Sherwood's rippa and tackle rugby teams head to Windsor Park for the second round of the 2019 Primary Schools Rugby Festival

Sherwood's rugby teams barely had a chance to rub the sleep out of their eyes as they headed  to the festival on the second day back to school. However, this didn't stop the players from switching to game mode and playing some outstanding rugby. 

The tackle team were unlucky with the scoreline for their games but my goodness did they play with some heart out there. It looked like a whole new team, eager to show what they could do when they worked as a team. As one of only 4 schools that enter a tackle team, Sherwood demonstrated that they are here to stay and to watch out. Every single player worked well on defense putting in tackle after tackle. Erhard was seen tackling 5 players in a row, stopping the other team in their tracks. From the kick-offs it was like they had glue on their hands. The Opposition tried their best to blast the ball past them deep into Sherwood's half, however Lucas said no to that and snatches the ball out of the air with a giant leap and runs it hard into the defensive line. The players put on a show with brilliant attacking runs that got them close to the try line. 

As for the rippa teams, they continued to improve on their successes from the first round festival. Using a quick attacking strategy, Lexi and Matthew used fast off-loads to build momentum and get past the oppositions defense. With supporting players next to them they were able to distribute to the ball to Emily to score in the corners.  As well as a strong offence, both teams demonstrated a stubborn defense. Just when the opposition thought they were through for a try, there was Erin and Elijah, quick to make the rip. It seemed to do the trick as both Year 3&4 teams won 2 out of 3 games. 

The Year 5&6 mixed rippa team had 3 tough games ahead of them. They were unlucky in their first game, a few players showed individual bursts of skill but fell short in terms of teamwork. Once the team had a chance to talk to each other and reflect on the previous game, they faced their next game well and truly fired up. Through perseverance and teamwork they managed to clinch the game by 1 point. The last game was particularly tough but the team held their heads high and played with a brilliant sense of integrity, something a few teams could learn from. 

Well done to all the players, your attitudes on and off the field were inspirational. A massive thank you to the coaches that have been working with our teams behind the scenes to get them ready for each festival. Also thank you once again to the Long Bay students and parents that helped our teams on the day.