By Marcus Copeland

AKUMA are proud to be supporting the biggest get-together of famous rugby players in North Wales for nearly 30 years at a gala dinner for two dual-code players who suffered career threatening injuries during the summer.

The huge gathering of rugby union and league players will descend on the region to help raise funds for Akuma North Wales Exiles sevens player Mike Hall and Wayne Jones.

Both players received horrific leg injuries playing for their respective rugby league clubs in the North Wales Conference during the summer.

The “Rugby Looks After Its Own” Gala Celebrity Dinner will be hosted by former England Rugby Union international and head coach, Dick Greenwood, now a resident of Rhos on Sea.

In attendance will be legends from both codes of rugby for a star-studded evening of entertainment. All proceeds will go to support injured players in the North Wales Conference of the Wales Rugby League.

Among those confirmed to be attending will be five full Great Britain internationals and eight full internationals including GB and Wales Rugby League legends Iestyn Harris, Lee Briers, Trevor Skerret, Paul Prendiville and Mike Nicholas. Former British Lions Rugby Union players Scott Quinnell and Will Greenwood are also on the guest list along with GB and Wigan rugby league star Andy Gregory.

Mike Hall, 22, from Rhyl, dislocated his ankle and fractured his fibia playing for amateur rugby league side Rhyl and Prestatyn Panthers against Flintshire Falcons in July. The promising young forward, was in his first season of a full professional contract with Italian Serie A rugby union side Romagna.

Hall, a product of Rhyl Rugby Club’s youth section and a former RGC 1404 player, is expected to be out for at least a season after having a metal plate inserted in his leg.

Wayne Jones, from Wrexham, is a single parent with an eight month-old daughter, Lily, after his partner passed away just hours after the birth. The 28 year old, who plays rugby union for Capenhurst, was having a run for Wrexham Bradley Raiders when he dislocated his knee and ruptured his patella tendon.

Originally he was told his rugby playing days were over but his surgeon did such a good job he hopes to resume playing in 12 to 18 months.

Dick, father of England World Cup winning centre, Will Greenwood, said the dinner would be the largest gathering of rugby internationals in North Wales since  Lions stars JPR Williams, Graham Price and Nick Jeavons played at the Rhyl Pub Sevens in August 1982.

“Both rugby codes are among the finest of all team sports and the support from the highest levels of both great codes for these seriously injured lads is testament to the true spirit of rugby.”

The dinner takes place at Rhyl RUFC Sports and Social Club, Vale Road, Rhyl LL18 9PH on Friday October 26^th (7.30pm for 8pm). Tickets are priced at £35 a head or £350 for a table of 10.

The event is sponsored by Akuma Rugby www.akumarugby.com and there will be opportunities to win some great prizes on the night including VIP rugby packages, rugby international tickets, signed memorabilia, Akuma rugby balls and Akuma kit.

For ticket sales or further information on the event, contact Richard Greenwood on 07860 206608 or email him via jrhgreenwood@btinternet.com

A lot of people will not have heard the name Neal Hatley outside of London Irish circles where he is a living legend. Serving the Exiles well, he “prop’d” his way to being the most capped Premiership player of all time. For most, this would be a career to look back on with pride having played with the best in the world and collecting an array of silverware including captaining the Saxons and winning the Churchill cup.

However Neal then embarked on a coaching career that is fast eclipsing his playing days. Having worked his way through the academy ranks Neal has delivered a system that no one else can touch. He is now the most successful UK academy coach of all time. No other coach can boast that 68% of a premiership 1st team that are made up of academy players. Not only that but he has delivered more players into the England set up (and international) than any other club. Names such as Delon Armitage, Alex Corbiserio, Tom Homer, Steffon Armitage, Topsy Ojo and Guy Armitage to name a few the come to mind. This is a lineage and a stat that many a coach could dine out on, however the only reason I know this is from knowing Neal for years and watching the boys come through the ranks having spent a lot of time with him at London Irish. The stats don’t come from Neal telling me or boasting to others. If you met him you wouldn’t even know what he did and if you asked you would get the impression he was chief water boy.

