Dave Reviews the last Two Weeks

Posted under Director's Commentary,Headlines by Roger-Watson on Tuesday 24 January 2012 at 6:00 pm

Well a little bit of a stranger aren’t I!! I have deliberately left writing for a couple of weeks owing to the developments that have unfolded around the club over the past few days … anyway with that out of the way it’s time for my blog ….

Since the Christmas break we have a good but tough home win against Dings Crusaders and a close away defeat at Henley. The Dings game typifies and reflects what I say on here about all teams being capable of springing surprises. For long parts of the game Dings dominated and I must say it took a huge effort to come away with the spoils!
The Henley game was as entertaining as you could find….both sides were intent to throw the ball around and if it wasn’t for a lack lustre start and a poor 10 minutes towards the end of the first half the result may have been different. Our second half performance was very good and I was so pleased at the end. Our back three were 19 years of age with less than 40 caps between them but they gave everything, the forwards were immense once more and we deserved at least 2 points from the game. However things bode well for our run in and over the next couple of weeks we have very demanding games against Hartpury this weekend and then Richmond in a couple of weeks time at home.
Saturday’s game was a good one and I was pleased with the 5 points. At the final whistle we had 4 x 19 year olds in our backline and it was pleasing that they all made a contribution. The only downer on the day was the injury to Chris Fuca, but hopefully it wont keep him sidelined for too long.
On Sunday I went to watch the Pirates play Nottingham in the British & Irish Cup. The main reason was to watch Aaron as I had had missed his previous 2 appearances because of other commitments with Redruth & The South West. I was still nervous but enjoyed watching and seeing them win …. I am also a very proud Dad!
In my South West role I have a very busy few weeks ahead of me now with the England U18′s Divisional Festival at Broadstreet Coventry on the 17th, 18th, and 19th of February. Preparations for this are underway and we held the South West final trial at Hartpury College a couple of weeks back. The facilities at Hartpury are superb, nothing more than you would expect seeing that it is Gloucester’s training base . There is some great young talent out there and I am really looking forward to seeing this group develop and compete for places in the England U18′s team. We have a further 2 weekends prior to the Festival, one will be held at Coombe Dingle Bristol (UWE facilities where our old DoR Peter Johnson is in charge) and the a weekend that will involve a game against Exeter Chiefs Academy and a squad session at Taunton RFC. The coach, Simon Morgan, is an old adversary … he used to play lock for Havant a few seasons back …. anyway its all quite exciting and will keep me occupied.
The Six Nations is fastly approaching and I suppose it is time for predictions! I cant really see England winning it at the moment, I believe their first 2 games, against a Scotland team who will be seeking revenge for their World Cup defeat and the a tricky trip to Italy where England have never done well, will see them struggle. Wales need to build on their superb World Cup but can’t quite see them managing the Championship just yet … they do have some great players and I am really looking forward to seeing the likes of George North performing. I believe he will become one of the Welsh all time greats. That leaves France and Ireland …. Ireland’s provinces are doing really well in the Heineken Cup and the French have a new coaching team ….so I think the French may squeeze it with a real dog fight for 2nd place between Ireland and Wales … England 4th, Scotland 5th and Italy with the spoon!
The England team for the first match will show a host of changes from the one that played France in the World Cup …. here is my selection
15: Ben Foden 14: Chris Ashton 13: Brad Barritt 12: Owen Farrell 11: David Strettle 10: Charlie Hodgson 9: Lee Dickson
1: Alex Corbisiero 2: Dylan Hartley 3: Dan Cole 4: Courtney Lawes 5: Tom Palmer 6: Tom Croft 7: Chris Robshaw 8: Ben Morgan
Great to see Matt Hopper get into the Saxons squad … he has been outstanding this season and has certainly seized the opportunity …
So onto club news, and the Black Tie dinner fastly approaches and this will be held at the Penventon Park Hotel on the 11th February. Tickets are available from Alan Nettle for this event.
The last round of the Heineken threw up some titanic battles! It all started on Friday night … I watched the first half of the Quins game and it was a pretty dour affair but kept you on the edge of your seat! Connacht hadn’t won for something like 14 games but they were certainly not going to lose this one! The tackles were ferocious, the pride and passion was overflowing and they made Quins look ordinary. Now the 2nd half ….. and it was Gloucester v Toulouse ….. very similar in pride and passion but as entertainment it was as good a game as I have seen. The Gloucester backs were in awesome form, Jonny May was outstanding, Narraway and Qera were all over the place and James Simpson Daniel still has what it takes to play international rugby! Toulouse were blown away and this by a Gloucester team who had already been eliminated from the competition! I saw Rob Thirlby on Saturday and passed on my congratulations on a great performance and he said it was a game that many will remember for a long time! Then on Saturday night the Munster v Northampton game was another classic with Munster finally coming through to score over 50 points!! The Irish sides are looking strong but one will not make the semi’s as Leinster will play Ulster in the quarters … Munster are looking good but I just have a sneaky feeling that Toulouse, after their shakey form against Quins and Gloucester, will find form and win the competition ….. I bloody hope not though!!
Interested to read in the Rugby Paper on Sunday about the Championship possibly having increased funding. It seems the RFU are reviewing the situation and maybe there will be an increase on the £326k clubs currently receive … I think the figure required is nearer the million mark, whether that is possible could be known later this week.
What will happen with the other leagues I hear you say … well in my opinion I think that National 1 should be kept as it is and have some sort of financial backing. A stage is still needed for aspiring youngsters to ply their trade … National 1 is a great place for Academy youngsters to learn before progressing to the Championship and, ultimately, the Premiership. The Premiership should adopt a similar approach to the Super XV competition down under, have it ring fenced and start with a Super 12. Many will disagree with that and say that promotion is essential but I see that as something that, if it continues, potential investors will not put the necessary cash into clubs that fight the battles at the foot of the table thus making it almost a 2 tier league …. With regards to Championship teams coming up into the Premiership … make sure they are financially viable first, and then when the time is right increase it to a Super 13 and then Super 14 etc etc … The Championship could take on an “NPC” look and possibly increase that to 14 ….and then also have a meaningful cup competition below that …. National 2 South could combine with National 3 and split it regionally …. into 4 possibly … and then have play offs at the end of the season … this would certainly help with costs and would help clubs manage the precarious positions they find themselves in …..
Finally I would just like to say thank you to all the people who have passed on their best wishes to me, it is very kind of you and it is very much appreciated ….
David Penberthy
Director of Rugby (till 30th April!!!!)

