Deliberations and Ambitions
 ?The harder the struggle, the more glorious the triumph,?  wrote Alexander Paine while considering the odds of defeating a giant.  These words have grown roots inside me, giving birth to an attitude based on loyalty, commitment, and responsibility.  Not only in rugby have I found these assets useful, but these ideals are founded by the sport.  As your captain, my goal is to help the Northern Virginia Rugby Football club attain the deserved dominance of national champions.  With this in mind, credit is not only given to the players that take the field, but to everyone involved with the organization.  I promise to give you every ounce of energy that I possess, every skill mastered, and undivided attention to good things.
 Lead by example:  this is the most difficult part of any sport.  Each player that takes the field on any given rugby day must take this attitude.  You have to want to be the best and commit yourselves to achieving this.  Thus, the first step for our family to reach the ultimate goal of national dominance is our commitment to each other.
 Never surrender, never go down:  our family must be hard.  We will posses hard minds, hard spirits, and hard bodies.  I ask each one of you to dig deep and find something that will drive you, something to be proud of.  All of us have the potential for greatness, and wanting it is not good enough.  Our loyalty to the game, the club, and each other will take us far.
 Refuse to lose:  winning is not everything, it?s the only thing.  Our winning attitude is based on the responsibility to succeed.  We must always want to win and never give any opponent the respect of assumption.  Our final goal is to win at any cost causing our opposition to fear the encounter.  We will play our style of rugby always, taking the game to our opposition and never waiting to see what their decision is.
 I ask of you, my mates, my brothers, only what you expect of me:  loyalty, commitment, and responsibility.  Trust our coaches, our captain, and our officers to make NOVA the best while doing your job as a player:  take action, get involved, and get into it.  Let?s have a good time as we grow.
 
?I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.  It is the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.?
  --Alexander Paine, The Crisis

 
Positional Requirements

There are four basic components to develop good positional play: Athletic and mental requirements, Skills and techniques, Situational knowledge, and Think attack and defense

Athletic and Mental Requirements

 It is essential for us to think as well as we can perform.  Understanding your individual role is the foundation behind this premise.  It is time for NOVA to become total rugby players.
 Ask yourself these questions to gain a feeling as to your preparedness to take the field on Saturday.  How can I use my size and strength to influence ball possession?  How much power can I add to my game and for how long can I endure this?  Can I be agile and perform with coordination on the field?  The answers to these questions describe your physical requirements on the rugby pitch.
 Rugby is not just a hard-hitting, fast moving game for just the physical excitement.  The sport offers a challenge to your brain.  What are the laws of the game and how do I conceptualize them?  What is our team strategy and how do I motivate myself to add to the team?  Am I a discipline and committed player?  A good rugby player must be able to think fast by making the right decision without very much time to consider the consequences.

Skills and Techniques

 This area depends upon the way your team practices.  It is up to the individual to prepare themselves for the game and assure that he understands the necessity for such rigorous basic drilling.  Individual skills and small group skills are the key to being a success.

Situational Knowledge

 Do you know what to do when your team has been awarded a penalty five meters from the goal-line?  What is the game plan for that game's pattern?  Do you take the dive, the kick, or the scrum?

Think Attack and Defense

 Do this before Saturday:  consider all possibilities while eating lunch on Friday, having a beer after practice, and while driving to an from wherever.  Total rugby is achieved by living it.  By Saturday, all knowledge and training become instinct, and it is your job to play your role in the team.  Fifteen men make the match; only fifteen men can win the match.

 General Considerations

We must play the game on our feet.  Anytime you are on the ground, you are out of the game.  When you do have to go to the ground, the ball must be laid back.

Play hard on kick-off and drop outs, for and against.

No talking on the field.

We must want the ball.

In defense, you must want to get to the man with the ball and the first tackle must count.  Deny the other team time and space.

We will make the other team pay for their mistakes.

Remember the secret of success in Rugby, as in all sports, is DOING THE SIMPLE THINGS WELL.

We must GO FORWARD.  Rugby is simple in that if you are going forward, you  exert pressure.  When the other team is under pressure, we will capitalize on our pressure.  Domination creates pressure and pressure creates mistakes.  Most luck is created by pressure.

SCRUMS AND LINE OUTS:

Scrums and Line Outs must  produce profitable possession or workable ball.  We must want the ball in Line-outs.  Be aggressive on the ball wherever it goes in the Line Outs.  We must contest the other team's ball.

We must win and will win our own Scrum.  In addition, we will win the other team's scrum in appropriate field positions.

SECOND PHASE:

We must stay on our feet and go forward.  The ball must be made available.  Forwards must be mobile.  Must have ball security and retention.  Must have vigor in the loose.

Remember at the Representative level, tries are seldom scored from set play.  They are scored from 2nd, 3rd, and 4th phase play.  Therefore we must and will get the phase or continuity aspect of our game going.

In Rugby, discipline, hard work, and a strong grasp of the basics are more important than anything else.
Basics win tight matches.
You can play well enough to win but dumb enough to loose.  We will play well and with intelligence.

KEEP IN SHAPE


 
 
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