His humility is remarkable given his success and with this in mind no one is better placed to talk about team training and what to look for in the 15’s season, than Neal. Having just taken over at Bath Rugby, Neal took some time out to give us some tips and thoughts about the season and training.

Neal thanks for taking time out to talk to us, can you tell us what are you looking for in players who want to join an academy?

We start at 13/14 with the kids and some of them are just faster and bigger at that age so we don’t focus as much on that. We focus on work ethic and work attitude, these are the buildings blocks that you can develop over the 5/6 years they are with us. Technique, fitness etc. can be built on as the kids get older and hopefully that gets honed and then you end up with an 18/19 yr. old that has great ethics and good skills.

What tips would you give to people at the start of the 15’s season in terms of training, including pre-season and the start of the season? What do u recommended?

There is no standard formula but for me strength base training for 4 wks., gym based, weights focused with very little in terms of conditioning. In the 4 weeks leading up to pre-season strength and condition should kick in along with rugby conditioning. Skill blocks of 25 mins encompassing basic skills, kicking, passing, catching etc. This will lead nicely into pre-season with 2-4 games. In these games don’t run players ragged, give them 40/50 mins game time each, not full games. Then you’re into the season.

Given the climate in the UK, does the changing weather affect training and your outlook?

Definitely, it changes how you play. It’s a much longer season here compared to Southern Hemisphere and the weather and pitches change considerably from the start to the end of the season. Aside from that just the sheer length means you need to change and adapt, you need to be looking to change constantly.

How do you gear the players mentally?

We do mental work, in the past this been undervalued, well non-existent. Clive Woodward started it in terms of rugby. It’s another “muscle” it can be trained. Particularly with younger players, if you look at the England u21 guys they get profiled to help the coaching staff understand about them. It shows them the style of teaching that works for them. Audio, visual, kinaesthetic etc., this is then used to coach them in a style that suits them. This ensures they will learn a lot quicker this way, it’s about trying to find the best way to get message across as quickly as possible. This is becoming more and more important, the whole mental condition side, but we are still far behind say the Americans with all of this.

As an ex forward do you think forwards need it or is it just about the grunt?

Lol! Well in my day maybe, but it’s a long season and there need to be coping strategies. Toughness, forward play by nature is about repetition, it’s the grind. It’s mentally how they process these facts. It’s not always fun, it’s about the grind at times and how to cope best with this. It’s enjoyable but the work needs to be done. This is massively important from 1-15, so yes everyone has to be involved, but the mental exercises are different for each player.

What is the most critical phase of the rugby season?

Dec-Jan/Feb for premiership sides, they will lose players for international duties. Also if you are in the top 4 and within touch and everyone is still on board as the pitches freeze and harden then you are in a good place and this is what you should aim for. It’s the worst part of the winter, but a very important part of season. But different people may say differently. It’s impossible to stay on game for 34 weeks. Focus on finding key performance times and utilising them to their best.

Neal thanks for your time and good luck with Bath Rugby this season!

Pappy.

You will need to go a long way to find someone like Ryan De La Hape. Namibian international and World Cup 2011 veteran he is super friendly, a family man (complete with baby pitch side) and a wonderfully peaceful disposition. He lives in the UK now playing his 15’s for Moseley and his 7’s for Templars.

Ryan took five minutes out to tell us a bit about himself.

So Ryan you play at scrum half why do you so enjoy this position? You know I wouldn’t want to play any other position. I like the responsibility of being the playmaker in the team and when you play for a team like the Templars it’s so easy, you couldn’t get a better bunch of players. I love it.

In terms of your training can you talk us through what you prefer? My training for 7’s and 15’s varies obviously but for 15’s I will do more fartlek style training and I also enjoy hill sprints. I will do 40, 60 80 meter sprints in succession, 15 or so times for each session. Look you need to use what you have got and adapt training to that. Most important you need self-belief, believe in yourself and what you have to give. Like I said before use what you have got.

