Sumner Bull Sharks U8 Rugby Team

And that's a wrap. With a big ole' ribbon and black and red bow.

The mighty Bullsharks hosted Christchurch White at home on the first day of spring under pristine east side conditions to close out the 2018 season. All the kids were ready for action today and that was evident in the warm up where hit pads were being smashed like left hook to the jaw.

The first half was tighter than a flashbomb seam with the two teams trading off with end to end tries to lock up the scores at the break evenly. The coaches had sweat trickling through the thermals and a half time pep talk ensured the second half was one to remember.

We ended up being camped in out own 22 for the majority of the second 25 but thankfully, we had some speedy whitebaiters lurking close to the net who were ready to tear away with the bait and chalk up some emotional 5 pointers, which gave us a deserved victory to wrap up the season, 50 points to 30. Happy days indeed.

So the player of the today was Sam Coles, who went the length on a couple of occasions against the grain of play, much to the delight of the sideline who were hooting and a hollering, hollerin' and a hootin'. Our play maker of the day was Jacob Morris who was a behemoth in stealing the egg in the first place in order to distribute to his team mates to set up the tries.

Too many awesome flashback moments to capture in this small script over the season, but Gordon, Steve and I are a super impressed with the intestinal fortitude our kids have shown throughout the year. We have competed every week in the top grade against opposition who have often had a hefty age and size advantage and not once have we shown any sign of fear or apprehension. The improvement we have seen is immeasurable and that alone is enough to make it all worthwhile.

Enjoy your summer everyone, will no doubt see you round. Hope you have all enjoyed the live entertainment your kids have put on week in and week out, we have. See you back in 2019.

Over and out.

Thanks so much for a cracker first year tackle rugby season Rob, Gordon, Steve and the fabulous ‘mumager’ Penny ! This picture says it all ...awesomeness and loving it ! 💙🖤 great bunch of kids who gave it everything every week ...👊🏼 😘😘😘

Well that was a spectacle. Nothing like a home game in tropical conditions to get the blood flowing. Today saw the Bullsharks take on Sydenham in our second to last hit out for the 2018 season.

The game started out with a hiss and a roar, the sharks coming out of the blocks with a bit more gusto than last week, making some solid first up tackles and contesting the ball from the first whistle. The Bus Drivers had some tall timber and strong ball runners, but some ferocious defense from our resident pole axing specialists slowed them up a notch or two.

The first half was evenly contested, going end for end in a well contested match with us going into the half time break with a 2 try lead. We fell asleep a bit early in the second half and let Sydenham score a few soft tries to close up the margin. It was getting very tense as the second half played out, with the Sharks having to work extremely hard to claw back from behind, scoring an excellent team try in the final seconds to equalize for the draw. A fair result.

There was some stand out performances today and some real 'play of the week' moments all round. But player of the day this week went to Hemi, who was tireless on attack, strong carrying the ball and distributing the pill beautifully to set up some key tries. His laying of the egg at the end was the defining moment and got us the final 5 pointer.

Playmaker of the week this week went to Lennox, who was a workhorse for the whole match. He showed great grit and determination in chasing down the red and blues, and ran strongly with the ball under the wing.

One week to go in the season, lets make sure we all fire up and train hard on Thursday, then leave it all on the field next weekend to close things out. The coaches (while looking flustered at times I have heard!) are pleased with the minerals the sharks have had, frustration coming down to knowing that the sharks can fix those simple errors and tidy things up a bit.

Thanks again sideline, and helpers, hope you enjoyed the show!

Well Bull sharks, another one that got away. I think we had the skills to win today's game but the basics let us down.

Today we traversed the vast plains to take on the Albion-Marist Green side on their home turf, and on their club day. Evenly matched pack weights and size demographics had all the ingredients for a tight battle, but it took 25 minutes for the Sharks to fully wake up and get into the game which was the difference today. Some flashes of brilliance, but some head in the clouds moments too.

A few soft early tries let the Green and Blacks establish a decent buffer, and see us chasing from behind for the entire match. It looks like we might need to focus on some passing drills this week, as there was not a lot of ball getting distributed and the gaps were not opening up in close. 45 - 30 was the end result in the favor of the Green team.

Did anyone see where early season George R got to? As today, we saw what a bit of hard work and self confidence can do. George was on fire, using his newfound man-strength to charge forward and carve out meters upon meters, as well as lead the charge on defense. A worthy recipient of the Hulk Hogan trophy today.

