As the UK moves into the "Delay Phase" ,

which is the second phase of the response to the coronavirus outbreak, I expect that such close encounters as this will completely out of the question.

Your body can stand almost anything.

It's your mind that you have to convince.

Mid-Season

It is half way through the rugby season and Plymouth Albion Rugby Club (in white) 

are half way up the league table for their division, after a very poor start to the season.

Yesterday they had a convincing win over third placed Rosslyn Park, from London.

It was also a great pleasure for their loyal supporters to enjoy  a fast, open game, 

in which there was no driving rain or  howling gale to contend with.

High Flyers

Duel in the Sun.

A sure sign that Autumn is not far away is the first of the Pre-Season matches,

 for the city's leading Rugby Union team, Plymouth Albion.

Here they are in white and their opponents, Exeter University, in dark green.

Jump! Lift! Catch! Feed!

And we're on the attack again.

Aerial Ballet?

Or perhaps Aerial Battle?

Yesterday I joined 82,000 others in the Twickenham Stadium, in London.

where we cheered every minute of 

England's 37 to 18 win over Australia.

This was the view from my seat.

Australia on the attack.

But England's defensive tackle was good.

 

 Not only snuffing out the threat but regaining possession and launching an attack of their own.

 

 

There are clear signs that summer is drawing to a close.

The series of pre-season matches is in full swing at The Brickfields, 

home of Plymouth Albion Rugby Club, as they prepare for the season's start on 1st September.

 They play at the 3rd level of the English National Rugby's .league structure

 and they have ambitions to win promotion this year to level 2.

 Plymouth Albion (in white) held their own in the aerial battle 

.

Close encounters of the Rugby kind.

Rugby is, of course, a team game of 15 players a side, 

but within every team there are individuals and small groups of specialists 

who have direct, set piece battles with opponents, and for them this 'game within the game',

is often as important as the final match score.

.

High Flyers

Rugby in the mud is an acquired taste

for both players and spectators.

High Flyers

 

In sport, and in real life, we pride ourselves on 'keeping our eye on the ball'. 

But by doing so we sometimes fail to see and  appreciate the strength, skill and sheer hard work put in by the 'heavy lifters'.

They are  'The wind beneath the wings' which high flyers in all fields need.

The man with the whistle.

Advertising on sports kit is almost universal these days.

Sometimes it doesn't seem to be a very appropriate product or service for the sport itself. 

But this time it is spot on.

Along with thousands of rugby supporters, I am very concerned about the high degree of visual impairment exhibited by the referees who officiate at some of our matches.

 They just don't see the blatant offsides, late tackles and handling errors, etc. of our opponents.

So I am delighted to see that they are now sponsored by Specsavers, one of the largest chains of Opticians in the UK, with branches in every town and city.

Help for them is at hand.

A "Top of the Table" clash

A great game, between the top two clubs in the National Division One,

 brought the first half of the season to a close, here in the city last Saturday .

Plymouth Albion, in white, narrowly lost 24pts. to 27pts. against Harpbury College, 

the current league leaders, in this hard fought encounter.

The Highs and Lows

of the last practice match before 

the league season starts on Saturday.

Soaring to make a clean catch.
Hobbling off  with an injured knee.

Taking his eye off the ball.

In the last split second of its flight, the would be 'catcher' of the ball

seems to have taken his eye off the ball.

However, he did make a great catch and mid air pass, to start a good attacking move.

A great break, 25 metres to go, with plenty of support

and our defence (in Red)  desperately trying to catch up.

However it all came right by the end; a much needed home win for Plymouth Albion.

The new season started on Saturday with a win.

Following our relegation, at the end of last season, from level 2 to level 3 of English Rugby, this was the first league game for the club's new squad of youngsters, most of whom are stepping up from level 4 clubs.

Plymouth Albion Rugby Club, all in red, earned a well deserved win against the experienced Richmond team from London.

Sports Nutrition

This dedicated supporter clearly takes "Pre-event Carbohydrate-Loading" very seriously.