Leeds Rhinos Foundation East Leeds Development Officer Ian Hardman has been able to offer every boy in year 8 at John Smeaton Academy the chance to not only receive curriculum lesson coaching, but a chance to take part in a competitive match, with a new model for rugby league delivery devised by Head of Physical Education at the school Lee Parkin
Ian, who started working with the Leeds Rhinos Foundation in September as the new Rugby League Development officer in the East of the city, took on the proposed Rugby League programme at the school following discussions with the P.E department about how to improve on last years performances and improve the number of boys playing Rugby League at the school.
The qualified Rugby League coach, who plays professionally for Featherstone Rovers in the Kingstone Press Championship alongside working for the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, has worked with every year 8 boy at the school this term, offering five weeks of rugby training to develop skills and learn more about the game, before finishing the year with a series of competitive matches between halves of the year.
To provide pupils in the year with a chance of properly experiencing the game, Ian worked with both upper and lower ability coaching groups on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the school and followed this theme through to the competitive matches which included a three-match Oxford vs Cambridge series based on the colour of the schools reversible shirts.
The series designed to pit similar ability levels against each other, saw two lower ability matches and a higher ability match between halves of the school year, with all scores being combined to form an aggregate final overall score of Oxford 84 -92 Cambridge.
Commenting on the Rugby League delivery model this term, Hardman commented:
"By delivering the sessions in this way with the similar ability matches at the end of the term, it is hoped that more of the kids will be encouraged to start playing the game for the school team and hopefully outside of school as well."
Head of P.E at John Smeaton Academy Lee Parkin said:
"Following a disappointing first season of rugby last year as the youngest age group at JSA, we felt we needed a fresh approach as the boys entered Year 8.
"I therefore contacted my friends at the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, with whom I have developed great relationships with over the years, and outlined an ambitious project I'd had in the back of my mind for some time: to have every boy in a year group play competitive contact rugby on the same day, at their respective ability level.
"Ian loved the idea and has attended the school over the last six or seven weeks delivering sessions to every boy in Year 8, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to be able to participate in a full game. The games couldn't have been closer with Cambridge defeating Oxford 92-84 across the three games, with never more than one try in each game plus one draw.
"We are hoping that this has a massive knock on effect in the new year which will hopefully see numbers attending training swell. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Ian, and the Leeds Rhinos Foundation, for their assistance in getting this project off the ground as it looks like being the start of something huge in our school. "