Our play maker of the day went to our speed merchant Jacob S, who once he spotted a bit of open ground and the corner flag, was a blur of technicolor headgear. Nice one Jakey.

2 weeks left team. Let's lift the bar for this last fortnight, the coaches want some serious energy to close out the season. We are asking you all to dig deep and turn around a few solid 50 minute performances to see us ease into the warmer months. The overall improvement over the season has been awesome to see, and we are competing well in the top grade with a relatively young and small team. Lets make sure we go hard to close out the 2018 season.

GTBS

Left at the game today...Hemi this is your head gear...but the bag...? Anyone’s ? xx

Another week rolls past and another great performance from the Bull sharks. We put on a cracker of a morning to host Burnside Green at the majestic Mac Bay. Let it be known that this opposition sits on top of the table with CHCH Red so we knew we had a big game ahead. Burnside appeared to have stayed overnight at Mac Bay as were already kitted up and practicing their line out calls and backline moves when G and I rolled up at 9 to set up the pitch!

It was a very gutsy an physical darby with both sides really proving that they are up for this contact sport, exceptional tackles and hard graft up the middle made the first half an evenly contested battle, the Burnside ball runners managed to capitalize more on the open space and got up by 15 at half time. The second half was no less demanding with 25 minutes of gritty footy, plenty of excellent play but a few too many errors and isolated reverse running cost up a few tries and let Burnside take the game out in the end.

Our PoD was Mr Yock, whose defense was outstanding today, taking to the opposition in a style akin with the family tradition of butchery, cutting dudes down like they were nothing but hanging carcasses in the cool store.

Another standout today and well deserved of our playmaker of the day was Kobe Coleman. His flowing locks were everywhere, running hard and straight like he was bombing down the mountain on his board and making alot of tackles.

All the kids were physical today, and many deserved accolades for their high work rates but the better team won on the day. We are proud of the way they are all improving each week. Plenty to work on, running forward and maintaining possession proving to be key areas to work on. Our work on defense has been paying off!

3 more weeks team, we have some good games ahead of us and have faced down most of the top teams so look forward to some good match ups to close out the 2018 season.

Thanks sideline again, hopefully everyone got a fair run around today, will work on a better sub roster next week and look for some help to manage it from the sideline.

Enjoy the weekend.

Short summary this week.

Great to have a win over Christchurch at their home ground on Saturday. Determination, strong running, great support, excellent tackles and ball retention resulted in a convincing win by 50 points to 20. Well deserved bullsharks, lets take that into the final four weeks - got all summer to recover.

Some focused running and hot stepping saw Riley cross the line for a fine try to kick us off, some follow up runs and high work rate rewarded him with our PoD this week.

Our lightest team member demonstrated a high power to weight ratio, driving in low and using his shoulder to make a number of important tackles, well done Evan.

Thanks again to the sideline, always a great turn out for game day and the kids thrive on your positive support. Only 4 more training's and 4 more games so hopefully everyone is up for a big finish and we can enjoy the last few weeks until we all get our weekends back!

See you Thursday.

OK, been a while between match reports but thought I had better update on last weeks battle at home.

Always a tough gig facing any Christchurch team, and these guys were no exception. Things started out very tight with the Sharks holding the ball well and rolling up the middle, but a few too many loose passes and handling errors is what cost us possession and Christchurch were quick to capitalize with breakaway tries to leave us down by 25 at the break.

A reinvigorated team took the field for the second half and decided to play code. Higher work rate on and off the ball and a lot more tackles left CHCH tiring, we were able to claw our way back to win the second half 15 points to 10, but it was too little too late unfortunately.

Our PoD this week was Joey C, who was causing all sorts of problems out wide with his cannonball technique in the cover tackle, I reckon he saved a good 2-3 tries with some tidy work.

Yet again, Greta was like a shark to blood with the ball, in the thick of the action and turning the ball over for her team mates with McCaw like skills to earn herself the playmaker of the day.

5 weeks to go, we will work on ball possession, tackles and working off the ball, this week and aim to take a few victories into the twilight end of the season.

Thanks everyone on the sideline. See you all on WEDNESDAY this week for training.

If anyone’s lost... we’re on the oval (come through the stands).

