Queen’s RFC–Update #8

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

A lot has gone on since my last post , and we are approaching what will be a very busy time for us here at Queen’s , so I will try to give you a brief insight into this hectic time of year.

Firstly, our 1^st have found their feet in what has been a transitional season for the club’s flagship team. In their past 3 games in the All Ireland league the 1sts have taken 13 points from a possible 15 to move towards securing their league status for next season. The run started with an away win against, Old Wesley followed by a home win against Cashel and then a draw at home against high flying Galwegians. This is testament to the hard work the guys have been putting in all season, and we had another 2 players- Ross Adair and Ben Alexander selected for the Ulster Ravens .

We are also holding our first ever Easter Rugby Talent camp (see Picture ) from the 1^st- 5^th April at their state of the art Upper Malone Facilities, between 9:30 am and 1pm each day. The camp is for players aged 14-16 who are keen to develop their skills, work with excellent coaches and get advice on nutrition and beginning strength and conditioning. There will be a number of guest appearances during the camp to give advice and lead workshops for the players, meaning that this is an excellent opportunity for aspiring players to make the most of their potential.

We are at the business end of the University sport season and in the next month we are hosting the Women’s Intervarsities (26+27^th March), and our girls will be trying to capture some silverware again this year after winning division 2 last year. We are also hosting the men’s and women’s 7s competitions (10^th April) and the IRFU Volkswagen Spring tag league which will run for six weeks.

Apologies for the short update but very busy at this time of year, the next update should have details of all these competitions and hopefully we will have some information on Queen’s success in the competitions!

Until next time... Keep the Blue Flag Flying High

Follow us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/QUBRFC

Queen’s RFC–Update #7

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Unfortunately there has not been a lot of Rugby since the last update, with the inclement weather conditions playing havoc with the fixture list.

The one team within the club who have been fairly active are the women's team who have progressed to the Ulster Cup final unbeaten with wins over Enniskillen, Cooke and Belfast Harlequins as well as a 36-0 win over collegiate rivals DCU in the CUSAI league. The girls now face a reunion with Enniskillen in the Rosie Stewart Ulster Cup Final, before they begin their first All Ireland Cup campaign in earnest and prepare for the CUSAI women's Rugby intervarsities.

This weekend the 1st XV travel to Old Wesley in the All Ireland League, While the 2nd XV face Rainey Old Boys and the 3rd XV host Donaghadee. Here's hoping for three wins, and if recent weeks are anything to go by, that all three fixtures go ahead!

The Ulster School's Cup has exploded into life in recent weeks, with all the 'big' teams entering the fray. The pick of the 4th round ties saw holders Methody face Campbell College in what many observers felt would be the eventual final. Methody managed to best their Belfast rivals in a tight encounter and are joined in the next round of the cup by Ballyclare High, Royal School Armagh, Sullivan Upper School, RBAI, Bangor Grammar, Wallace High School and Limavady Grammar School. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all remaining teams the best in their cup campaigns and look forward to the School's Cup Final in mid march!

Until the next time.. Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!

Follow us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/QUBRFC

Queen’s RFC–Update #6

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

The period since our last report has been a quieter one in terms of matches, with the weather claiming a number of games. This may well have come at an opportune time as January means exam time for the students, it’s easy to forget sometimes that young players have classes to attend and coursework to do on top of their pitch and gym sessions, but we feel that we are probably more understanding than most clubs due to the years of experience working specifically with students.

We also had some exciting news at Queen’s during this period, with the approval of the University’s first Elite Athlete programme, showing the commitment to developing and supporting top level athletes. The programme is comprehensive with recipients gaining access to Individual academic support and mentoring, financial assistance against fees and living costs, campus food vouchers and tutoring on request for any athlete that is losing out on teaching as a result of sporting commitments. This is in addition to sports conditioning, physiotherapy support, media training, programme workshops/master classes with the highly qualified personnel and Individualized career advice. The package focuses on the athlete’s holistic development and we believe it is one of the best programmes available to third level athletes. Follow this link to apply for the programme.

