This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
2


COA


CHING MA


TTERS |SUMMER RUGBY|


THE COA


Peter Clarkson (East Leeds)


CH


For the coach of East Leeds, who’ve been enjoying a successful season in Conference League Two, summer rugby has been a massive change, and a great success.


‘I must admit, I was a little bit sceptical at the beginning,’ said Clarkson, ‘but as far as we’re concerned, it’s been a real success.


‘The club has seen a big rise in the number of players coming to train with us, and that’s throughout the club from seven year olds to open age. There are perhaps some obvious reasons for that; for example, the lighter nights and better pitches, but we’ve also seen the quality of the rugby improve too.’


Clarkson said that there were occasions when work and family commitments had kept players away, and that was understandable, but that this had been more


than made up for with the growth and enthusiasm.


However, for Clarkson, it is on the pitch where he is most pleased. ‘We have some skilful players here and they’ve helped bring everyone on. The quality of pitches throughout our league has been very good, which has helped, and I think the RFL has done a really good job with this. We are able to play the good, attractive rugby that we like to play.’


As for a downside? Well, Clarkson is struggling to think of one, although the change to winter routines will be interesting for both players and coaches.


THE CHAIRMAN Pete McWatt (Skirlaugh)


Summer rugby... ‘let’s give it a chance, it hasn’t been perfect, but we can work at it’.


That’s the verdict of Pete McWatt, at East Yorkshire club Skirlaugh.


In what’s been a testing time for the side on the field, McWatt says there needs to be some honest discussions about the project, and although there have been many positives in the quality of rugby as a whole, for clubs’ first XIIIs there could be lessons taken on board.


‘I’m sure there will be a lot of suggestions from sides, and a few questions on why we all did certain things and what can be better, but that’s only healthy isn’t it? Only a few weeks into the season there was a week’s break, which we didn’t think made sense, but then when it got to Super League’s Magic Weekend, which a lot of our lads would loved to have gone along to and watched, we found we were playing.


‘One suggestion I’ve heard is to have a mid-summer break – that could be the time when perhaps the lads can get away with their families and kids for a few days, as we have fellas here with full-time jobs and it’s difficult for them to commit to a club, but also balance their family lives too.’


On the junior side, McWatt says the school summer holidays sometimes had an impact on numbers available, and that was again only understandable.


‘I know parents get in trouble if they go on holiday in term time, so we of course understand that those weeks will be difficult,’ he said.


‘But in the early days of the Conference there were doubts it would work, and look at it now. So I think this needs time to get right and settle down, and I know there are people working hard at the RFL to do that.’


All images on this page © RFL


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12