along.

S1/2 at annual Blairgowrie tournament

Whose hand was that ....

S1/2 lined up against Panmure.

This sunday (31.10.10) saw the S1/2 squad head to Blairgowrie for their annual tournament. The team played 3 matches against Panmure, Carnoustie and Blairgowrie. A well earned try was scored by Callum T against hosts Blairgowrie, well done. (top photo)

U16 / U18 At Union Park

Montrose Academy /Arbroath High U16

Union Park saw 'Highlanders' (combined Pitlochry and Aberfeldy) come to Montrose for Brewin Dolphin Schools Bowl fixtures. The U16 and U18 teams were combined Montrose Academy / Arbroath High.

The Under 16s had a tough first half as they got to know each other and bed into their new positions. However, the second half saw a newly-found spirit that led to some excellent tries and made for a very close second half.

The Under 18s were unable to field a full team, so it was decided to play ten-a-side. The Montrose /Arbroath team stormed into a very strong lead in the first half through great off-loading and agressive running. The second half started in the same manner but the session had to be brought to an early close when one of the players hurt their knee and was unable to leave the pitch. Fortunately, the player made a speedy recovery once the ambulance suggested a trip to Dundee!

The Highlanders also brought an S1/2 squad and they played a number of sessions with an Arbroath S1/2 team.

Well done to all of the players who supported the teams today.

Win for S1/2

Some of the Montrose S1/2 Squad

Last Sunday saw Montrose S1/2 play host to Blairgowrie S1/2. Montrose managed to have a squad of 14 and Blairgowrie came with seven players. The boys played 10 aside with 3 Montrose players playing for Blairgowrie each of the 15 min thirds. With lots of support and determined handling, Montrose came out on top with a 25 to 17 win. Well done to Robbie for managing to make 3 conversions and a huge thank you to Callum, Thomas, Duncan, Lewis , Jay .C. and Euan for playing for Blairgowrie.

Thank you to Sam GW for another fantastic display of reffing.

Angus District Squad U15 and S2

Below are the dates for the new Angus District U15 /S2 squad.
This is open to anyone in S2 and S3 that trains and plays on a regular basis for an Angus club.

ANGUS DISTRICT TRAINING SESSIONS U15s
Wednesday 13th October @ Carnoustie High 1830
Wednesday 10th November @ Montrose RFC 1830
Wednesday 2nd February @ Strathmore RFC 1830
Wednesday 23rd February @ Condor Arbroath 1830

ANGUS DISRICT U15 GAMES
Saturday 27th of November venue/opposition TBC 1100 KO
Saturday 26th of March venue/opposition TBC 1100 KO

Rugby Club Quiz.

Fundraising Quiz Night
25th September 2010
Hillside Village Hall
Doors Open 19:00
First Question 19:45
Maximum team size 6

Ticket Price £ 8.00 per person (includes stovie supper)

Available from:
Montrose Osteopathy, Murray St. Montrose.
PMR Jewellery 137 High Street, Montrose
Caroline Campbell 07932 045 480
Barry Christie 01674 840467
Ally Grove – White 07831 615696

Please bring own refreshments

Good numbers at training.

Last Tuesday saw the S1/2 , North Angus U15/16 and the seniors all down at union park training at the same time.
This is a great start to the season but all teams can do with more players new or old , experienced or not , everyone is welcome.
Training for the juniors is from 18.00 and the seniors from 19.00.

Angus S2 and U15 Squad.

To continue to build the skills of our S2 and U15 players in Angus, Stewart Ross (Rugby
Development Officer) is arranging some advanced training days led by SRU coaches.
These will be for all S2 and U15 members currently playing and training with Angus clubs.The aim is to help to build a bridge from club rugby to Tayside Tigers and Caledonia.

It is intended to field an Angus District team against one or two of the better teams in Scotland.
This has been designed to be additional to our club games and training – not an alternative.

As soon as we get dates we will let you know but if anyone wants to discuss this or has
questions please see Caroline or give her a phone on : 07932 045480

U15 Tayside Tigers

Congratulations go to Jack Anderson and Sean Dalgarno for being picked to play in the U15 Tayside Tiger squad. Both boys had to go to numerous selection days and will now train once a week with the squad in Perth.

Well Done.

New Youth Coaches for 2010 / 2011 Season.

Stuart Ross, Angus Rugby Development Officer with the newly qualified Youth Rugby Coaches - Daniel Waghorn, Nathaniel Sieunairine, Findlay Christie, Jasper Rodgers and Stewart Ruxton.