That was brutal. A 9 o'clock game on the hardest frost of winter so far was going to ask alot from the young sharks. My car read -3 when we arrived at Burwood!

After a bit of a warm up and attempt to identify area of the pitch that showed signs of grass, it was time to get stuck in.
It was the first hit out for the boys on a big pitch with scrums and line outs, which was going to be a challenge without Jack Frost intervening. But step up they did.

Shirley turned up this week and showed us that they knew how to play, the first half being a pretty even contest with nothing in it. A few quick tries in the second half was the difference, and got us home safely. Shirley made concentrated effort to finish the game off well and squeeze up the score line but it was too little too late with the Bull Sharks coming away with a 40 -25 victory.

Player of the day went to a very committed and physical Hemi, who showed some superhuman strength to win the ball for his team, carrying not just the ball but often a few players forward with determination and purpose. Young Sam Coles was our play maker of the day, covering a lot of ground and saving a handful of tries with his outstanding cover defense.

Well done guys, a credit to you all for showing some grit - even if your coaches were a bit grumpy at times (and we apologize for that!).

See you on Thursday.

GTBS🦈🦈🦈

Boooooooo. CCC Have closed ALL grounds for tomorrows games. So no footy this week bull sharks. Also, the Senior game has been moved to CHCH Park so we don't need to assist with the BBQ. Enjoy a weekend off!

Draw update.

Sydenham blue at South Park field F1b.

10am kick off.

I’ll advise if CCC decide to close grounds which is a possibility.

Brrrrrr, that was some wintery stuff. Gotta love those early settlers for choosing to build our fair city on a swamp!

Well, it was a game of two halves today (or game of two games?). Back down at South Hagley park for hopefully the last time this season and our last trot on the small pitch.

First up we faced Christchurch Red. These CHCH teams are traditionally very well drilled and CHCH Red was no exception, they had us on the back foot after about 15 seconds. However, we were proud of the minerals that were displayed by our players today, particularly in the second half where we rallied together as a team and managed to defend our line well and play till the final whistle. CHCH were just too strong today and narrowly pipped us by 60 points to zip. Nailbiting stuff.

A short skip over the park and a recharged and fired up pack of Bull Sharks took the pitch against Shirley Blue. We came out aggressive and strong, stringing together some great passages of play, some silky offloads and relentless defence illustrated a good team performance that saw us sneak out with a 60 point to 10 win.

Our player of the day today stood out like a number 10 jersey on the bottom of a ruck. Greta was like a fly to poo on the ball, often snaffling it from stunned opposition to offload to her waiting team mates and committing herself fully to some great defence. And our playmaker of the day went to Hugo who showed some lightning speed and thrifty footwork in the puggy conditions to knife through the defensive line with grace. More of that please Hugo.

Special mention to Evan, George, Jono and Hemi who stuck thier hands up to help out the opposition. I am pretty sure the 2 tries we conceeded in game two were thanks to Jono and Hemi!

Nice work Liam for tallying up the points, and Penny fo bringing the Vitamin C and aftermatch goodies.

Next week will see us on a full pitch with 25 minute halves. Will also see scrums and lineouts coming into the game. Looking forward to the challenge.

I reckon we dominated the opportunist floss moments throughout the morning, no idea what that is all about but thats one move all the kids seem to understand!

Hi team

Our games tomorrow...

U8 Bullsharks v Chch R 9.30am South Hagley 1d
U8 Bullsharks v Shilrey 10.00am South Hagley 2a

Standing down this week is… Quinn, Ted and Floyd

Oranges/treats - Flynn
Scoring - Kobe

See you there! Go Bull Sharks!!

Well, you win some and you lose some. And today, we lost some.

The opposition bar (and size) was raised a few notches today with the Bullsharks getting a taste of what's to come in the big league.

First up were the Linwood Bulls, who were a very well drilled and strong team with some stand out players and sweet hair do's. Someone needs to have a word with the Ref, he let a few fends slide today that should have been pulled up, did anyone get his details?? (my bad). That aside, that's rugby and the physical nature of the game we play, our Bullsharks still got stuck in and worked hard to the final whistle to defend a strong attacking team, but in the end, the Green and Black won too much ball and were too strong for us today. We suffered our first loss of the season by about 40 points to 5.

