While the majority of the time was taken up with skills and techniques sessions, the players also undertook a full battery of fitness tests. A talk on Sport Psychology for the Young Player' was included in the programme, as was a talk on Rugby & Education'. The latter was aimed at making our young players focus on their lifestyle (university, etc.) as part of their rugby development, and it was good to see the number of parents who availed themselves of the opportunity to attend this particular session.
The coaching team was headed up by Exiles' Head Coach Peter Halsall, supported by fellow Exiles Kevan Bell, Patrick Collins and Simon Ryan, and with the much appreciated support of the IRFU through the coaching inputs from Hendrik Kruger, Ultan O'Callaghan, Colin McEntee, and Ian Sherwin. It was also good to have the support, in attendance, of John Callaghan (IRFU Youth Committee Chair) and David Eakin (Manager, IRFU U18 Team).
The above level of staffing meant that every single player was analysed on a grading system across a range of rugby-related variables, e.g. decision-making, which will greatly assist our future development programmes with these players.
The photograph shows some of the action from the field-based sessions.
