RugbyRebels

So I know some of you may have seen this on the planetrugby forums, but I've recently got back to playing, and on a suggestion from twitter, started a blog on it too. No idea if you're interested, but here's a link: https://backtorugbyat34.blogspot.com/

Also, any advice for a newbie tighthead (who's rather on the smaller side) would be much appreciated!

Good on you. I've retired and come back about 4 times at least, and I'm still getting out there at 41 (in the 35+ grade).

I stopped due to injuries, did some reffing and coaching, then came back for a last hurrah, which i really enjoyed until my body told me in no uncertain terms to pack it in. You cant beat playing, so play as much as you can.
THP is the most physically and technically demanding position so good luck! Didnt they have a spot available in the back row?
New props should just concentrate on getting into a good shape. Feet in the right place, straight back and square shoulders. 2v1 scrummaging is really useful in getting your angles right and build some core strength.

Lots of people are happy to play backrow, finding front row is tougher, especially for 2nds. I'm also a fair bit slower than most the guys we have in the backrow, and happy to be able to take it easy around the pitch now and then with the excuse of being a tighthead...

It also means that when my missus spots me snacking at the biscuits, I can just point out I'm a prop now, and need to keep my stature, if not "improve" it.

Good luck Raggs, you're younger than I'd imagined! And good luck with playing TH, you'll be on top wages there The biscuit eating will come in handy if you ever find yourself in front of the RFU disciplinary committee.

Beasties wrote:Good luck Raggs, you're younger than I'd imagined! And good luck with playing TH, you'll be on top wages there The biscuit eating will come in handy if you ever find yourself in front of the RFU disciplinary committee.

I'm getting well practiced with the biscuits, perfect dipping technique in a variety of beverages along with a variety of biscuits.

Definitely having fun in the front row with my opposition so far, even if they are beating me where it counts.

Raggs wrote:

Beasties wrote:Good luck Raggs, you're younger than I'd imagined! And good luck with playing TH, you'll be on top wages there The biscuit eating will come in handy if you ever find yourself in front of the RFU disciplinary committee.

I'm getting well practiced with the biscuits, perfect dipping technique in a variety of beverages along with a variety of biscuits.

Definitely having fun in the front row with my opposition so far, even if they are beating me where it counts.

Just don’t blog whilst in front of the committee. No amount of biscuits and/or dunking technique will save you if you do that.
I stopped playing at 30, once I realised having babies and disappearing all of Saturday wasn’t compatible, at least in the eyes of my long suffering wife. I also had a couple of concussions in quick succession that sealed the deal. Relocating oop north a couple of years later meant any temptation disappeared. Now, eight years later, with my kids playing and me coaching, I am being tempted back. Two of my fellow minis coaches are the 2nd XV capt and 2nd XV manager/coach and they are giving me the hard sell. Supposedly I impressed them during the touch rugby session of the Game Changers CPD. I’ll caveat that with the fact that they do struggle to find a full complement of players on some weekend, so just being able to catch and break into a light jog would be enough to ‘impress’. What they didn’t see was me trying to walk the following morning. My right groin was still giving me jip a couple weeks later!! I’m busy on the domestic and work fronts until the new year but then I plan to give it half a season to see if my body can take it.

Raggs wrote:

Beasties wrote:Good luck Raggs, you're younger than I'd imagined! And good luck with playing TH, you'll be on top wages there The biscuit eating will come in handy if you ever find yourself in front of the RFU disciplinary committee.

I'm getting well practiced with the biscuits, perfect dipping technique in a variety of beverages along with a variety of biscuits.

Definitely having fun in the front row with my opposition so far, even if they are beating me where it counts.

Front row is a lot of fun - I'm trying to rebrand myself as a 6/8 instead of a hooker after joining a new club this season (and losing 3st, which is probably more pertinent) and I have to say that I miss the one-on-one with my opposition number.

On advice, while I don't play prop (and CANNOT play prop if any of my selectors are here), I'd second the advice about straight back, low hips, tense your core, bent legs behind you. Simple physics is your best bet as a newbie - get all of your body lined up straight and pushing in the same direction. You'll pick up bits of technique from when other people beast you, so that'll just be time. Best thing you can do is opposed 1v1 scrummaging at training to get your positioning right and train your muscles to work at those angles.

Puja

My boy is 6, and I didn't get into the scene in Israel because I didn't want to spend a lot of time away from him. Now whilst I still don't love basically losing most of the saturday, it's much more bearable, and on Sunday's I'm coaching him, so we're together then.

I think front row happened to me as a combination of it being tough for our 2nds to find a full complement of front row at times, and also me not being the most athletic of folks at the moment.

Dodgy groin gets me often, but it tends to be an issue with sprints (ha!) more than heavy lifting, so I can pretty much get on with things if it's sore. Bad back is similar, the pain I get doesn't interfere with the propping at all, it's a muscle issue related to turning my head, so if I'm in a strong straight position, it's not a problem.

Definitely feeling my age though, especially with a load of schoolboys around. However I'm having a blast so far, and really don't want to stop. I do appreciate the off weekends though! Two more games before the next one...