With all due respect Namibia are always underdogs, struggling through matches how do you prepare for international matches knowing that? We don’t think we are going to get thrashed and that we are always going to defend. We look at what we can do, look for work to do, we aim to keep getting better. We won’t stop fighting for 80minuets even if the score is 100 nil, we have pride and we represent our country. It’s a growing country, 19^th in the world and there is so much to still do, we know that but we are always improving.

What does it mean to play for the Templars 7’s team? Honestly I can’t describe what it means to play for the Templars; they make you feel some comfortable coming into camp. Humble boys. We play to win and are very focused but after each game we can relax and then there is just family. We then regroup and bring it to each subsequent game with such good guys, it’s amazing. I am really grateful for opportunity I have been given to represent the Templars.

Such a humble guy and a pleasure to interview and hang out with, he optimises all that is good about the southern hemisphere setup and belief system.

On a final note the challenge to all of us is how many of us would play with such passion even though our team was 100 points down?

Ryan De La Hape we salute you!

Pappy

Friday 20^th saw the lads enjoy a day to themselves, enjoying a well-deserved trip around the main shopping centre in Cape Town, The Waterfront, buying yet more souvenirs to show off to the rest of the group, and using the opportunity to buy as much sun-cream as possible in preparation for the trip North to sunny Durban. The group was also interested to see that the Manchester United tour bus was parked next to the group, ahead of their pre-season game against Ajax Cape Town, and so the hunt to find the team began, sadly to no avail!

The next day the tour party travelled to watch the hockey team play Langa Township, something that was very new to many of the rugby boys. However, within minutes the group was cheering the hockey players on, even making use of the stand to create chants for the team. Spurred on by the support, the hockey team excelled and ran out comfortable winners in the game, a hugely memorable moment of the tour, a point at which the two team really began to respect each other’s sport and the skill required to play it at U18 level.

Sunday saw the rugby teams train at Milnerton R.F.C and the hockey team at the local Astroturf. With truly gruelling weather, the group was understandably miserable to begin with, although, after seeing just how much we were progressing as a team, the mood lifted somewhat and the sun even came out to mark the end of the session. A tough training session, the group were again allowed to relax for the afternoon before visiting the local restaurant for dinner. On Monday we arose later than normal due to this day being devoted to travelling the long journey to Paul Roos where we would be hosted for the next two days. After arrival at the school the boys met with their hosts and departed to their residence to get acquainted.

Tuesday 24^th was a highly anticipated day for many as it meant they could spend the day at a cheetah reserve and even stroke the cheetahs themselves, which for many was seen as, not only a chance of a lifetime, but also an opportunity for a new profile picture on Facebook! Even some of the older boy’s softer side was exposed as they bought cuddly cheetah toys for relatives and girlfriends, much to the delight of the younger boys who jumped at the opportunity to crack a joke or two at their expense.

After the sanctuary the group travelled back to Paul Roos for their penultimate fixture. Paul Roos boys had often been described to us as the thoroughbred rugby players and met with gasps when told we were playing them. The rumours did not disappoint. A well drilled and extremely solid opposition team met us as we emerged from the changing rooms. It was clear that this would be a huge challenge for the team considering it was just our third game of the pre-season. A strong start from Paul Roos left us defending bravely on the try line but they inevitably crashed over in the end. It soon became obvious that this game was to be a test of commitment and will to develop, as oppose to the final score. This was indeed the case and the boys were highly praised because of their desire to learn, if not win. It is safe to say no team at Warwick had ever progressed so quickly over the space of 3 games, an attribute that put them in great stead for the final game. Final score, 19-5 to Paul Roos.

Wednesday was yet another day devoted solely to travel as the party flew to Durban to enjoy the concluding fixture as well as a safari and boat trip in the sweltering heat and humidity of the more northerly climate of Durban. A short 2 hour flight saw us touch down in Durban where we transferred to the Durban Marine Parade for two nights.