We have also been involved in some community outreach work, setting up a link with our local special needs secondary school- Glenveagh Primary. As part of this link our students are delivering Tag Rugby coaching to a group of approximately 20 students with a view to establishing a Team that would play regular friendly fixtures. This is a very rewarding scheme and hugely beneficial for pupils with an interest in working in an educational setting, as a means to get experience. We hope to increase our outreach by also delivering coaching in local post- primary girl’s schools.

Finally, preparations are underway for our IRFU spring tag Rugby competition which was very popular last year with 22 teams and approximately 250 players competing over six weeks. This year we hope for an even more successful competition, Tag is a great, social way to introduce new players to Rugby or allow friends to continue competing once their playing careers are over.

The next update is sure to have more information on our teams and how their seasons are progressing, as the 1^st XV continue their AIL campaign, the 2^nd , 3^rd and 4^th XVs chase domestic silverware and the Women’s team get their Ulster Cup Campaign underway.

Until next time, keep the Blue Flying Flag!

Follow us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/QUBRFC

Queen’s RFC–Update #5

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

Good to be back with a report just prior to the festive season and things are going reasonably well at the club. The Christmas period is a relatively quiet one at Queen’s as I’m sure it is at most universities, with students returning home and matches few and far between.

The 1^st XV managed two great wins in the All Ireland League to climb up the table, the first coming against a much fancied UCC side at the Mardyke, When Ritchie Mcmaster slotted a touch conversion on the final whistle to claim a well deserved 26-24 victory. This was followed up with solid home win over a Midleton featuring former Ireland and Munster back Jason Holland. It had been a tough start to the season for the young 1^st XV this year, but Head coach Paddy Armstrong’s hard work each week has paid off and they appear to be hitting some form going into the upcoming senior league clashes.

The 2^nd XV continue to impress running in a number of big victories, maintaining a run that has seen them unbeaten since early September. They are a very young side play a great brand of Rugby and it’s great to see their enthusiasm on the training pitch spreading throughout the whole club. They will face local rivals Malone in the McCrea cup competition in a repeat of last year’s epic final which went into extra time, with Malone coming out on top. The Queen’s lads, under the guidance of Mark Sampson and Chris Moore will be keen to reverse that this year!

The women’s team wrapped up winning their All Ireland League a week earlier having beaten everyone, playing 6 games and winning them all, scoring 285 points, whilst conceding only 29, to finish 8 points clear of local side Belfast Harlequins. This success translated into 6 of the Queen’s squad being picked for the Ulster Women’s team, forming the backbone of the side in the games against Munster and Leinster in the interprovincial series so far.

In other news, our 5^th XV had another outing, this time against Ards resulting in a victory and it was great to see some players making their debut not only for the club, but in their first ever game of Rugby , long may it continue. Finally, the club is finalising the accreditation process for the IRFU club excellence award, which is recognition for all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes at the club.

May we wish all readers a Happy Christmas, with plenty of Rugby ... and Turkey.

‘Keep the Blue Flag Flying High... until next time.’

Follow us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/QUBRFC

Queen’s RFC–Update #4

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

The season is now in full swing and we are very busy as I’m sure are all the Rugby clubs throughout Ireland. Including preseason our players have been training hard in the gym and on the pitch for around 3 and a half months now.

October is an interesting month at Queen’s as the academy spots are awarded to the Male and Female students who have been selected. We feel that our Rugby Academy offers an excellent support system to young players who aspire to fulfill their potential as players. We seek to work with players on an individual basis, investing money on their behalf in services such as Nutritionists, Sports Psychologists, Strength and Conditioning Coaches and other Sports Science Services. We also have a number of specialist workshops geared towards supporting the modern student athlete.

Our 1^st XV have continued to play well in the Ulster Senior League, looking impressive in beating high flying local rivals Malone at home, despite missing a number of regulars. However, the All-Ireland League has been a struggle thus far, due to a combination of facing tough opposition in our opening 3 games, and trying to gel as a young team after the loss of 13 first team regulars at the end of last season. However , the coaching team is convinced that the current crops is one of the club’s most talented in years and are sure that we will see them show that during the remainder of the season.