Upcoming Events

Posted under Events and Social News,Headlines by Stuart Morrison on Tuesday 17 January 2012 at 9:51 pm

Events
Thursday 12th January – Quiz NightTeams of up to 5 at £2/person, 1st question at 8.00/8.15pm in the Frame Homes Suite

Come and join these very successful and enjoyable evenings.

Saturday 21st January – Redruth v Lydney Ladies and Members day in the Frame Homes Suite

Thursday 26th January – Quiz NightTeams of up to 5 at £2/person, 1st question at 8.00/8.15pm
Saturday 11th February – Black Tie Ball at the Penventon Park HotelTickets are now available from the clubhouse for this not to be missed event.

Three Course meal including wine Entertainment provided by ‘Renaissance featuring Lisa Marie’

(http://www.renaissanceband.co.uk/about.htm) followed by a disco with Stavros.  Tickets are priced at £39.95

and if you can’t face the drive home double rooms are available for only £65. 

Cheques to made payable to ‘Redruth Rugby Events Club’. Book your tickets with Alan Nettle on 01209 – 313990 or alannettle@talktalk.net

Saturday 17th March – International St.Patricks Day Race Night

5.00pm – England v Ireland on the big screen

7.30pm – Race Night

Should be a great night of shouting at the big screen!
 Hall of Fame BookThis is a must for all Reds supporters.  48 pages filled with information on the best Redruth players over the ages. 

An ideal present for anybody you forgot at Christmas, only £4.95.         On sale in the clubhouse.


Head Coach For Next Season Sought

Posted under Director's Commentary,Headlines,Senior Rugby News by Roger-Watson on Monday 16 January 2012 at 8:29 pm

UPDATE: This position has now been filled. Congratulations to Adrian Edwards on his appointment.