Game two, and we faced down Sydenham. The Sharks were pretty sleepy in the first half and the opposition took full advantage of that fact, pouncing on loose ball and putting about 4 tries on the board before half time. We fought back hard in the second half but alas, it was too little too late and we went down for the second time, by 35 points to 15. I think we gifted Sydenham 20 points by just not paying attention and they punished us with quick tries in the corner.

Our player of the day today was Mr Floyd Yock, who had a super high work rate, and was busy with and without the ball, making alot of cover tackles with blinding technique and bone jarring consequence. Greta Costeloe was in no way backing down from any rough stuff from the opposition today, on the contrary, often spotted through a sea of bodies deep in the bottom of a ruck or maul, only to emerge with the ball under her arm for the Blue team. Awesome stuff Greta.

Some gritty work today from the Sharks, but alot to work on. We will be working on some skills and drills in order to improve our tactics and game awareness. 1 more week of rapid rugby then we hit the proper season, full field, scrums, lineouts and a lot more structure.

Thanks to Craig for bringing along a small orchard of oranges for the team. And Evan for taking care of the scoring today.

See you Thursday Bull Sharks.

GTBS.

Attention all Bull Sharks

As per my earlier e-mail.

If your Bullshark is sick or injured and likely not able to play on Saturday - PLEASE can we ask that you text or email Gordon, Penny and I to let us know on Friday afternoons. This way we can get a good gauge of how many we have turning up on Saturday morning and potentially call in someone on stand down that week if available. Also helps us plan in advance how we manage the sideline.

Thanks in advance.

Rob - 021 246 7566
Gordon - 021 616 541
Penny - 027 326 4736

Home games this week for club day people.

U8 Bullsharks v Linwood 10.00am Mac Bay 1a
U8 Bullsharks v Sydenham 10.30am Mac Bay 1a

Standing down this week is Kobe, Jono and Jacob M.
As per Andy's request, if anyone wants to swap out, I will leave to you guys to arrange but just let us coaches/manager know before Saturday.

Oranges / Treats - Hemi
Scoring - Evan

If your lurking on Saturday and looking for something to do, roll down and support the seniors in the afternoon for club day.

Remember team photos this afternoon... please be there at 4:10pm good to go. Thx

Holy Bull Sharks Batman, what a morning.

Our Sharks turned the heat up a few notches today, travelling once again to Hagley Park to face off against two hungry HSOB teams on their club day.

First up was HSOB Gibson, who were looking structured in the warm up, signalling that they came to play. However, from the kick off, the Bull Sharks put on a clinical show, stunning the home team with some quick points and proving that they also came to play... harder. Some great team work resulted in plenty of possession, fighting hard for the ball and throwing some silky offloads which were ultimately converted into points. The Sharks coming home with a convincing (and exciting) 30 - 5 victory.

Next up we faced down HSOB Marshall. This game was a lot scrappier, but no less entertaining for the sideline, with bodies strewn left right and center across the park. The Bull Sharks went into fifth gear and showed grit and determination to come away with another win, 20 points to 5 in this game.

Our player of the day today was Jacob Morris, who was fearless in attack and ruthless in defense, dashing the hopes of more than one jersey puller as they thought they were home with a 5 pointer. Flynn Moss was our playmaker of the day today, heaving himself around the field, offloading and tip toeing down the sideline for some smooth meters.

Big thanks to Steve for crushing the admin with the scoring. And also to Felix for bringing the kai.

Awesome work Bull Sharks. Looking forward to next week already.

🦈🦈🦈

If any parents have any photos, feel free to post - I keep forgetting to get a team photo after the game.

Bull Sharks.

I trust everyone got the e-mail from Penny about the changes. Positive of this is all the kids should get more game time and less stand downs!

3 more weeks of the rapid rugby format, but we are into the season proper now. So the same as per the last few weeks with 2 x 20 minute games on the micro field. After 2 more weeks of this, we will be back on a decent sized pitch and introducing line outs, scrums and a bit more structure.

Details on this weeks game below. Get there with 20 minutes to spare for warm up.

HSOB Gibson @ 0930 on field 8b
HSOB Marshall @ 1000 on field 8a

Hugo, Greta and Hemi are standing down this week. George R is on Oranges and Treats. And Jacob Morris - you guys are on scoring duty. I will bring a team list for you to the game to make it easier.