Five Montrose junior rugby players have recently completed the Scottish Rugby Youth Coaching Course. The course was led by Stewart Ross, Angus Rugby Development Officer and was achieved over six sessions. During the sessions they took part in theory and practical coaching lessons then concluded with successfully completing the Scottish Rugby Foundation Coaching and Refereeing award.

Caroline Campbell, Montrose Rugby Coach Coordinator said “We are delighted to see their enthusiasm and commitment that has led to them achieving this qualification. The course has given our new coaches the skills and confidence to lead and deliver rugby sessions at school and at the club.”

The new coaches will be helping out at junior training sessions for children in P4 to S3 on Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th July. These will run from 9.30 to 12.00 at Union Park and will cost £3 per day. Newcomers and experienced players are very welcome. Anyone interested in attending these sessions should contact Caroline on 01674 830763.

U15 / North Angus: Feedback Wanted - 09/10 Questionaire

As this season comes to a close, can I take this opportunity to thank all of the players that have contributed to the ongoing development of rugby in Montrose and North Angus. While this has been a challenging year, it has been a significant step forward towards our vision of having a clear pathway from micros right up to senior rugby.

Clearly, we are keen to learn from this year and get ideas for improvement to help inform our plans for next season. We have prepared a short questionnaire and it would be really appreciated if players and parents were to provide feedback. The questionnaire can be found at the following link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/R3LLFTT

This will be completely anonymous but if you want a direct response to a particular question, please include your name in the last question. The questionnaire is in the spirit of continuous improvement so please be honest and constructive.

Once we have collated the results, we will develop our plan for next year and let you know the details.

Current plans for 10/11 season

We have a lot to do over the summer but our current plans are:

S1/2 Rugby
There will be training and matches next year for a Montrose S1/2 team. Training will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays (fitness) and Sundays with matches planned for some Sundays. The fixture list will be posted on this site.

Under 15 and Under 16 Rugby
Next year, there will be rugby training and matches for those born in 1995 and 1996. Brechin has committed to continue to support North Angus. We are also planning to enter the Brewin Dolphin schools cup at U16 next year, possibly with Brechin. Most of the neighbouring clubs will only be fielding a combined U15 and U16 team so this may be an option for us.

Under 18 Rugby
For those born in 1993 and 1994, Angus Colts are planning to field an U18 team and everyone would be very welcome. While numbers may be a challenge, we are considering entering an Under 18 side into the Brewin Dolphin Schools Cup, possibly with Brechin. As we have done this year, we are prepared to put forward applications for those U18s wanting to support the efforts of the 1st XV.

Youth Coaching Course.

A youth coaching course will be held in Montrose at Union park from Tuesday 18th May (4pm to 6pm) every Tuesday for 5 weeks. This is open to ALL boys and girls from S3 and up.
It will be run by Stewart Ross (Angus rugby developement offficer) . If you are interested in attending please contact Caroline on 07932 045480.

Lads and Dads Festival.

The 78 lads and dads that took part



To celebrate the new floodlights at Union Park, Montrose Rugby Club held a ‘Lads and Dads’ festival. This was a non-competitive tournament for players that were under 22, over 35 or not currently playing rugby. 78 players formed four mixed teams with representation from Montrose, Brechin, Arbroath, Morgan, Strathmore, Mackie, Blairgowrie and HM Coastguard.

Gordon Clark, Club Treasurer said “While the rugby was very committed, the focus was on having fun. It was great to see so many people taking part and the mix of young and old really worked well. A lot of the players hadn’t played since school and that was quite a long time ago for some! We may get some new players from the evening but the most important thing was to host a community event where players and spectators could enjoy the true spirit of rugby. Now that we have upgraded the floodlights, with the support of the Angus Council Community Grant Scheme, we are going to be able to make use of Union Park for more great evenings like this. If any other sports would like to make use of the improved lighting, we would love to hear from them.”

Strathmore S1/2 Tournament

Today saw the S1/2 squad head off to the Strathmore Tournament in Forfar. The team was depleted due to injuries and personal commitments. However, Chris had his first game and Kieran was a permanent fixture throughout the tournament.

Before Montrose's first game, we loaned players to Panmure to help them field a full squad. The team then took on Strathmore, Carnoustie, Panmure and Blairgowrie.

Despite the muddy conditions, offloading and body position on the ground was very good. However, players did become isolated at times. Fitness of all players will be key in ensuring there is sufficient support for all players throughout future games. Overall, the squad demonstrated good basic skills to deliver some well-worked tries. Player of the day went to Drew for his strong running and effectively dipping his shoulder when going into contact.

