Rugby Club Issue 70 | Page 76

Avonmouth Old Boys FOLLOW US ONLINE TWITTER.COM/RUGBYCLUBMAG and drop to 3rd in the standings chasing the top two sides. We were crowned Gloucester Cup Champions which was an early chance at silverware and we have reached the semi-finals of the Bristol Combination Vase which would be great to claim. The 1st XV need to keep up with performances and keep notching the bonus point wins to ensure the pressure is well and truly kept on the top two sides. We feel finishing top is now just out of reach but that we are still in the running for a playoff spot for promotion this season back to South West 1 West. Our 2nds and 3rds need to keep training and buying into the new culture as they have done all season. As a club you’re only as strong as the squad/teams you’re putting out.” Youth “Our mini/junior rugby is invaluable to the club. We were able to build a Nat 3 Level side from predominantly home- grown players. The conveyor belt is the most important thing for any amateur club these days at grass roots level. Following these lads coming through, our junior section did take a bit of a dive in numbers but this has been turned around over the past four seasons which can only be put down to our coaches who all volunteer. We’re proud to field eight mini/junior sides at present with newly formed under 13’s and under 15’s Girls sides and a tots age group.” 76 Issue 70 Integration “Our senior players have regularly held training sessions with our mini/ junior sides to make everyone’s face a familiar one. While we had a colts age group two seasons ago the majority of these boys now feature for a senior side weekly but we found integrating the end of their training sessions on a Thursday into the start of the senior sessions was a real positive and gave them an insight into life at senior level. At present we are without a colts side for the next couple of seasons as our oldest age group is under 15’s but we encourage senior guys to assist this age groups coaches by sharing the experiences and knowledge where possible. We encourage all juni