Today we prepare for practice before the last game of the season, and for some of the team, the last competitive game of their short-lived rugby careers. From a background of training twice a week and playing (at least) once a week for 7-8 months of a year, 15 years straight, it is difficult for me to comprehend that some of the seniors are going to leave college having played less than 25 games total. More disappointing is the fact that nearly all of them will not get the chance to play again, as there is a scarcity of non-college women’s rugby locally.
Practice tonight will follow a similar theme to recent weeks, consolidating on previous core skills and encouraging strong decision making through the introduction of ‘risk-free’ practice situations. As coaches, we always strive to help our charges develop skills to excel and enjoy each game to the fullest. But what value is there in putting them through a rigorous session when they are unlikely to employ those skills past the 80 minutes on Saturday?
Obviously, we want them to win every game possible, and enjoy the experience along the way. Our impending opposition on Saturday is a team known to us already this season, with a squad the size that any coach would dream to have available. It will be a tough test, but not an insurmountable task. However, it will require everything that has been instilled in the seniors and a little more from the newer talents as they try to send off the ‘old girls’ in style and thank them for great service to the club.
Personally, I’ve always struggled with taking a competitive edge out of a “friendly” so I will continue to encourage the girls to treat the after-game celebration as the last hurrah, rather than the game itself. I won’t be able to stop myself trying to further refine some minute detail at practice tonight in the hope that it might pay dividends for a split second on Saturday and Saturday only.
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