My re-initiation into the world of club rugby started poorly; two games into the 2018/19 season with Haslemere I tore the meniscus in my right knee trying to tackle a 30st prop who was masquerading as a Centre.............

However, before that I’d decided to go play rugby again after a 5yr absence. One Tuesday evening in November 2018, I turned up at Woolmer Hill and was immediately welcomed into the session, and the club. My first impression was that the players & coaches were eager for new members, there was a strong social element and the atmosphere was friendly and encouraging.

After the operation to fix my knee - and months of boring rehab (!) - I turned up once more at Woolmer Hill on a Tuesday in July 2019 and was welcomed back with smiles and handshakes.

Summer training was tough - as it should be - and as a 40yr old it was immediately obvious I needed to up my game against these 20-something bulldogs. The addition of a second session on a Thursday came as surprise, however it was hugely heartening at how eager the players were for the extra training, and how well attended these sessions were. I was also beginning to see the core 10-15 players who were able and willing to dedicate two days a week to rugby training.

And it wasn’t just the training; the post session drinks gave me the opportunity to get to know my teammates better, and again these were usually very well attended. It was becoming obvious to me that these guys were in it for the whole thing - not just the game and the competition, but the social scene and the friendships that were beginning to form.

Summer training gave way to a pre-season tri-county tournament, hosted by Haslemere. This was a fantastic event with 8 teams from around the three counties all putting in a team. The day was bathed in glorious sunshine, and the atmosphere - again - was one of friendly rivalry. On the day Haslemere Seniors came away with the tournament win; a real testament to the hard work put in over the prior months and a great way to go into the upcoming league matches.

As we made our way into the season proper there was an underlying feeling of expectation and excitement. The first game against Croydon was tough starter and - if you take a look at the final league standings - ended as expected with a loss. But ...... we travelled up to this away game on the fun-bus and the journey back was very far from somber. The team dynamic was one of fun and laughter - yeah, we may have lost our first game but we played well and there was a long season ahead.

To be fair, the first few games didn’t go as planned. 4 back-to-back losses were hard to take, and especially since 2 of those were by fewer than 5pts. At this point you could be forgiven for thinking the team morale was dropping, however this was not the case. The facts were: (1) We scored tries in each of these games (2) We usually scored first, and (3) Our second half performances were usually better than the first half. Squad members and coaches could see the positives and were determined to improve. As someone who’s played rugby for over 25yrs, to see this approach and focus was (a) quite rare and, (b) hugely inspiring.

Next up was Woking. This was a game where it all clicked. Set plays, open play, backs and forwards linking up well. We ended up putting 71 unanswered points on the board, but it wasn’t just the score that made that day special. It was the first time in the season it felt like we were really playing as a team. Everyone came away from that game feeling positive - and more than once in the tests to come, that game was used an an example of how we needed work together.

Training twice a week continued, and the numbers coming down continued to be good. We even managed to recruit a few new players to the club! The regular first team selection was taking shape, however these guys were being pushed hard by players new to the game and some colts who were stepping up to the Senior squad. As the season moved into the New Year however, it looked as if the original target of 4th in the league was becoming an unattainable ambition. One win in eight games was a disheartening statistic - even if we were accumulating losing bonus points along the way.

With five games to go training was becoming more physically intense and there was a real focus on how to maintain our early game momentum - again, we were usually scoring first in games - and improving our overall game management. Making the correct decisions at the right time.

The 25th January was a chance for the club to celebrate its 70th year as a rugby club, and the day was packed full. Over 150 past and present players attended, including not just a few travelling into the country especially for the event, alongside friends and family. The club laid on a ‘Chairman’s Breakfast’ and Woking happily supplied two opposition teams for the day (one league game and one friendly game). The Mere managed to walk away with two wins on the day - the Senior first team dramatically securing theirs courtesy of a last minute charge-down from Captain Zorro (a true stand out moment of the season) - and the celebrations went on well into the night.

On a personal note: at this point in the season, Coach asked me to move from my favored position of Centre into Flanker. Having never played here before I was nervous about learning a new skill and keeping my own performance up to scratch. In hindsight it was absolutely the right call. The back line was overloaded with talent (and pace, which has somewhat deserted me with age) - and I’ve always loved tackling vs running round people!