Thursday 26^th was primarily all about playing the final fixture against Collegians RFC, however the morning was allocated as time for the boys to explore Durban a bit, and to see the sights and sounds, relax before the big game. After a chilled out day, the 1^st XV travelled to the evening venue against Collegians RFC. The 2^nd XV played Crusaders RFC and the hockey team played Maritzburg College. These fixtures were seen as many to epitomise our tour, every single player performing to the highest standard, with the true belief that nothing would stop us from finishing the tour on a real high. It was an inspiring moment to see just how far each team, each player had come over the course of tour, showing huge potential as individuals and as a team. The final score, 36-5 summed up the tour with an emphatic win and a great way to top of the tour.

Friday saw the tour party begin the long drive to the Hluhluwe Game reserve for the safari that marked the final activity on tour. On the way, the group stopped off for a Lake St.Lucia Estuary boat trip on which we travelled through crocodile and hippo infested water for an hour and a half before returning to the coach for the final leg to the game reserve. After finally reaching Bushlands game lodge where we would be staying for 2 nights, we hastily departed for a quick dinner before grabbing an early night, fully aware of the 5.30 wake-up that awaited us for our first morning game drive the next day. Rising early on Saturday morning was surprisingly easy for most as we were hugely excited to get out into the reserve. A short journey to the reserve allowed a few more minutes sleep before we entered the park. Over the course of the day and evening, we saw a huge variety of animals from the more well-known such as Lions, Rhinos, Elephants etc., to the less such, whose names I will not even attempt to spell! It’s fair to say there was not a single person whose eyes weren’t raking the surroundings in the hope of spotting something no one else did, or taking a picture at every spare moment, or simply just soaking up the surroundings. After the excitement of the first day’s drive, the group was eager to see what awaited us on the second and final game drive the next day. Again we arose early, this time met with freezing temperatures and biting winds leading to a bit of the enthusiasm being lost briefly, before an elephant crossed the road in front of us which is always bound to wake you up in the morning! Wrapped in blankets, the group came to admire the surroundings just that little bit more, knowing that this was sadly the last day of tour. Although an amazing country and a truly wonderful tour, the tour group was not disappointed to be going home as we all felt we had got the best out of South Africa, be it on, or off, the rugby or hockey pitch, there was not one regrettable moment for any. As we departed home for England, a perceptible air of respect for one another was evident and rightly so, every person had earned their place in their respective teams.

For me, simply to stand back and see friendships form, players and teams develop, and most of all, a consistently fun and friendly atmosphere, was awesome to see, and the tour has gone down as easily one of my most memorable moments. It’s here I must say a big thanks to Akuma for the support they provided to make the tour possible for me, as well as the kit they supplied which did not fail to make the rest of the team incredibly envious!

Warwick School on Tour, written by Joe Blake.

On Thursday 12th July Warwick school departed on tour for South Africa with 62 boys and 8 coaches, after twenty hours flying, an exhausted, but excited, party hit South African turf. On the official first day of tour, Saturday the 14th of July the Group trained at the local sports science institute used by the most highly rated teams, undoubtedly the most well equipped and prestigious gym the group had ever experienced. The group went on to enjoy watching the Stormers play the Rebels in the final round of fixtures in the Super XV at Newlands Stadium. Although an exhilarating game of Rugby, the Warwick party highly praised the Cheerleading performance on show, distracting them somewhat from the rugby game itself. After enjoying a trip around the local market to buy souvenirs for friends and family, the party retired to the hotel for the night.

After both Squads arose the next morning to grim, comparatively English weather, we enjoyed an excursion around the Cape Peninsula, the most dramatic point of Africa with stunning scenery and an uninterrupted view of the horizon. We then went on to travel to the Cape of Good Hope nature Reserve where we sited baboons and other wild animals local to the cape. Finally, we reached cape point at which we enjoyed unique views of the most southerly point of the continent, climbing hundreds of feet to the lighthouse which marks the most southerly point of the continent, an amazing experience for all, it was a truly memorable moment for the party.

