Blimely, the RFU have finally got a new website that looks as good as it should. [That's not to say it works any better but I live in hope - Ed]. Go to www.rfu.com for a closer look.
The Women’s section can be found from the links at the bottom right of the main page.
Match report to follow soon…
The Fixture: AKWRFC v Camp Hill
The Date: Sunday 11th October 2009
The Venue: Camp Hill RUFC, Solihull, B90 2EF
Competitive History
None that I know of – Ed
What’s in it for the fans?
There’s a nice big club house at the end of the main pitch, friendly (and numerous) home supporters, and the real ale [personally speaking -Ed] is rather good.
Tourist hot-spots:
Google did not do me proud here. There are lots of parks in the area, but that seems to be about it. If you’re into horses then about a mile south-west of the club there are pony-clubs galore and it seems to be the gymkhana capital of the midlands. Come on Solihull Tourist Board, why should I go there on a Sunday in October?
Match Day Food
For those of you who like a Sunday lunch before standing on the touchline, there are a couple of pubs on the A34 (Stratford Road) just at the end of Haslucks Green Road, (The Red Lion and The Saracens Head), although rather dissapointingly neither are on roundabouts, or even a reasonbly sized junction.
Getting There
For all you Sat-Nav’ers out there the postcode is B90 2EF although finding an approximate street number might come in useful. Go to the Camp Hill website for more info.
Sunday 4th October 2009
Smash, mouth, rugby! There was absolutely no lack of commitment from either team this past Sunday as one player got knocked out, two others were led from the pitch looking decidedly woozy, and several others limped or hopped off after crunching tackles. The following is an excerpt of a conversation between Debbie (AK No 9) and her coach:
Debbie: Can I go back on now?
Coach: No, you were knocked unconcious! The ref won’t let you and neither will I.
Debbie: But I don’t feel dizzy or nauseous or anything!
The game itself was an intriguing tussle between teams with very different capabilities. The AK front five was dominant in most areas of the scrum, but the Waterloo back row were terrier-like in their hounding of the scrum half and stand off. The Kersal back line had vision and creativity but lacked a consistent cutting edge, whereas the Waterloo backs kept it simple through the hands and relied on pace to gain ground.
It was the simplicity of the Waterloo backs’ strategy, and the ease with which they carried it out, that was the difference in the scoreline. They were able to take what hard-fought possesion they could and quickly turn it into a 40 or 50 metre territorial advantage. With that platform it was then extremely difficult for the hard-working AK pack to continue to keep them from scoring.
This is not to say it was a one-sided affair. Despite finding it much more difficult to gain ground, Kersal controlled possesion of the ball for long periods in this game and although only scoring one try, did put themselves in position to score more. It was 5-17 at half time, and were it not for two very late converted tries at the end of the second as Kersal finally ran out of steam, the result might have been 5-26 and a bit more representative of the efforts and skills shown by both teams.
A very determined performance from AK who continue to improve every game, although both teams must be concerned that if they lose this many players from every game in the coming months, they’ll be happy to field 7s teams by the end of the season.
Right, now its time to dig out the old road atlas and try and find Camp Hill!
Half Time: Leo’s 10 – 0 Kersal
[I'll post a match report if anyone wants to submit some details - Ed]
The Fixture: Leo’s Ladies v AKWRFC
The Date: Sunday 20th September 2009
The Venue: Leodiensian RUFC
Competitive History:
AK and Leo’s have not played a competitive game against each other for several seasons, but in the early 2000’s there was a regular rivalry in both league and cup competitions. [I'll try and get some numbers from the archive if I get a chance - Ed]
What’s in it for the fans?
For the travelling supporter the Leo’s clubhouse is friendly, spacious, and if it’s chucking it down with rain, not too far from the pitch.
Tourist Hot-Spots:
As you’re in Leeds there’s quite a lot for the travelling fan to do in and around the Leodiesain ground. Golden Acre Park (Park House, just off the A660) is about 1.5 miles away and is “A haven of peace and tranquillity, Golden Acre Park is ideal for a leisurely stroll. Just six miles north of the city centre, it offers plenty to see including an arboretum, pinetum and cottage garden.” [Nicked from Google review - Ed].
Match Day Food
A close inspection of Google maps suggests roundabouts are not in plentiful supply close to the Leo’s ground, but for those of you who are willing to walk the 1.1 miles [Google's estimate I swear - Ed], the Penny Fun is on the roundabout where the A6120 meets King Lane.
Getting There:
There are detailed driving instructions on the Leo’s Website.
I was most excited to find the fixtures for the 2009/2010 season on the RFU site today and these are now posted in the fixtures page on this site. We get to meet up with some old adversaries: Camp Hill, Leo’s, Vale of Lune and Waterloo; and travel to some new and interesting places: Lakenham Hewett, Loughborough, and Olney.
During the season I shall be doing my research, so keep an eye out for competitor analyses, travel directions, and the essential tourist information snippets (pubs on roundabouts, ugly-stick factories etc).
Of course there are the usual odd facts about the fixtures list: We get to start and finish the season playing against Leo’s, there are three games in January to allow you to test out your arctic clothing, and there is only one game between January and April to allow the Chosen Ones to play Regional rugby.
Welcome to Knock-On, Scrum Down! the new fanzine for the Altrincham Kersal Women’s Rugby Fan Club. Over the next few weeks this site will develop as the fan club prepares for the 2009/2010 season and Level 2 rugby. While you wait for the start of the season, why not have a look around and suggest what you think should be included in the site.