My first contested scrums I got bent in half repeatedly, the problem was my setup, I wasn't getting square, meaning trying to do it all on one leg. Obviously that went rather wrong, but after goign back a bit, I basically would bounce around into a strong position and get stable and stop it going back anymore. Second game of contested scrums (and that's it so far), got beaten, and pushed back, but only once seriously, and never felt bent in double etc, just beaten. Probably kept it stable about 30% of the time (going back was often only a step or two as well, so not too bad), and got a nudge on them a couple of times too, so that was nice. Problem with the 2nds is it's a lot of guys who don't come training, so there's not really any cohesion at the moment.

Enjoying the blog, keep it going

Next post: https://backtorugbyat34.blogspot.com/20 ... rhaps.html

I'm basically going to post daily until we're caught up to modern day, then it'll probably be around twice a week (practice and match, if there is one).

Maybe post other stuff, like the ruck marks (if I find the time to do more), or highlights videos (again, if I can be bothered, would like to do one on Willis when he comes back).

A list of injuries and accompanying photos after each match would be good.

Like it! Will try it out.

Much like others, I coach my sons under 11s team, enjoy reffing, and play half a dozen times a year for our ‘nomads’ team, a mixture of vets, 3rds and players parents. Ever now and then support the 2nds.

Played 7 all my life, but it’s an over subscribed position at this age, so tonight I trained with the backs for the first time Ever. I’m not sure how I feel about it really !

Perhaps feel glad that you've taken a different direction to most players as they get older? Half the teams we've played against have had a prop kicking the restarts, as they'd played 10 for the first half of their careers!

Raggs wrote:Perhaps feel glad that you've taken a different direction to most players as they get older? Half the teams we've played against have had a prop kicking the restarts, as they'd played 10 for the first half of their careers!

Ha! aint that the truth - our 10's are proper chubby to say the least, happy to kick the ball around the park but never chase....

I'll try remoulding myself as a 12 at the ripe old age of 44 and let you know how it goes

Raggs wrote:Perhaps feel glad that you've taken a different direction to most players as they get older? Half the teams we've played against have had a prop kicking the restarts, as they'd played 10 for the first half of their careers!

Where do they go after making the kick? The 10 would tend to drop but it's unlikely you'd want a prop to do that so do they hare off after their own kick? And by hare I suspect I mean amble, with the play of the ball being so slow the amble sufficiently catches them up with play.

Digby wrote:

Raggs wrote:Perhaps feel glad that you've taken a different direction to most players as they get older? Half the teams we've played against have had a prop kicking the restarts, as they'd played 10 for the first half of their careers!

Where do they go after making the kick? The 10 would tend to drop but it's unlikely you'd want a prop to do that so do they hare off after their own kick? And by hare I suspect I mean amble, with the play of the ball being so slow the amble sufficiently catches them up with play.

No idea! I'm too busy ambling back in support to be looking where they go.

Raggs wrote:

Digby wrote:

Raggs wrote:Perhaps feel glad that you've taken a different direction to most players as they get older? Half the teams we've played against have had a prop kicking the restarts, as they'd played 10 for the first half of their careers!

Where do they go after making the kick? The 10 would tend to drop but it's unlikely you'd want a prop to do that so do they hare off after their own kick? And by hare I suspect I mean amble, with the play of the ball being so slow the amble sufficiently catches them up with play.

No idea! I'm too busy ambling back in support to be looking where they go.

My guess is they're doing nothing of any use in the middle of the pitch which might be exploitable. You'd have been interested as a 9

Raggs wrote: Definitely feeling my age though

Christ on a bike. I felt fresh as a daisy at 34 in spite of lots of injuries. It's all caught up with me now though at 52. Any day without a major joint ache is a bonus these days.

Really interesting to read about others' playing days on here though. I shall follow your blog with interest. Had a little chuckle about everyone gravitating eventually to the front row. I ended up there at 15, what does that tell you lol?

Gave up as a teenager due to a spate of injuries as everyone else grew and I didn't. Was a hooker which really isn't my position :p

Would love to give it a go sometime in the future, though. In the backs. Probably centre as I'm not the quickest in the world, though with my hands, wing may be a better bet. Although with vets I may find myself quick!

Beasties wrote:

Raggs wrote: Definitely feeling my age though

Christ on a bike. I felt fresh as a daisy at 34 in spite of lots of injuries. It's all caught up with me now though at 52. Any day without a major joint ache is a bonus these days.

Really interesting to read about others' playing days on here though. I shall follow your blog with interest. Had a little chuckle about everyone gravitating eventually to the front row. I ended up there at 15, what does that tell you lol?

Were you playing constantly though? Coming back to it, the body just isn't used to the impacts. I have found that in sessions that I don't actively have a pulled muscle, bad impact etc, I now come away feeling relatively OK, but I suspect it's still going to take a while to get used to it completely.

I wish I could get back tp playing - but A] No way my knee would ever allow that; and B] I just can't risk the injuries, especially with my job and position.

Just posted a new post: https://backtorugbyat34.blogspot.com/20 ... it-is.html

And another up. Delayed a day due to excessive muscle relaxant after yesterday's game.