The 2nds have started to build momentum with convincing wins over Rainey Old Boys, and Belfast Harlequins, but will face a test this weekend with the ever- physical Banbridge the visitors to Upper Malone. The 3rds and 4ths have also started the season well and look certain to be challengers in their respective leagues come the end of the season.

The women’s team go from strength to strength in their first year playing All Ireland Rugby, and currently have won all their games this season, and gaining an attacking bonus point in all but one. A number of the squad have also been training with the Ulster Provincial squad and we hope to be well represented when the final squad is announced. We will also be hosting the Ulster vs. Munster women’s interprovincial game on Sunday 2^nd December.  In the photo to right you see Jemma Jackson after scoring the winning try in our recent game against local rivals Harlequins.

Finally, we have broken new ground this season with two additional teams taking the field representing the club. The men’s 5^th XV had a midweek outing today against Stranmillis College in an entertaining game, which they narrowly lost. Also, our women’s 2^nd XV took to the field on Sunday past against local Qualifying side Ards, and managed a convincing victory. It’s great to see more players finding an avenue to continue their rugby alongside their studies and hopefully both teams will be able to secure more fixtures as the season goes on… injuries and weather permitting!

‘Keep the Blue Flag Flying High... until next time.’

Follow us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/QUBRFC

Queen’s RFC–Update #3

Roots & All is a project where we pick a few teams that don’t normally make the spotlight week in week out and feature them regularly throughout an entire campaign.

I would like to start this blog by offering our sincerest condolences as a club to the Spence family after the recent tragedy in Hillsborough costing the lives of Nevin, Noel and Graham. The thoughts of all within the Rugby, Farming and indeed wider communities in Ulster are with them.

As a club it has been a mixed start to the season, The 1^st XV (pictured left offering a minute’s silence for the Spence family) started their Ulster Senior League season with 3 victories in a row, only to have the following 2 matches abandoned due to serious injury to our players Michael McAuley and Michael Cochrane. The club would like both mike’s a speedy recovery as they start their rehabilitation, and we hope to see them both again soon.

As a club reliant on young players, we were buoyed by the Ulster U20s winning the interprovincial series and I stand to be corrected but I think this is the first time they have won it, under the revised structure. We had 7 players involved with the team, as well as 3 with Ulster’s U19 side and we look forward to these players integrating back into the senior squad over the next few weeks.

The season is also underway for the 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th teams and it was great to see the 3^rd and 4^th XV register great wins at the weekend over rivals Ards and Omagh, whilst the 2nds had a tough start to the season away to City Of Derry, but will look to get back on track against Rainey this week. With numbers at men’s training surpassing 70 at times we may see the establishment of a 5^th side.

Our Ladies season has also started and this year see them take their place in the Women’s All Ireland League for the first time in the club’s history. They have had two fixtures so far, first a friendly against Ballymoney followed by their all Ireland league debut, at Home against an established Enniskillen side, with victories coming in both games. The Enniskillen match was evidence of the hard work the girls have put into preseason this year as they secured a 43-10 win (see Aoife Walsh on the charge in pic to right). Numbers at women’s training on Monday exceeded 40 so we will be looking to establish a 2^nd women’s side if at all possible to get everyone games... a good problem to have.

Finally, huge congratulation are in order to ‘our own’ Iain Henderson who was recently called up to the Irish Training Squad, ‘Hendy’ is a huge talent and has a massive future ahead of him.. We at Queen’s will be following his progress with keen interest and he is always a popular visitor to Upper Malone.

‘Keep the Blue Flag Flying High... until next time.’

Follow us on Facebook-www.facebook.com/QUBRFC

Queen’s RFC–Update #1

Roots&All follows the progress of four teams through their 2012/13 campaigns.

