Recreational Services Club of Origin a big success

After a false start due to poor weather and ground conditions on 31 August, the inaugural Recreational Services Club of Origin Programme got underway in perfect weather and ground conditions wth 300 plus players and probably a 1000 spectators spread through the day in this very successful initiative for clubs to maintain contact with their junior players through their secondary school rugby years. The games were played in great spirit, following the schedule on time and with very good support as always from North Harbour Referees.   

This is one of the best community rugby initiatives introduced by the North Harbour Rugby Community and long may it last.  It is on par with the hugely successful Primary School Tournaments introduced in 2004. 

The several North Harbour staff who were present at the event were repeatedly advised how good the programme was and how much they enjoyed it from players to parents (and grand-parents), to coaches and referees.  A few clubs had dabbled with the idea in the past and had always extolled its virtues in getting players into age group teams after they left school and NHRU CEO Brett Hollister had experienced a similar programme in North Harbour youth cricket and was determined to get a programme up and running in 2016.  A Council of Clubs sub-committee and Union staff thrashed out some objectives and values, rules and protocols for the programme in June and we all delivered a great programme on Sunday.

Many thanks to the Referees Association, Silverdale rugby club staff and volunteers for hosting the event, the Manly Volunteer Fire Brigade who cooked the sausages as a fund-raiser and to the club coaches and administrators who pulled the teams together. 

A special thanks to Recreational Services for sponsoring the programme and providing the BBQ trailer for the very popular sausage sizzle for the teams. 

I was helping to breakdown the field equipment at the end of the day and a contented looking 15 or 16 year old rugby player walked past on his way home, he was yaffling a sizzled sausage and had another one on standby in his other hand, I asked him if he had enjoyed the day and his smiling response was “yeah, when’s the next one “ – that said it all, job done! 

Thanks to Jennifer Hall of Silverdale Rugby Club for the photographs -https://www.facebook.com/NHClubofOrigin2016/ .