Open invitation to Festival of Rugby

CHINNOR RFC Thame are holding a Festival of Rugby on Friday, September 18, and while they are unable to play rugby union in its natural form at the moment, that is not stopping the Club from enjoying the sport. 

Under the Rugby Football Union and government guidelines, the club is still able to play their great game in some form and on September 18, they’ve planned a fun-filled with three events taking place between 7pm-8:15pm. 

O2 Touch 

Walking Rugby 

Girls Recruitment Event 

Chinnor’s Media Manager, Jack Johnsn, explained: “We have been able to run our O2 Touch sessions at Kingsey Road since August 10, with around 30 people attending every Friday. 

“With our changing rooms and showers closed to prevent the transmission of COVID-19,  players have been turning up ready to play. We ask everyone to download the O2 Touch app  and register before the session for Track & Trace.

“Walking Rugby is an exciting addition to our social rugby offering and September 18, marks its first session at the Club. This has been made possible following grants from The National Lottery Awards For All Community Fund, and Tesco Bags of Help COVID-19 Communities Fund. Walking Rugby is a simplified version of rugby. A competitive passing game, it is ideal for ex players, injured players, non-players of all ages, abilities and gender, but there is no running at any time, no tackling and no kicking!”

 Chinnor RFC Thame Head of Community, Matt Goode said: “We are really looking forward to the first Walking Rugby session at the Club on Friday, September 18. This is a great opportunity for people to lace their boots up again and to be active without having to do any running. It’s also a fantastic chance to catch up with some old friends, meet new people, get back to holding a ball again and reliving some of old memories. 

“However, it’s also for people of all ages who have never played rugby before and it’s a great way to keep fit. 

“Our Girls Recruitment Event is all about players in the Under 12 (Year 7) – Under 18 (Year 13) age brackets getting a taste of girls’ rugby at Chinnor which is based around having fun and inclusivity – no previous experience is needed. Starting their second season of girls’ rugby, we currently run Under 12/13 and Under 14/15 teams. It is a supportive environment with all players coached to reach their potential. Our girls team coaches and Kites players Ellie Angove and Alice Biba will be on hand to lead training, with special guest appearances from our Kites Head Coach, Fran Ronan and former Tonga international Soane Tonga’uiha, who is our Men’s Senior Squad’s Forwards Coach. Government and Club Guidelines will be followed at all times.“

The Clubhouse will be open for toilet use only, with a one-way system in place. Players should bring their own water bottles, use hand sanitiser before and after training and maintain a two-metre distance as best as possible.