After a disappointing loss in the next game to league leaders Raynes Park, the aim was clear - win our next two games to give ourselves the best chance possible of maybe snatching 4th in the league..... although 5th was nothing to be ashamed of.

These next two games were both away games (meaning we got to ride in the fun-bus), and against teams where we had suffered narrow losses earlier in the league. Against Reigate we put in an assured performance to come away with a deserved win - leading from the off and managing the game well.

Next up was Wansworthians, and a game that held another two of the standout moments of the season. Firstly, we went down 14points inside the first 20mins and things were looking dire. Then Will Wright went on a spectacular 'mazey' run from his own try line, leaving multiple would-be tacklers in his wake, to set up a brilliant end-to-end try finished off by winger James Stevens. Next, and after some impressive team play to camp-out within the oppo’s 22, Lock Forward Chris McGrory popped up in the centres to score the second try. However, being 21-12 down at half time meant the team were asking themselves some tough questions. And this is where the quality of this team shines through.

More than any of the other moments during the year, the second half of this game epitomises the development, strength and determination of this squad. A long and spectacular story short, we scored 10 unanswered points in the next 40mins to snatch victory and gain our second win on the bounce. This performance included a wonderful moment where big Danny Leeds seems to saunter through endless tackles from outside the 22 (and I swear he had 3 people hanging off him the whole time) to touchdown under the posts.

So that’s that for the league. We eventually finished 5th in the final standings and just 3pts behind 4th. The Senior squad were also preparing to play in the end of season Chairman’s Shield, but due to poor weather and latterly the COVID-19 situation, this never really got going.

Yesterday (27th March 2020) the coaches, Chairman and squad all got together for a virtual pub session. It gave us the opportunity to have a drink & a laugh together, check out where people are 'self-isolating' and present some unofficial awards - all voted for by the team. Congratulations must go to Harry Smith for "Most Improved Player", and to Danny Leeds for "Players Player of the Year". A huge well done to both, and the other nominees - it was a close run thing!

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As the lads will tell you - I'm partial to a bit of statistical analysis, so here you go:

- League:
Over the 12 league games this year the Senior squad had a 33.33% win ratio (up 19% yoy and up 16% across the last 6yr average). Our Points For tally (235) and Points Against (370) tally are the best they’ve been over that same 6yr period. We scored on average 20pts a game (up 11points vs the 6yr average) and conceded 31 points per game (a 5pt improvement vs 6yr average). In short, the 2019/20 league season has been the best it’s been for the HCRC Seniors for quite some time. So, how did we get there? – lets see:

- Team:
We scored 22 league points this year, however during the first 6 league games we only scored 7pts (3 of which were losing / try bps). The big difference comes in the last 6 games where we scored 15pts (68% of our final total), claimed 3 wins and a further 3 losing / try bps). The squad really accelerated the points tally in the 2nd half of the season – and the two most important games (in my opinion) were the return games against Reigate and Wandsworthians. During the first half of the season we had narrow losses to these teams, and in the return fixtures we turned these into victories. A real mark of an improving team. So why did we kick on so impressively in the 2nd half of the season?, I hear you say – well, lets take a look:

Squad:
The team played 14 games last year across both league and friendlies. The squad analysis is taken from Coach Dan’s squad list each week, and so shows those players who have made themselves available for each match. We averaged 20 players in a squad per game – our lowest being 17 at the start of the season, and highest at 25 by game 6. Just under half of the total pool of players (49%) available across the year can be considered as “Core” to the squad - attending most training sessions and making themselves available for game day. Squad consistency across both training (two days a week, lets not forget) and the matches has been key to the team’s development this season. The more we train and play together, the more we can read our team-mates and the better we can react to the situation.

I can honestly say that in 25yrs of playing rugby, this is the most fun I’ve had at a club. I feel like I've been part of the team for 5yrs, not just one.... A massive thank you must go out to all those who have helped the Senior squad achieve this year. As players you can sometimes forget just how much effort is put in behind the scenes by club members, the committee, coaches and the numerous invaluable volunteers who enable us to play rugby each week. This year it has been clear to me just how lucky we are as a squad - and more generally as a club - to have this type of commitment and support.

Stay safe, be kind to one another, wash your hands (!) and we’ll see you all once the curtain has lifted so we can get back out on a rugby pitch once more

Up the Mere!