GTBS

Hi all.
Updated season roster attached.

This week wraps up the grading games - convincingly.

Another huge effort from the Bullsharks today, solid performance from everyone with no holding back, your all getting stronger and hungrier by the week.

First up was Linwood Green. The sideline was treated to an excellent spectacle from both sides with Linwood throwing up some solid tackles and strong runners. The Sharks were too strong though and ensured that they fought hard for possession and went low and hard on defense. We came out with a good win, 55 - 15.

Next up was Belfast. This was probably our most physical game so far with some serious mauls forming and up the guts footy. The Sharks smelt blood (must be the freezing works) and ensured they dug deep for the full 20 minutes to come away with a well deserved 45 - 30 point win.

A powerful display from our player of the day Jono, using his rig to bust through defense and pull off some great steals. Gabe was our playmaker of the day, getting right into the thick of things to scrap hard for the ball, an impressive power to weight ratio!

Big thanks to Jai for helping out with the sideline management, Andy for keeping track of the scores, and all the supporters for keeping the sideline positive.

GTBS.

Hi Bull Sharks

Final round of grading games this week. Same location… South Hagley Park. Looks like a bit or rain and cooler weather so come prepared.

Linwood Green @ 1000 on Field number 6b
Belfast @ 1030 on Field number 6c

Standing down are Floyd, Ryder, Kobe, Jacob M and Ted

As per Gordon's email earlier in the week, if you don't want your son or daughter to play up a grade on stand down weeks, please let Penny know.

See you tomorrow.

Another mean Saturday morning of footy for the Bullsharks. Proving they are not just wet weather specialists but also well adept in warmer dryer conditions.

The first match against Marist Albion Black was a lot closer than last weeks first match and saw some great break away tries and bone crunching defense. Even a few try saving clean outs in the corner. The team worked hard and came away with a well deserved a 35 - 25 victory.

The second match was against a well drilled and always sharp Christchurch team. Was great to see the sharks really stepping up to the challenge and working hard, the end result was a 20 - 20 draw. Positive feedback from the Christchurch coaches on both sides performances, we look forward to taking them on on the bigger pitch later in the season.

Player of the Day went to Jacob S who was throwing himself into tackles like a boss and leaving it all on the pitch. And our Play of the Day went to Ryder who got a bit 'Hulk' on it and used his strength for some solid up the guts running.

Thanks to Mark Dooley for keeping a tight eye on the scoring and other sideline support.

Nice work Bullsharks. See you on Thursday.

If anyone has any pics, feel free to post them.

G'day Bullsharks.

We have 2 x 20min round robin grading games again this week. The first is at 10am vs Marist Albion Black at South Hagley field 6. The second match is at 10:30 vs Christchurch Silver at South Hagley field 7.

Please be there ready to go by 9:30/9:40. Remember mouth guards!

Standing down this week are: Sam, Riley, Evan, Joey, George R

Oranges is Jacob S,

Scoring is Nixon.

Please note - if you are on scoring you need to score both matches and check that you agree scores with the person scoring for the other team. Please also note who scores the tries for our team. Then please send the scores through to me at the end of the games (ph 027 326 4736). If we don’t get the scores in, it goes down as a loss and affects our grading. If you can’t do it, please find someone else who can swap with you.

G'Day everyone. Well that was a great way to kick off the season, treated to some excellent rugby weather and plenty of action. There were a few raised eyebrows at the new pitch layout but overall it seemed to work out OK - especially for our hungry sharks who put on a couple of outstanding performances. FYI, this will be the format for the first 6 weeks, then we will get into bigger fields and start bringing in scrums and line outs.

We took out the first game against Linwood Black by 60 points to 5 (12 tries to 1). Very few errors with strong running, great tackling and even some handy offloads in the greasy conditions.

The second game against the Burnside Bullets was a bit tighter and had the sideline getting a bit more vocal, but a solid second half performance ensured that we snuck out with a win (I think the final score was 30 - 15?).

Well done to Lennox (this weeks player of the day), turning over a lot of pill to maintain possession and putting in some solid defense.

Awesome work Bullsharks, a great team effort. The coaches and supporters are pretty pleased with how the season has kicked off and impressed with how everyone is getting stuck into it. Beautiful stuff.

Did anyone record the tries?

Also, please check the roster each week to make sure we get the right numbers on game day.

See you at training.