Head Coach 2012-13 Season

Redruth Rugby Football Club is seeking to appoint a Head Coach. The Head Coach will be responsible for the Senior XVs within the Club. The Head Coach will also be responsible for delivering the coaching programme for the season and be responsible for providing a positive and successful playing environment at National League level.

Other responsibilities will include selection, the playing and match preparation of the First XV squad, organising and attending coaches’ meetings, reporting to the Executive Committee, the end of season report and review and providing feedback to all senior players as and when required. The Head Coach will also be required to support other coaches within the Club that have responsibility for teams from Under 7 to Under 19.

Applicants should demonstrate experience of coaching at a good level (National League preferably) or CB senior representative level and have an affinity with the Community Game.

The coach should hold a minimum RFU Level 2 coaching qualification or its equivalent. (coaches who are studying towards a Level 2 qualification will be considered but plans must be in place to ensure that qualification is obtainable by the beginning of June 2012 or earlier).

This position will be salaried.

Please provide a Note of Interest along with a copy of your CV and send to:

Roger Watson, Hon Sec Redruth Rugby Football Club, Trelawny House, 30 Fore Street, Tregony, Truro, Cornwall TR2 5RN

or by email to watson_roger@hotmail.com (N.B. It’s an underscore after watson).

The closing date for applications is 31st January 2012.

Interviews will be held during February.

 


Dave P Decides to Go At the End of the Season

Posted under Headlines,Senior Rugby News,Supporters News by Roger-Watson on Thursday 12 January 2012 at 8:46 pm

DAVID PENBERTHY TO STAND DOWN AT THE END OF THE SEASON

David Penberthy, Director of Rugby, has decided that he will stand down at the end of this season. Redruth RFC is sorry to lose the services of this great Clubman but understands that he feels it is time to take a break.

He became Team Manager in 2002, Rugby Manager in 2004 and Director of Rugby in 2007. He has also been on the Executive Committee for a number of years, several as Chairman, but will not seek re-election in May.

David, whose late father was President of the Club, himself played over 700 games for Redruth, so is totally committed to Redruth. His choice however, is to have no official role in the Club next season.

Very much the face of Redruth for the past ten years, David will be an extremely hard act to follow so the Executive Committee will take the opportunity to re-examine the way rugby is organised and managed for the 2012/13 season.

We are very grateful for the huge contribution Dave has made over the years and for giving plenty of notice of his decision to stand down allowing the Club to make a smooth transition as we plan for a successful future.

Roger Watson (Hon. Sec. Redruth RFC)


“Bert” Explains Why He Is Going At the End of the Season

Posted under Director's Commentary,Headlines,News,Senior Rugby News by Roger-Watson on Thursday 12 January 2012 at 8:42 pm

They say that everyone has a “sell by” date and I think mine has truly arrived! Making the decision to stand down from my role as Director of Rugby and Executive Committee Member has been a very hard one for me to make but I am sure that I have made the correct decision. The focus of the club has changed and the traditional ways of running rugby at this sort of level are now so much different than in previous seasons. I thought long and hard about the situation and my decision and there was one part of me saying “yes” to stay, and that was when things were going well, and then there were the times when another part of me was saying “no” when things were not so good! Ultimately the decision was made by myself after giving thought to a new structure that, I think, will benefit the club in the long term. I don’t believe there is a meaningful role for a Director of Rugby anymore and a lean structure with a good coaching team ably assisted by a good admin person in the role of a Team Manager is the way forward. The financial aspects need to be managed outside of the rugby and now is the time for that to happen.

I will miss the players immensely as they have been the reason that I have done this job over the past ten years. Over those years I have been privileged to have worked with some great people and players. The players who came through the Redruth ranks such as Nathan Pedley, Lewis Vinnicombe, Sam Heard, Nathan Pascoe, Paul Thirlby and Craig Bonds at the outset, to players like Luke Collins, Chris Fuca and Peter Joyce from about 2005 onwards to youngsters like Nick Simmons, Brett Rule and many others who are too many to mention individually.