The season has got off to a flying start and things have been very busy at the club. Queen’s, like Ulster have made a solid start to the season and so far are undefeated. This is particularly impressive, as usually this is a difficult time for the club, with many players involved in Interprovincial action with the Ulster 19s and 20s. This year is no different, and Queen’s currently have approximately 9 players involved across those squads, and we wish them well in their respective tournaments.

Early preseason competition took the form of a 7s competition at Ophir which the boys managed to win, and a four team tournament involving local sides Donaghadee and Ards, as well as Suttonians. The tournament was an ideal opportunity to try out new combinations and blood new players, particularly key for ourselves as a university side, with 13 of last year’s senior squad graduating in July 2012. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of those players well as they move on to new chapters in terms of employment (hopefully) and Rugby. Rarely a week goes by during the season without a former Queen’s player revisiting their old stomping grounds, as part of an opposition side.

So far, we have played 2 Ulster Senior League games with Rainey Old Boys the first visitors to the ‘Dub’ this year. The Magherafelt side will be worth watching in AIL Division 2B this year as they have recruited heavily including former Ulster players Tim Barker and Johnny Shiels. However, after explosive 20 minutes where our boys scored 21 points we were able to hold on to defeat them 24-22 in front of a good crowd. The following week we faced Armagh in what proved to be a flowing game, only decided in the end by an excellent goal kicking performance by our Out Half Ritchie McMaster. We took the victory by a margin of 33 points to 22, away from home to continue the unbeaten run so far.

This Saturday (8^th September 2012) we face a tough home tie in the First Trust Ulster Senior Cup, against Ballynahinch, a side who many have tipped to gain promotion from the fiercely competitive AIL division 1B this year. For those interested, kick off will be at 2.30pm and all support will be greatly appreciated.

Finally, I would like to use this blog to appeal to Alumni of the University, and in particular Past players of the Rugby Club. We would like to form a past members association that would have events on perhaps a quarterly basis, allowing former players to catch up with teammates, and at the same time support and raise funds for the club. If you are interested please contact r.ford@qub.ac.uk .The first of these events we hope to run will be on Friday 5^th October and is a Golf Day. The details are on the attached poster, your support would be very welcome.

“Keep the Blue Flag Flying High”

Click here to see Queen’s updates to date

Queens RFC Introduction

Time for Ulster’s representatives in next season’s Roots & All project to step forward…

My name is Robert Ford, and I am the Rugby Development officer at Queen’s University Belfast, and during the season I will be writing a blog for Harpin on Rugby detailing goings on at the club, and occasionally just voicing my own opinions on issues in Rugby.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the club, we are the second oldest Rugby club in Ireland (behind Trinity I believe) and have a proud history. The club has produced a number of high profile players who have gone on to represent Ulster, Ireland and indeed the British and Irish Lions.

The club’s long roll of honour includes Jack Kyle, Trevor Ringland, Nigel Carr, David Irwin and in more recent years David Humphreys, Gary Longwell, Tommy Bowe, Ian Whitten and Ian Porter. This past season, Queen’s players James McKinney and Iain Henderson both featured for the senior Ulster side.

We pride ourselves on player development, and Queen’s sides are known for their attractive Rugby and expansive style. We currently have four men’s sides, and a recently re-established women’s side who this season won their Ulster Qualifying league, the CUSAI Intervarsity Division 2 and Carrick Ladies 10s competition. Our men’s 1^st XV team, coached by Patrick Armstrong play in Division 2a Of the Ulster Bank All Ireland League and last season were very unlucky to miss out on promotion because of an inferior points difference to local rivals Malone RFC.

University Rugby is unique due to the cyclical nature of the player pool, with so many players leaving at the end of each season and a huge influx of new freshers each September. To give an insight, come September we will have around 120 players training, both male and female from numerous countries, ranging in experience from complete beginners to future internationals- interesting mix to say the least.

I’m sure there will be another few updates between now and the start of the season, but for now I will leave you with a highlights video of our 1^st xv from last season and a few photos of our first game in our new sports facilities, against Greystones last October.