Carnoustie ended up winners of the tournament but rugby was the winner with so many teams demonstrating high quality rugby in the spirit that it should be played. Kevin Mitchell, President of Strathie Sharks said "Many thanks for everyone's efforts today. It was great to see teams helping each other out and making sure that everyone got some much needed game time."

More Coaches for Montrose

Montrose Rugby held a RugbyReady Practical Course at Union Park today. The course has been developed by Scottish Rugby to increase awareness of all aspects of safety in the game and was led by Neil Graham, Scottish Rugby Coach Development Officer. As well as fourteen attendees from Montrose Rugby, coaches from Brechin, Arbroath and Stonehaven also took part in the course.

Caroline Campbell, our Club Coach Coordinator, said “Our aim is to ensure that every player, of every age, has the chance to develop to their full potential by getting the best coaching. To have fourteen more Montrose coaches complete the RugbyReady Practical Course is fantastic and we have already signed up five of the coaches for the next stage, the UKCC Level 1.”

S1/2 and North Angus at Union Park. - Sun 28th Feb

Montrose S1/2 against Carnoustie

Montrose S1/2s were scheduled to travel to Glenrothes but this was cancelled due to snow on the pitch. The Montrose coaches become aware that the Strathmore vs Carnoustie S1/2 match had also been a victim of the wintry weather so they were invited to Union Park for a three-way fixture.

The first game was Montrose against Carnoustie and the home team got off to an excellent start with a try in the first minute. This high standard was maintained throughout the first half with hard tackling and very effective interplay between forwards and backs. In the second half, Montrose scored another well-worked try to put further pressure on Carnoustie. Montrose took a break as Carnoustie won a close encounter against Strathmore.

In the final session, Montrose and Strathmore took to the field. Montrose scored three well-worked tries and the only difference between the teams was a last minute try from the Forfar team. While there were a number of stand-out performances, S1/2 Player of the Day went to Daff Starkey.

Caroline Campbell, Montrose S1/2 Coach said “I was delighted with the effort from all of the players. They showed great skill and commitment in both games and should be very proud of what they achieved today. Their improved fitness and strength in the set pieces made all the difference. One of the opposition coaches even asked if this was a different team from the one that had played them earlier in the season!”

North Angus U15 against Mackie.

Later in the day, North Angus U15s took on Mackie from Stonehaven in the Caledonian Cup. From the start, it was clear that the North Angus ‘Greens’ meant business with crunching tackles going in and real aggression in the rucks and mauls. With five minutes on the clock, Mackie released their backs to score a well worked try. The intensity remained throughout the half and while Mackie scored two further tries, the North Angus coaches were delighted with the quality of rugby they were seeing.

Following the break, North Angus started to secure quicker ball, which gave more options to attack the Mackie line. Three tries were scored by the home team and many more chances created. While the final score was 17 to 44, the North Angus team played aggressive and well structured rugby. On the day they were up against a very capably and well-drilled side but there are many positive to be taken from the game. North Angus Player of the Day was awarded to Nathaniel for his attacking running and efforts in defence.

Win for North Angus U15s

North Angus U15s hosted Panmure at Brechin. Even though it was a friendly, we saw a highly entertaining game of rugby, played in great spirit, that ended with a win for the team in green!

The coaching team of Rob Mackie and David Muir were full of praise for the way the North Angus lads played. The communication and high octane play, not to mention commitment, from the Greens was exemplary!

Taking nothing away from Panny, they were great opposition, loaned North Angus players and the game was played in great spirit. A really friendly encounter, but fast and furious!

This was a great result and North Angus appears to be turning the corner. Coaches and supporters were really buoyed by the attitude and ability on display today from the North Angus players.

Man of the match went to Daniel Waghorn.

Well done to all the Greens who played today!

New training times for U18

From this Tuesday ( 16th Feb 2010) training for Under 18's will be from 7pm to 8.30pm every week at Union Park.
This open to anyone that wants to take part in rugby no matter your skill level. Everyone is welcome.

Race Night

There is a Race Night to be held on the 27th March 2010 at Hillside Hall. Tickets cost £8 each person and this includes a two course supper.

We do not have a drinks licence so please bring your own refreshments although there will be a glass of complimentary wine with your meal.

Tickets are available from Lisa Waghorn (01674 840545) and Vicki Christie (01674 840467).

Those wishing to sponsor any races at a cost of £20 please contact the above. Sponsors will be highlighted throughout the evening for their generosity.

Any donations of wine for prizes would be gratefully accepted before the evening.

Horses can be bought beforehand at £2.00 each so if you can't come on the night why not support the Club by buying a few horses and hopefully winning a prize.