Touch rugby thread

[Mr Mwenda]

Excitement is building here for the upcoming world cup. The fixtures have been announced. It is a big advance for Sweden, which will enter teams into two categories for the first time in both the men's over 30s and 40s. Passage of time has pushed me into the 40s (although 30s did try to poach me at one stage ).




Bar England, all new opponents for me. Bring it!

[Which Tyler]

Good luck!

[Mr Mwenda]

Tack!

Will post updates as we go.

[Mr Mwenda]

Team officially confirmed, getting pretty excited!

[Puja]

Team officially confirmed, getting pretty excited!

They using your picture?

Puja

[Mr Mwenda]

Haha, I'm more lumbering and hairy but perversely also balding than our ex-model captain XD

[Mr Mwenda]

Games to be streamed here: https://youtube.com/@internationaltouch ... daXUm2gm4f

Looks like two Sweden M40s will be broadcast, including a crunch game v Portugal

[Mr Mwenda]

Warm up games completed. We played three short games. A scoreless draw with Chile and then wins v Italy and Japan. All teams in older age categories. This was brilliant as all our prior training matches were v m30s or open sides and the speed was much more manageable. Our defence was good and the attack got better and better. There's a real feeling that it is beginning to click. The holes in their defence are there and we're getting better at recognising them. We now have a day off to heal before we begin on Tuesday v Singapore. Really fun in the group at the mo. Although as the youngest player i am "gromit" so I have to mind our match ball and the team's rubber duck mascot. The others are already enjoying stealing them any moment they can. Bastards.

[Puja]

Warm up games completed. We played three short games. A scoreless draw with Chile and then wins v Italy and Japan. All teams in older age categories. This was brilliant as all our prior training matches were v m30s or open sides and the speed was much more manageable. Our defence was good and the attack got better and better. There's a real feeling that it is beginning to click. The holes in their defence are there and we're getting better at recognising them. We now have a day off to heal before we begin on Tuesday v Singapore. Really fun in the group at the mo. Although as the youngest player i am "gromit" so I have to mind our match ball and the team's rubber duck mascot. The others are already enjoying stealing them any moment they can. Bastards.

Great work! On the results that is, not your lackadaisical and negligent care of the poor innocent rubber duck.

Puja

[Mr Mwenda]

Warm up games completed. We played three short games. A scoreless draw with Chile and then wins v Italy and Japan. All teams in older age categories. This was brilliant as all our prior training matches were v m30s or open sides and the speed was much more manageable. Our defence was good and the attack got better and better. There's a real feeling that it is beginning to click. The holes in their defence are there and we're getting better at recognising them. We now have a day off to heal before we begin on Tuesday v Singapore. Really fun in the group at the mo. Although as the youngest player i am "gromit" so I have to mind our match ball and the team's rubber duck mascot. The others are already enjoying stealing them any moment they can. Bastards.

Great work! On the results that is, not your lackadaisical and negligent care of the poor innocent rubber duck.

Puja

Considering keeping the little fella in my trews.

[Mr Mwenda]

Match day 1 complete. Great fun. First game was v Singapore and for me this really hammered home how rarely we in Sweden play real, competitive Touch. As with the Euros I have been at, the speed is on another level and collectively we take time to adjust. The Singaporeans played the conditions well, while we made a lot of errors in the wet. We failed to complete our sets far too often and this meant the pressure was never built. We also got caught in D too much, mostly not acclimatising to the pace. We lost 11-1. A pity, I think if we were up to speed the final score might have been more like 8-4. We crossed the line multiple times but for errors in the play the ball. My main issue was I let in the first try as I lost the line, giving my man just enough space to beat me. I’ll be thinking that one over for a while.

