Busy Weekend for Mini's
A lot activity this weekend with various mini teams travelling to various location
There was great wins for the Ashbourne U9s on their visit to Suttonians on Sunday morning.
Our under 11's were in Donnybrook playing Old Wesley and were used toppling on the 3G surface. Both of the Ashbourne U11s squads continued their recent good form with some great performances at Donnybrook on Sunday morning.
Our U13's did not have to travel as far. The Ashbourne U13s had a fantastic away win (19-10)at neighbours Ratoath on Sunday morning. The lads tore into Ratoath and moved the ball across the backs at every opportunity despite an early ankle injury to influential back rower and chief ball carrier Toby Ennis. Tries from Bodean Keogh(2) and Colm White with 2 fantastic conversion from Darragh Gleeson were enough for the lads to secure the second league win out of three games.
Coaches Paul Ennis, Brian Grieve, Alan Ward ,Kellan Toolan and Frank Keegan have the lads well drilled and they are a match for anyone with some determined defensive work on their own line for the last few minutes with all players hunting down tackles against a bigger Ratoath team. They have more league games against Clondalkin, Suttonians, Lansdowne, Bective and Wanderers and hope Toby recovers soon to play in these games.
Away Day to Navan for Under 7's!
Ashbourne’s U7’s travelled up to Navan early Sunday morning for their first away match of 2016 and fielded 2 teams that each played 2 teams from the hosting club.
Having got used to the astro surface in Ashbourne it took both Ashbourne teams a little while to warm up and get used to the mucky pitches in Navan. That said, Ashbourne defended really well in both teams from the start and once they acclimatised to Navan’s icy wind and the mucky pitch, the try count began to mount.
There were tries that the Senior team would have been proud of from Mikey Flynn, Jack Brennan, Jack Ryan, Callum Kelly and Johnnie O’Connell on one team and Jack Milner, Charlie Leonard, Conor Dwyer on the other. Conor’s younger brother Darragh joined us from the under 6’s for the morning and didn’t look out of place amongst his elders as he got stuck in and also ran in for a try.
Some great running and tackling was seen across the 2 Ashbourne sides by Joshua Colville, Isaac Power, Quinn O Reilly, Dylan Pentony, Hugh Hanley, Louis Murphy, Jeff Mahon, Ryan Hayes and Kealan Jordan. Navan found it very difficult to make the breaks and get through.
Navan continued with their great hospitality with sandwiches and buns in the club house after the four matches. It was then that the Navan coaches commented how good all the Ashbourne players were at running forward and not being afraid to take a tackle and offload.
Overall from Ashbourne, there was great support play, some real good running into space as well showing the ability to secure the ball when it went loose. They are the teams to watch as they move up through the Mini’s. Roll on the next match in two weeks time.
Thanks to Navan RFC for their great hospitality and look forward to meeting up again
Meath and Fingal Business Lunch - Friday Next
Girls Rugby at Ashbourne
Every Sunday at 11.00am - see details on poster
GIRLS TRAINING
FOR 11 TO 16 YEARS OLD STARTS THIS
SUNDAY & EVERY SUNDAY AT 11 AM IN
JOIN ASHBOURNE RUGBY
For Information Contact:
Ashbourne Youth Director
Colette Anderson
087-6860316
Leinster CCRO
Frank Keegan
083-8032130
Business Networking Lunch
Where: In Kettles Country Hotel, Rolestown
When: 12th February 2016Ashbourne RFC will be hosting a lunch on Friday 12th of February, 2016.We are delighted that Mr Raymond Coyle of Largo Foods and Tayto Park has agreed to be our keynote speaker at the lunch and in addition we are expecting to shortly confirm a former Irish international rugby player who will also speak.We are inviting businesses, service providers and traders in the Meath and Fingal region to the lunch and believe the lunch will provide all guests with an opportunity to meet with friends, customers, contacts and competitors at an enjoyable event.
The lunch will take place at Kettles Hotel in Rolestown with a 1.30pm meet with lunch to be served at 2.15pm.
Goggles In Rugby Q&A
There has been much discussion on this subject and we have been asked by the IRFU to post the following Q&A on the matter for your attention.
Ashbourne RFC is affiliated to the IRFU and are thus the guiding body for our sport and we as a club are bound to comply with the present situation.
If this matter is of concern to you it is hoped that the IRFU have addressed all of the issues on the matter in the following memo
Should there be a point not addressed please message me and I will forward the question to the IRFU.
Regards
Bill Duggan
Hon Secretary
[email protected]
Dear Honorary Secretary,
As you will be aware, for safety reasons, World Rugby and IRFU regulations the wearing of eyewear on the field of play was never permitted.
In recent years World Rugby has decided to explore the safety of allowing players to wear goggles on field and are conducting a trial in relation to the issue. The IRFU declined to be part of this trial, based on safety concerns.
