We were joined by some first timers tonight in Hannah, Simon and Jonny. Welcome to the team guys! We welcomed the extra legs as some questionable fixture scheduling led to us play all three of our games back to back tonight while our opponents all had a long rest before facing us.

GoodGym Newcastle 0 – 5/6 McCool and the Gang

Not a great start. We were 1-0 down from the first attack but things picked up from there. Simon introduced himself to the team early on with a full contact tackle instead of a touch, striking fear into McCool himself. The score was a respectable 3-0 at half time as we defended with great organisation. We also managed to push McCool and his gang back to their try line a few times with some strong forward running. Three new players were on the field for the first time in a GoodGym shirt for the second half but managed to gel instantly and kept the score reasonable.

GoodGym Newcastle 0 – 10 The Vests

This will be our hardest game. Despite the score we actually played some of our best rugby in this game. Constantly managing to push The Vests back to their own try line. We had a few shouts for a try, Simon attempted a try from dummy-half - something we have gotten away with before but not today. Jonny also tried a majestic dive to the try line but was judged to have been touched as the ball was grounded.

The best moment of the game came from Siobhan, who managed to switch teams half way through the second half and ended making a great catch from a Vests player before realising what had happened.

GoodGym Newcastle 1 – 3 Midlife Crisis RL

Andrew

This was such a close game. We entered half time at 0-0 after a stunning defensive performance. Just after half time an incredibly dubious try was awarded to our opponents. With multiple missed touches in the build up and a clear touch on the line before the ball was grounded there wasn’t much more we could have done to stop it. Everyone was positioned perfectly and it was a shame to be let down by this referee again (see last week). The opponents had a chance to own up to the touches but chose not to.

We rallied in the face adversity. We didn’t manage to hold the ball for long in attack but defended valiantly, forcing mistakes from the opponents. The try came from a wayward pass as our opponents were running out of touches. I managed to intercept the pass and run it all the way up the pitch for a try. 1-1.

A draw was within our grasp but it wasn’t to be. After nearly an hour non-stop rugby due to fixture congestion we had nothing left in the tank and two late tries consigned us to defeat.

MVP

The GoodGym Newcastle MVP for game week 5 is Miranda! Miranda has consistently shown herself to be a safe pair of hands, I have never seen her drop the ball. This week she had massively improved her positioning in attack and defense. This allowed us to stretch the defence and probe for gaps which we were unlucky not to be able to make more of.

She also brought Haribo and I like Haribo but that has nothing to do with the award. Honest.

Congratulations!🎉

Life After Rugby

Tynemouth Beach Touch Rugby Festival

Tonight was the first week of the second half of the tournament. We’re entering the business end of the season now. It feels like we’ve only just started and we’re already coming towards the end of our rugby careers. It will soon be time to discuss what will happen once the Summer of Touch has ended and the winter rolls in.

However, there is the possibility of one more day of rugby.

This year also sees the return of the Beach touch rugby festival at Longsands Beach at Tynemouth on August 3.

This is a one day event, ran by the same people. Who’s interested?! (Hopefully we’re not too late to sign up!)

Awards Ceremony

That’s right. We’re planning on a little end of season get together to celebrate our achievements. Nothing is set in stone yet, but we were thinking the first Wednesday night after the tournament finishes which would be the 31st of July. More details will be available once we have more of a plan.

The Future

It’d be a shame for the team we’ve forged would disappear once the tournament ends. There aren’t many tournaments like this, it is just 8 weeks and no commitment to a long season but if you know of anything similar for a different sport you would like to try let us know!

For late joiners to the GoodGym Rugby team, we fundraised to pay the entry fee. There is no pressure to donate but if you’re feeling generous you can make a completely voluntary donation here. If we go over the goal, which was to pay for the entry fee, money will be used to fund the award ceremony.

Week 4 - Week 5 - Week 6