Match 2 v Australia and we took the expected pumping, 17-0. Having said that, this game felt much better in many ways, with the pressure off we able to complete our sets and managed multiple strikes on their line. I got over myself, but it was after the hooter in half time and got chalked off. Curse this war. It felt good though, I’d beaten my man… Also had a few dabs and felt my I’d held my end up. I am currently one of two floating links, which means I am running every second line, whereas other players on the team are on every third. All those intervals now paying off. Despite the score, the defence was heroic at times from so many players. We managed to hold them out on several occasions. Really nice to be up against the best in the world and the mood in the camp was intense afterwards. Our manager tearing up and everyone getting in on the group hug. Portugal tomorrow morning, before we face England. I hope I can keep my scoring streak against the men in white (on a run of two in two).

[Mr Mwenda]

So, today was gutting. We had a hard fought close game v Portugal, which we had the better of but we somehow managed to lose 2-3. To cap it all, a collision with a team mate in the first minute lacerated my nose. I played the whole match but then had to miss the England match as I had to go to A&E. Rubbish. The team went down 0-18, I guess because we couldn't pick ourselves up for it.

[Mr Mwenda]

Today we just had one game, against Fiji, who handily were not very good. We won 3-0 and still were profligate. Games v Malaysia and Scotland tomorrow. Fingers crossed the momentum builds!

[Puja]

Today we just had one game, against Fiji, who handily were not very good. We won 3-0 and still were profligate. Games v Malaysia and Scotland tomorrow. Fingers crossed the momentum builds!

Excellent work! And the rubber duck?

Puja

[Mellsblue]

The fact Fiji aren’t good at touch rugby blows my mind.

[Which Tyler]

And the rubber duck?

Hear hear

The fact Fiji aren’t good at touch rugby blows my mind.

That's... not how the world is supposed to work!

[Mr Mwenda]

Yesterday was tough, we had the game of the tournament so far from us v Malaysia, scoring the most tries by any Swedish team ever going down 8-9. It was gutting as we led for much of the game. However, it turns out that one needs to defend as well in this game. It was the hottest day of the year and it told. We then took on Scotland in the heat of the day. Our team is beginning to disintegrate and I ended up playing mid, a position I have neither trained or played. So made a few bad fuck ups. We were pretty much done then so went down 0-8 or something, we blew several tries with tired passes. Now we have one more ranking match v Spain. I am praying hard i can play link as mid is a huge headache.

Ducky is still with us, although I think her smile is looking less genuine after the ice baths!

[Mr Mwenda]

The fact Fiji aren’t good at touch rugby blows my mind.

It's funny, the big islands team is the Cook Islands who tend to be vying for third place with England and the various Aussie b teams like Lebanon. Samoa, Tonga and PNG are here as well but aren't especially big.

Fiji 40s were a group of very large union players. They weren't fit enough and they were trying to play union (switches and running round the corner repeatedly) but in touch the weak shoulders aren't there so one has to be up against a disorganised defence to succeed. It might be their other categories are stronger.

Court session tonight. There will be reckoning about ducky I fear.

[Mr Mwenda]

Ok, so we had a play off game v Spain to finish. We lost but gave a good account of ourselves. We only had ten players and so it was all backs against the wall stuff. It is a shame really I would say we would win against the with the full fourteen.

I then spent the next two days out of my bin and dressed as björn borg with my teammates. Court session was good, managed to provide some strong arguments and was punished. Most fun walking around saying "hej björn" to various teammates. Also a lot of joy playing tennis in the streets, in the lifts, etc.

A bit unsure how I feel about the caper. We won one but could have won four by only being a little better. I am disappointed by this and feel while some team mates stepped up several did not appreciate what they were getting into. A little bit fitter, a little attendance of the camps and we could have done something special.

Not sure if I will stick with it for the next few years, it is expensive in all senses. My captain is talking of the euros next year. We'll see.

Ducky is fine and with me.

[Mellsblue]

I very much enjoyed the second and third paras, if for very different reasons! Well done (typed in a very non patronising tone).

[Mr Mwenda]

I very much enjoyed the second and third paras, if for very different reasons! Well done (typed in a very non patronising tone).

No patronisation taken