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.