Rugby Club Issue 67 | Page 33

Falmouth element of the game as much as attack. So there is a real focus on building the team, to trust, respect and work for one another. So we encourage the players to all travel to matches on the bus and the social secretary has been busy arranging bonding sessions. That ethos has started to become embedded among the squad and the results are being seen on the field. “As with many clubs in Cornwall we have found it to be a struggle to field a reserve team and Colts side in recent years, we have taken the decision alongside Penryn RFC to merge at Colts level, both clubs have committed coaches and resources and the team will play at both clubs. This is a fairly radical departure as the two clubs are fierce local rivals but with the decline in schools rugby and the apparent decrease in the number of players available in the under eighteen age group, both clubs feel that this is the only way to ensure that we can keep producing a competitive team from this area and is our best opportunity to keep generating players for both clubs for the future. “A benefit from the successful start to the season has been that there is real competition for places among the first team squad and those not in the match day squad have committed to playing for Falmouth reserve side, so there is a bounce forward into that side. This is also really important to the development of players for the future as not all players that graduate from Colts rugby are able to make the step into 1st team rugby so a period of transition via the reserve team, watched and mentored by a few ‘old heads’ can be pivotal in their development and keeping them in the game. www.rugbyclub.biz 33