With the summer season winding up, the Bow Valley Cubs U11 rugby squad has shown improvement, according to coach Andy Townsend.
A handful of Cubs were at Calgary Rugby Union’s rugby festival July 20, playing on a mixed team that included players from Calgary Canucks.
“Really pleased with the advance of skill,” Townsend said following a short scrimmage against Calgary Saracens U11 team. “They came from absolutely no interest at all, just throwing the ball around. You see them now, they’re actually getting set, they’re getting their lines. They’re learning. They’ll tackle.
“From a coach’s point of view, I’ve gotten as much as I can for this short season.”
Against Saracens, the Cubs were active in a tilt that ended up tied at three tries apiece. A knowledge of the game’s fundamentals were evident as Townsend’s players, boys and a girl, were making passes, tackling, calling for support and lining up to face the play.
“We do try and set club standards we want to achieve. For the goals we set at the beginning of the year, we achieved pretty much 90 per cent of our goals.”
It’s all about development for kids aged 11 and under, Townsend added. But he feels the U11 Cubs will be better next year because the bulk of his players are not yet 11, so they’ll be able to play another season at the U11 level.
“There are a couple of lads . . . from last year to this year, you can see a massive difference. They’re the ones scoring a lot of tries. Their confidence is there. They just compete better.”