On Tuesday, in the morning, we woke up to a glorious day, with clear blue skies and temperate weather, much to the delight of the group after they perhaps ambitiously predicted record breaking high temperatures, despite it being the middle of South African winter. After a hasty breakfast the group departed for the short trip to the summit of Table Mountain, opting for the cable car instead of the 6 hour climb and trek. The boys were greeted with a truly majestic panorama, aided particularly by the truly superb weather, the view stretched from the entirety of Cape Town, all the way to the cape and the sea beyond.

On the same day we played our first fixture against Wynberg Boys High School in Cape town, where the squad undertook in a physical and fast game, narrowly running out 13-5 losers. Despite a loss, the boys played well as a team, with a strong offload game and an abundance of talent, not a bad start to say the least and to quote the coaches, “Very promising”.

Wednesday the 18th July, not only memorable for Mandela day, but also for those who undertook their sixty seven minutes of charitable work throughout the country. The Warwick party dived headfirst into their own sixty seven minutes at the eye-opening Goedgedacht Trust which caters for vulnerable children from rural areas. The high point being the enthusiasm with which the children engaged towards an Akuma rugby ball, engaging in passing and tackling with tremendous passion, showing up a fair few of the Warwick lads! Too many of the children, they had never had the opportunity to play with a proper rugby ball, and this was a touching sight to see them so happy for the entire party. The group continued on to the local playing fields in an attempt to help train the local rugby teams, but soon found the children were far too interested in swarming and taking down the largest members of the group to their huge delight.

Thursday 19th saw our biggest fixtures of the tour, against Bishops School being played on the oldest pitch in South Africa. A tremendous effort from Warwick led to a tremendous win, against an experienced Bishops side. Winning with a late winner, with a fine finish in the corner by captain Miles Dean, a truly valiant effort throughout.

With fear and trepidation we set off to Newquay with forecasts of thunder, lighting and Armageddon to look forward to. Packing water proofs, an inflatable dinghy and sunnies only made it all the more stressful….which would I wear, would there be enough of the right gear and what if Armageddon happened would Facebook still work to upload photos?

On arrival at 7.30am (another story) we were greeted by a traditional Cornish summer morning. Needless to say the satnav was checked and hasty text messages sent to check I hadn’t wandered into another dimension. I hadn’t and the Akuma family we all in one piece and ready to attack the weekend! Inflatable at the ready the day was great, no rain, no end of the world etc…. a lot of wind but that was it, mixed with sun shine. So the matches played over the extensive grounds rattled on with some close matches and some upsets along the way, which always makes for good rugby!

The most relaxed and laid back of all the events we attended this year I think, not commercial, just a good vibe and all about the rugby and family. What else would you expect from Cornwall dude? Most notable fancy dress during the day were the “super heroes” gang. I use this in the loosest sense of the word, with heroes such as Lube Man gracing the arena, they were on top form. Other mentions go to the man mountain Martin Wolfenden of Hellfish 7’s… good Lord you wouldn’t want to be “tackled” by him! Look at the photos to see what I mean. To the very pink ladies and cheeky ladies from Guildford Gazelles or maybe the TJ Ladies? No that award must go to Jenny Vik! If only you knew..

Last year’s women’s winners, The Moodies were knocked out in the semis with Storm 7 and Sarries playing it out in a very exciting final with Sarries taking the honours at the close of the game! Both sides played such entertaining rugby, once again a wake up for the misconception that women’s rugby is boring!

The men’s elite cup saw a lot of familiar faces and some great rugby, with Akuma cage demons pushing the Army very hard in the first half only to lose out at the tail end to their superior depth. Storm 7 met them in the final having sailed through their matches to that point and once again they made the Army work hard for their victory.

It was good to see on more than one occasion teams having photos taken together showing mutual respect and a real depth of character that sums up all that rugby should be about.

As the sun set plans were hatched, fancy dress prepared and off into town all went….

