TRT News

Tag Rugby Trust – Uganda 2010 … First Phase (Jinja) complete

on Jul 05 in News, Uganda tagged by RuckinRugby

Mulembe from Mbale where we have just arrived in the very east of Uganda close to the border with Kenya.

The first weeks training schedule and Tournament have been completed and was a fantastic success. As is usual with TRT Tours, the volunteers found the first few days to be chaotic with group sizes varying from 30 to more than 80! The enthusiasm and athleticism of the children has been extraordinary and all the coaches have been blown away by it.

The coaching programme – largely run using “game sense” techniques (heavily influenced by our Patron Gary Townsend) aims to minimise the amount of repetitive drill based exercises in favour of having all the children in a game situation on day one … even if what ensues looks more like a free-for-all than tag rugby ! As the week progresses, rules and tactics are added so that by the time teams are being selected for Tournament Day, the children are playing exciting, flowing rugby.

Selection for Tournament Day is always emotional and is generally accompanied by tears (and that’s just the volunteers !) There was a strict and nationally adopted rule in force to deal with varying sizes of players. Children must be less than 275 using the formula of 1.5 x height in cm plus their weight in kgs.

There are plenty of jobs to do in the days running up to Tournament Day to ensure we create a memorable experience for everyone involved … in the hope that word of Tag Rugby spreads through the friends and family of everyone who comes to watch. Within hours of Friday morning porridge, the pitch at Jinja Rugby Club was transformed into a competitive arena with a fun and colourful feel to it.

The tournament “Desk” was run by Gilly (soon to be running TRT Australia) and Gez with the preparation done by candle light (yes a power failure) the night before really paying off. The group stages were completed ahead of schedule which meant that not only was there time for the usual volunteer exhibition match, but an extra game that no one was expecting.

As we have grown closer to the schools we work with, we discovered that two schools in particular have annexes to work with both deaf and blind children. The coaches for Walakuba West coached the deaf children to play rugby, and the children coached the volunteers to communicate using sign language. It was quite a sight for the 1000 strong crowd to see the volunteers versus the deaf children from Walakuba West all to the rhythmical and lively drumming from the blind class at Spire Road School.

The semi’s and finals followed the exhibition and three finals were very tight and very noisy affairs. Winners of the trophies were; Narambhai, Spire Road and St Nicholas, but although narrowly (and seriously nail bitingly) just losing the cup final, Magwa again walked off with the prize for best support. With a full band and many supporters, they upped the ante by bringing flags and banners to help their support. We can’t wait to see what they bring along next year!

A well deserved night on the town meant that the early departure to Mbale was tough on the volunteers, but at least a three hour bus journey gave many a chance to catch up on some sleep.
The rest and recuperation phase before next weeks training is a day out to see the Sipi falls and enjoy the sights from the mountainous Eastern region.
Thats all for now, so until the next report Nazile (goodbye) from Mbale.