This team of unique individuals teams up every Friday for training to work on and learn the fundamentals of the game. Having missed most of the first-year tackle does have its impact on trying to teach them things that they would have learnt the previous year but we got there in the end.

It started off as a soggy Saturday morning trek to Mahu in May having to dart from one kid’s game to another only to make it just in time. The team of 2020 was joined by a few newbies. They teamed up together to get on the coaches nerves each week but played some great rugby during the season.

There were so many highlights, a Falcon, 3 x Rolling maul tries from 10m out from the line, A weekly average of 60 tackles, some amazing cleanouts, and a full field team try 1 kid running and 9 players yelling at him so loud it got him to the line which ended in one of the best displays of team spirit I have seen to date.

2021 was all about learning how to work as a team, play as a team and fundamentally enjoy the game as a team. The season was abruptly cut short but they got in 12 great games of Wins, losses and Draws, the great thing about this team is not once was I ever asked if we won they took each game in their stride and grew.

It’s been a pleasure coaching J5 Gold boys again and watching them grow for 4 years and look forward to the next 4.