There seemed to be a lot of lost people and “food poisoning” the following day and the food that these athletes were consuming to aid the food poisoning, nuff said.

To those that came and embraced the weekend, well done and to those that stayed away for fear of Armageddon…shame on you and make sure you come next year as I will bring my inflatable again just in case…..it will be fine. Don’t miss out!

Well off to pre-season for a lot of people now, watch this space for some interesting things coming up….

Pappy

The intrepid explorers are off now paddling down the Yukon! As we get updates we will blog about it, however the signal and technical issues from there are proving to be a big challenge…

Having got out onto the lake the guys have noticed the huge drop in temperature to the point were they had frost on them and the boats!! As morning has risen they defrosted as the temperature soared to 20 degrees, lifting spirits considerably. Both teams are still in the main pack.

As soon as they check in again we will update you

Good luck to all the guys!!

First time at West Country 7’s was a very wet and windy affair for us. You could feel the crowd willing the sun to come through and to halt the wind and rain. This had mixed result through the day with more than one gazebo needing CPR.

Covering 5 pitches the matches rattled on thanks to an amusing MC, well worth his weight in bacon butties (and that was a lot! just saying!). A couple of hold ups due to major injuries were handled very well and our thoughts are with the players and we wish them a speedy recovery.

It was great to see such commitment from players faced with more than one “David vs. Goliath” situation. From the poor lads of Leamington Mavericks meeting the Army in the first pool game, (they thought they were in a social pool! Hahaha….)to the Raptors playing the Storm International team. Each player stood their ground and fought with pride and passion.  A huge amount of respect to all of you!

In pouring rain the French university women saw off the Wooden Spoons in the final playing with what seemed to be a large bar of soap! Once again the MC exceled himself by showing his off his knowledge of French, tres bon!

The rain gave up for the men’s final but the combination of the rain and the hard fought women’s game created a comedy style slippery pitch that ensured even top class athletes would fall over for no apparent reason! So came the Army and the Akuma All Star UK 7’s team onto the stage. A hugely exciting match was played to a nail biting finale with the Army scoring a try in the last seconds of the game to ensure a 2 point lead and victory.

All that was left was to man the lifeboats and ship out! Fingers crossed for Caldy next week as this is the last leg of the Super Seven tournament….

We live in a world where old skool values and credibility are being eroded daily. Even in the game of rugby we all love and enjoy, whether its 15’s, 10’s or 7’s there are weekly examples of this.

In contrast there are people that stand out as being different, marching to the beat of a different drum. It’s time we recognise these people, credit them with swimming against the tide and learn from them.

The first person we would like to acknowledge is Rob Cain of Templars 7’s. Many of you will know Rob and the Templars, seen them on the circuit and watched the team spirit that sets them apart from others.  However, how many of you actually know who Rob is and what he does day to day? How many of you have had any dealings with him and experienced how he interacts? If you can say yes to these questions you are one of a very small group. Why? Because this is one of the two reasons Rob stand out from the crowd. He isn’t interested in talking about himself or what he has/is doing always focusing on the team and the charity. The gentle giant conducts himself with integrity, honesty and a loyalty very rarely seen these days. In his team talks (which I don’t want to give too much away) he has a presence that doesn’t push its one that believes in the person, the individual. This empowers them to achieve far above the average.

Secondly he has created a brotherhood that is contagious, people want to be associated and a part of the Templars as a result. It’s an honour to be part of that community. “Once a Templar” The slogan Vivite Somnium (Latin in case you wondered) highlights just how he has achieved that. He could have used the slogan Vive Somnium which is the singular meaning live the dream; however he chose to use Vivite Somnium which is the plural. It’s all an inclusive statement creating a family and cultivating a community that shares the same values

With this in mind surely we can all learn from his personal conduct and that of the Templar team? What if we all tried to walk in his footsteps how would the landscape of rugby change?

On a personal note I consider it a privilege to know Rob and have a small insight into the Templar brotherhood.

Rob Cain we salute you and all you have achieved!

Pappy.