Welcome back everyone and with just 3 weeks until the first game of the season the Chiefs and Tics finally get some game time in which is detailed below. There is plenty of other stuff to remind you about including the world cup, membership and a plea for volunteers. With that said let’s head over to the fixtures we have up and coming for the next two weeks.
So it’s off to Plymouth for the Chiefs in what promises to be a really good workout for them at Albion. If you are going, kick off is 3pm and entry is just £5 with U16’s free. Please remember it is card only for entry no cash unfortunately.
You will also get to see our latest signing all the way from Ireland, Barnstaple Rugby is delighted to welcome Ben Beattie to the squad. Ben is a scrum half and currently studying law at Exeter University. Rugby wise Ben played at Royal Belfast Academical, which if you didn’t know is an independent grammar school with a massive rugby tradition having been in existence since 1872 and is Ireland’s leading school in the production of senior International players and British and Irish Lions. To date, RBAI has produced 85 Internationals and 13 Lions. So welcome to Barnstaple Ben and we do hope you enjoy your time with us
For Athletic it’s a much shorter trip as they travel to Bideford for thier first workout of the season. It should be a fun day out there and as far as I know kick off is 2.30.
Next weekend we have a full day of rugby for all you fans that are biting at the bit for the season to get started as we welcome both Cullompton and Hornets to Barnstaple rugby with a full day of games. The squad will be kicking off against Cullompton at 12pm with the Hornets second team giving Athletic a workout at 1.30pm. Then to round off a great day The Chiefs v Hornets 1st XV kicks off at 3pm.
Which brings us nicely to the England pre-season and World cup fixtures. This Saturday the Clubhouse will be showing the England v Wales fixture and kick off is 5.30pm for that one and next weekend after a full day of Barum rugby we have Ireland v England in the clubhouse, kick off is also 5.30pm.
As for the world cup see the poster below which details all the home games for the Chiefs and Athletic this September and includes which world cup matches we will be showing after their respective games have finished. There are specials on the Beer during the World Cup games just keep an eye on the bar to see what is on offer.
The new memberships for 2023/24 season are now live and ready for you to grab with eager anticipation for the coming season and we have some exciting news on that front. Firstly, to make it a more streamlined membership we have decided to remove several layers and there is now just one membership plan for Barnstaple rugby which is simply a FULL MEMBERSHIP and will last from 1st August 2023 to 31st July 2024. We have also introduced a heavily discounted Married Couples Membership. The prices are as follows:
- Full Membership – £100 (£90 for over 65s)
- Married Couples Membership (2 x Full Memberships) – £170
- Senior Player Membership (Full Membership and eligible for selection) – £130
In addition to the usual benefits we always have, there is also a Barnstaple Members Scheme which on producing your card a certain local business you will get a discount on your purchases. So far these are the businesses that have signed up to the scheme and we are incredibly pleased to welcome them to our rugby community
- The Lemon Tree Café at 10 Holland Walk– 10% off when you spend over £5 on production of a valid Barnstaple RFC Membership Card.
- BeerMatters at 7 Tuly Street – Ask (Simon or his team) for discount when you are there.
- Harrys Café at 3 Bear Street – 10% off on production of a valid Barnstaple RFC Membership Card.
- Craftys Bar and Restaurant at 15-16 Butchers Row – 10% off if you spend £30 + and produce your Barnstaple RFC Membership Card.
There are more hopefully on the way but a great start to the Scheme and I’m sure will grow stronger with each season. Don’t forget the other benefits of becoming a member with the following.
- The prestige of being a member of the Premier sports club in North Devon.
- Be a shareholder of the Club with a right to vote at the AGM.
- Discounted entry to games for Spouse (£9).
- Free entry to all league matches.
- Free Parking and Match Day program.
- 25% discount for club hire.
- Be eligible to apply to enter a ballot for international tickets (Note: due to restricted numbers of ticket allocations, not every application will be successful).
So what are you waiting for don’t hesitate, jump right in, and prepare yourself for a fantastic season.
For full details and the link to the membership form click this link 2023/24 MEMBERSHIP
The Commercial Committee of Barnstaple Rugby Club are organising a players reunion lunch on 9th September 2023. It will be open to all ex-players who have played for Barnstaple at any level and in any era.
The event will coincide the Chiefs v Brixham followed later that evening with England v Argentina in the World Cup. The lunch will comprise a one course buffet with casual table/seating arrangements. The cost of the event, including match day entrance to the game, will be £25.
We will be limited places for this event so if you wish to book your place contact Dave Burford daveburf@btinternet.com
We look forward to catching up with you again in September. If successful, it is hoped to make this an
annual fund-raising event.
Now many of you may already have knowledge of the new laws about how high the players can tackle this season but just in case and so you are not left scratching your head wondering what the hell is going on I’ll quickly do a brief summary for you.
Back in January the RFU council made the decision to lower the tackle height to improve player safety by reducing the risk of head-on-head contact and concussion. Following some extensive backlash the RFU finally agreed to carry out a number of consultations rather than impose this from on high and the result of which has lead to a range of new laws to lower the tackle height were adopted by the RFU council in April.
The law changes are will only affect Tier 3 teams and below which means that Premisership and Championship teams are excluded from these new laws.
Law 9 Foul Play
9.11.(a) Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others including leading with the head, shoulder, elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over an opponent.
9.11.(b) Ball-carriers must not lower their height significantly before making contact with an opponent in open play.
9.12. A player must not physically or verbally abuse anyone. Physical abuse includes, but is not limited to, biting, punching, contact with the eye or eye area, striking with any part of the arm, head, shoulder, forearm or knee(s), stamping, trampling, tripping or kicking.
9.13. A player must not tackle or attempt to tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously. Dangerous tackling includes, but is not limited to, tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent in open play above the base of the sternum even if the tackle starts below the base of the sternum.
Below os a nice little diagram illustrating the tackle area and if you would like more information on the consultation etc. click this link RFU New Tackle Laws
As the season approaches we are again making the call for volunteers to help out with a range of jobs that need doing at the club. The Tuesday club is always looking for people to help out with the clubhouse maintenance and the grounds. If you think you might have skills to help out or just enjoy mowing the lawn with a tractor then please get in touch at info@barnstaplerugby.com
The Juniors in particular are looking for general volunteers for day to day stuff as well as following
- fundraising
- presentation/ social events organiser
Please email juniors@barnstaplerugby.com
We are also looking for people to help out on Matchdays whether it be with the current gate staff welcoming spectators to the ground, collecting entry money etc. or helping out getting everything ready before kick-off. Whatever skills you do have we are sure to find a use for them, so if you would like to contribute your time and skills to Barnstaple Rugby Club and enjoy the benefits of working with a group of fun filled characters then please contact us at info@barnstaplerugby.com
Well that’s it for another weekend, keep an eye on facebook https://www.facebook.com/BarnstapleRFC for news and notices as we get nearer to the start of the season. Catch up with you all next weekend.
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