Whilst the IRFU has communicated this policy on a number of occasions, in recent weeks we have received a number of enquires about the wearing of goggles.
As it is likely that you have received similar queries in clubs we have developed a Q&A document which we hope will assist you, your club, volunteers, coaches, players and parents to understand the issue, the steps the IRFU have taken in relation to the trial, and to underline that the IRFU must prioritise safety.
This information should be shared with everyone in your club and we encourage you to post this information in your clubhouse and on your various digital channels such as your website and social media sites.
Yours sincerely
Scott Walker Dr Rod McLoughlin
Director of Rugby Development Head of Medical Service
Q&A – IRFU and Eyewear/Goggles
1. Has the IRFU ever allowed people to wear glasses or goggles on the field of play?
a. No, for health and safety reasons it has never been permissible to wear eyewear of any variety whilst playing rugby in Ireland.
2. What is the World Rugby goggles trial?
a. World Rugby is conducting a trial to test the safety of goggles, specifically for those who require corrective lenses/eyewear.
b. The trial covers one goggle (manufactured by Raleri Italy) in one size.
c. The trial was due to be completed in May 2015 but has been extended on two occasions and is now due to be completed in late 2016.
d. Players can only wear goggles if they are members of a union that is partaking in the trail, they register for the trial and they wear the Raleri trial goggles.
3. Why has the IRFU decided not to participate in the trial?
a. To establish if the IRFU should participate in the trial the Medical Committee of the IRFU sought independent medical advice from one of Ireland’s leading ophthalmic surgeons. Based on this advice it was decided that Ireland would not participate in the trial, as to do so would potentially jeopardise the health and safety of those playing our game. Therefore, the wearing of eyewear on the field of play continues to be prohibited.
4. Is Ireland the only country not to participate in the trial?
a. No, the IRFU, the English RFU and the French Rugby Federation (amongst others) are not participating in the World Rugby trial. A number of unions are participating. The IRFU is responsible for the welfare of all those playing the game in Ireland and the decision not to participate was based on expert medical opinion received in Ireland.
5. What is the current status of this trial?
a. The trial has been extended until late 2016. As the trial has taken longer than initially planned the IRFU has sought trial data from World Rugby and will present this information to medical experts to see if it addresses the concerns initially raised in relation to the trial.
b. The IRFU will not seek to influence the advice from these independent experts and will respect any finding or recommendation they make.
6. What does the IRFU say to the players affected by this issue, and their parents?
a. The IRFU strives to make our game as inclusive as possible, and understands the frustration of players and parents in relation to this issue. However, it must be accepted that the number one priority of every sport must be health and safety. Rugby, as with all physical sports, will not be available to everyone, for various reasons, and until such time that medics are satisfied that health and safety is not compromised the IRFU are unable to allow players to wear goggles. It is worth remembering that the IRFU have not brought in any new restrictions on those who require eyewear – it has never been permissible to use eyewear on the field of play.
7. What advice does the IRFU have for any coach/parent/player or referees that may be tempted to allow people to play with goggles?
a. Under existing World Rugby regulations, and IRFU policy, players are not permitted to use goggle/eyewear when playing. Injury as a result of a player wearing goggles could have far reaching and difficult personal consequences for the individuals involved as well as reputational, insurance, financial and legal consequences for the club/school and the individuals in question.
8. With a number of people calling on the IRFU to enter the trial, will it now do so?
a. As the governing body for rugby in Ireland the IRFU has a duty of care and a moral and ethical responsibility to do everything possible to protect against and mitigate player risk or injury. The IRFU will work with World Rugby to review the trial data to-date and will only enter the trial if based on the review of the trial data by independent medical professionals that it is deemed medically safe to do so.
9. If World Rugby complete the trial and subsequently allow goggles to be worn will the IRFU follow this regulation?
a. Yes, the IRFU observes all World Rugby regulations, laws and policies. However, it is important that clubs, players and parents are clear that even if such a situation were to occur, the permitted World Rugby equipment would be limited to the trial goggle (manufactured by Raleri Italy) and all other goggles/eyewear would continue to be prohibited.
10. Is there any rugby game that those requiring eyewear can participate in?
a. Yes, the restriction in relation to the wearing of goggles applies to the contact game only. Therefore, goggles may be worn in non-contact rugby such as Leprechaun, Tag and Touch.
Kind regards,
Stephen McNamara
Director of Communications
Fund Raising by Shopping Locally at Tesco
We just received confirmation that Ashbourne Rugby Club are on the TESCO Shopping token list for the next 8 weeks.
This means when shopping in TESCO Ashbourne if you take the blue tokens and put them in the shoot on the way out to build up support for our club we will get a bigger donation than the other two organisations also chosen for tokens.
In other words shop in TESCO and put blue tokens in the slot on the way out. The club will then get a cheque for anywhere between €400 to €1,000 euro. Could you please spread the word.