Go the lions!

Today was our rugby team's trip to watch the Wellington Lions at the Stadium. It wasn't the home team's day, but we still had a great time.




We met our other team members at some other lions.



Orla and Aidan added messages to the team.



Aidan was a natural on the mechanical bull.




Orla liked the bouncy castle and slide.




We sat down one end near the try line.




Not everyone payed close attention to the game. Actually between the hot dogs, hot chips, hot donuts, flag waving, excited team mates etc, it was amazing that any rugby got watched!



And of course there was Leo the Lion.

Rugby mum

Well so far I am thoroughly enjoying being a rugby mum. The whole family piles into the car earlyish on a Saturday morning, and off we go to the park! Isabelle and Aidan get to tear around while Brendon referees and I walk up and down the sidelines taking photos and consciously suppressing the urge to yell instructions. (Mostly successfully. I allow myself the occasional "Run! Run like the wind!" or "Other way! Run the other way!". And of course cheers and whoops whenever anyone scores). Orla busys herself on the sidelines with her lunch box, and is now and then fetched from the field and placed back in her special chair. Ewan spends the match in his meitai, sleeping, protected from the cold.

Joining a rugby club is interesting. It is joining a community - one that is well-resourced and extensive. We have an enthusiastic, committed and responsive convenor for our grade, which is great. We have a website, some free gear, and sponsored prizes for player of the week.

It is interesting watching the players! There's a lot of variance in skills, confidence and attention spans, but almost all have a good time. The teams have been relatively evenly matched so far, which is good too. In ripper rugby, you don't keep score. I support this. At this age, keeping score is more of interest to the adults rather than the children. The children are interested in scoring tries, but more in their personal tallies rather than the collective effort. And for some, just being on the park and taking part is achievement enough. And do not think that not keeping score diminishes the competitive nature of the game! Things can get quite physical out there, and the ball is eagerly contested.

The parents on the sideline from whatever team are consistently friendly and gracious. All good plays by either team are cheered.

Isabelle and Aidan put in a good show each week. I was bursting with pride on the sideline when Aidan ran two-thirds the length of the field through a heap of defenders to score in the first half today. (I heard some of the opposition parents say "What a run! And he's the smallest on the park!". Small he may be, but he stands up to any challenge!). He's also determined on defence, and always makes a good number of rips. Isabelle scored four tries last week, and is fast. She has a reliable pair of hands and has a good understanding of where she is supposed to be on the field. I get so excited when she scores!

Long may the enthusiasm last - we will need to keep momentum going if we end up with four children all doing Saturday sport (inevitably all at different grounds at the same time...).

Helpful hints

Brendon's pamphlet, titled "Coaching Small Blacks" might need some explaining to overseas visitors.