best way for teen to start rugby in Dublin?

lfdaly · 06-07-2022 1:50pm #1

We signed my son up to a well known Dublin club in Jan (he was 15 then, 16 now) but they've only had three games and one training session since then. He got on for the last two minutes of one of the games, and is eager for more. He's athletic and strong and could be a good player, but didn't go to a rugby school so he's a beginner at the game. Was it just the club we went to or are all clubs this quiet? Any better ways for him to start training regularly with the chance of the odd game? Any ideas greatly appreciated!

06-07-2022 4:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119299074#Comment_119299074

Yeah, it might be no harm checking in with the club and just asking for indicative dates etc. I would expect any decent sized club to definitively be fielding a team at that level, but no harm in confirming this with the club.

Moving clubs is not as stressful for rugby as for a GAA club for example, but probably best to check first if the issue is with the club.

A player joining in January is kind of 75% through the season, so perhaps not unexpected not to feature hugely from there. If he's there for the full pre-season he'll have a much better sense of where he's at, and how much playing time to expect. Like another poster mentioned as well, I wouldn't worry at all about the not attending a rugby school, it's not remotely uncommon in a lot of the Dublin clubs.

06-07-2022 2:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058253320/best-way-for-teen-to-start-rugby-in-dublin

Hi, the summer months are typically a quiet period for most levels of rugby. I'm not certain on the specific calendar dates for U16s, but usually the rugby calendar follows a kind of Sept-Apr/May season, with pre-season training typically beginning a few weeks or a month before the beginning.

In the meantime, get him a ball to just get used to handling it. There are also some great instructional videos on basic skills available on Instragram or YouTube, where he can start to pick up some basics too. This was one that I quickly found:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVdt5quioaI

Lost Ormond · 06-07-2022 2:29pm

Dont worry about not going to a rugby school. There can be plenty of rugby for those who dont go to those schools. Not all clubs in the city would be that quiet. What area of city are you based in as some clubs may be more active than others at different age groups and will provide far more regular rugby than others at each age group