We were lucky that players like Mark Richards, James Mann, Darren Jacques, Andy Hymans, Damien Cook, John Navin, Richard Brown, Richard Carroll and a host of others who learnt their rugby at other Cornish clubs, came to the Reds to play a lot, if not all, of their senior rugby. We have also been blessed with having some incredible players from overseas such as James Lancaster, Bede Brown, Dan Goodwin, PJ Gidlow and the brilliant Mark Bright! All of these players wore the Red shirt with great pride and bought into an ethos that I tried very hard to create that was summed up by a phrase I used many times … ” I want players playing for Redruth not at Redruth”!

On the coaching side, well there was only one, and that was my brother in law Nigel Hambly. We had a brilliant working relationship and were very lucky that we also had our family relationship to fall back on. I think many times that I should have stepped down when he did but I think I made the right call and stayed for another couple of years because, although we got relegated last year, it was brilliant watching our young players grow in stature and confidence in one of the toughest seasons and leagues we have ever experienced. The month of April 2011 will live with me for a long time .. a 50 point drubbing at Cambridge followed by a hard fought draw at home against Macclesfield, a great away win at Coventry followed by a good win at home against Blaydon and then that last day of the season win at Wharfedale. Our average of our backline was 21 for that last month!

There are so many people that I must thank … to those very special people who helped with the financial backing of players… I am not going to name them for fear of forgetting someone but you have my utmost respect and gratitude. To all the players for giving me all they had and for accepting me for who I am, for the many memories on the hundreds of bus trips and the thousands of miles we have done and travelled together. To all the volunteers who have helped with the pitches and the decorating of the changing rooms, groups like the Wednesday Gang, Ralph Pascoe, Scott Hodge and Martin Caddy. To Alan Jeffery for all his help at home matches and the away games at Camborne…my list is endless.

Then there are the supporters, and what an incredible bunch of people you are, no matter where you live you are always there for us and always supporting us no matter what the result. I am sincerely and truly grateful for all you have done for every team that I have been involved with. When we talk supporters I must thank Dawn and Derek Ladner and Bert Viner for organising the bus trips and, of course, the late Ken Tullet for his involvement.

To the guys who have worked with me off the field… Dave Ricketts, Nigel Eslick, Jason Pengilly, Tony Cook, Terry Pryor, Spade, Chris Pooley and to the physios … my good mate Guy Bonham, Paul Hancock, Tim Powell, Danka de Main, Eddy Fletcher and all those who I have forgotten ..

To my fellow officers I wish you the very best for the future, it will be tough but I am sure you will carry the club through.

During this last 10 years I have made some great friends, not just at Redruth, but at many other clubs. My favourite is still Wharfedale by a long shot and I do intend getting myself up there soon. Mick, Buzz & Rodders are great people and I have really missed them this year. I also have great respect for a huge number of players who have played against us, some who are now in the premiership and others who continue to promote the game at National League level … thank you all.

Also I have to thank the press for their support. No matter what trials and tribulations have come our way they have been so supportive and have always given us a good account of ourselves. Ed Bawden, Bill Sobey, Mark Stevens, Mike Barlow, Nigel Walrond, Bill Hooper, Lee Hall have been brilliant along with all the team at Pirate FM, Ross Ellis, Jamie Read and Peter Richmond at Radio Cornwall. I will miss our weekly chats but its time for someone else to pick up the challenge.

Finally there is one person who I have to thank because without her support none of this would have been possible … my wife Nicky. She has been unbelievably supportive and always there for me in my darkest moments. It would be remiss if I didn’t mention my daughter Emily as well as she has always helped me when needed and my mum for listening. Aaron, well he has done so much to make me proud and he is still only 19 …

So what now???? I still intend to watch Redruth and support them from the sidelines with friends. I have my RFU role with the South West Division which will keep me well occupied as well, plus I would like to watch my son play, wherever that may be! Redruth will always be my club, I love it and have given all I can in trying to make it as successful as it could be.

Its been a roller coaster ride at times but I wouldn’t have swopped the experience for anything and have been both proud and privileged to have held the positions that I have …

Thank you all so much …

David Penberthy