What a Weekend!

Wow! What a crazy week it has been this week. So many different emotions and worries. I am not sure where to begin.

The week started with the girl testing positive for covid, which set in motion a further week of bloody homeschooling! Oh the joys. All I can say is that I am thankful she tested negative twice and is, therefore, now safely ensconced in her class room where she belongs.

There is nothing more challenging than trying to get a miniature version of yourself to do something they do not want to do. The only thing worst is trying to get to miniatures to do it at the same time.

What did I learn from this? My daughter is twice as stubborn and twice as determined to stand her ground than I am. Oh how I am looking forward to the teenage years…not!!

What else happened this week. I had a panic after my last post. For some reason my blog seemed to be getting a little more views than it had for a while. This caused me to panic a little. I needed quite a lot of hand holding from my family to return to training on Wednesday as I wasn’t sure how my posts were received or who had seen them.

As it turned out I did not need to worry. The team mates that have seen my posts now follow Mumma Bear Roars on social media. So thanks for that guys. It is very much appreciated.

I am not sure if there is anything else to update you all on…oh…hang on…I have not told you about the Valkyries latest match which we played on Sunday.

We were playing Exeter Saracens. Some may recall that this was the team that we played against in December for the teams debut match. You know the one where I had to be carried off the pitch?

My knee held out better this time around. It was going really well up until I landed awkwardly on it following a tackle at some point in the third quarter. I am particularly pleased that my knee appears to be getting stronger each time I play. So that’s a bonus.

The excitement among the team was palpable. We were all very keen to get out there and see how much progress we have made during our previous matches. It is the first time we would have comparable experience to draw from.

It was a close game. Our defence was strong however, due to unforeseen circumstances we had to make some adjustments in order for the game to proceed. The first of these was that we needed to reduce the team from 15 to 13 and the two players we needed to lose were 6 and 7, the flankers from the forwards pack. As a consequence the scrums had to be uncontested which was disappointing from our point of view as the Valkyries, from previous experience, have the benefit of a particularly strong forwards pack.

It was agreed and the match began. I was lucky to be starting at 11 again and eager to get stuck in. I was keeping everything crossed that I would be able to get a decent amount of game time under my belt.

From my limited experience and knowledge so far, I have deduced that the main focus on the wing, primarily, is defence. My tackles need to be strong, precise and well timed. I hope to get my hands on the ball and, when that happens I carry it as far as I can as quickly as I can to gain some ground.

This weekend though didn’t quite go to plan. Instead of beating a defender and gaining some ground, I beat a couple of their defenders and actually scored a try!! The first 5 points of the match were scored by me and there was much rejoicing!! All hail the try scorer!!

I’m not going to lie, it felt great to score initially but the more time that elapses the more disappointment I feel. I can hear the questions already. Why would you be disappointed? Quickly followed by a “for goodness sake woman!”

There are a couple reasons for this. The first being that unlike other sports, rugby is all about the team. You cannot score without teamwork. The ability to score points depends on the whole team. That’s why a try is celebrated by the whole team because it is the ultimate result from the work of every person on that pitch.

The truth is that, if it had not been for the work of the forwards and the foresight of the player at 12, who passed me the ball (unexpectedly I might add, I expected the pass to go to 15 and I’d provide support) I would not have scored. That makes me proud of our team. Therefore to me it feels fraudulent to be receiving all the praise.

So what is the second reason. It’s quite simple. There were quite a few Valkyries missing on Sunday due to injuries that they have sustained whilst playing or training and as a result they were unable to play.

You are missed. Each and everyone of you is missed. The only way that yesterday could have been complete would be if we were all there to celebrate that try together the way we did following our debut. I cannot wait until the day we are all out there together again with the new recruits.

One of the best parts of the week for me is looking at the photographs taken by our unofficial photographer. They are a invaluable part of my post match thought process. They help to jog my memory about what happened, as I very rarely remember otherwise.

This week is no exception. One observation that came in to my head whilst looking at myself really made me chuckle. I am regretfully showing my age because the photos reminded me of a character in the video game of Spyro.

For those that are not familiar with Spyro it is a video game where you are a purple dragon who goes to different worlds to collect stolen dragon eggs. There is, what I assume to be, a little man you have to chase in order to collect the dragon egg they are carrying. They run really fast going “naa na na na naa” taunting you and generally driving you mad until you catch them. That was what I looked like this time.

All in all, it was a fantastic albeit bittersweet experience. I have learned a lot. I learnt that half a pitch is a long way to run. I have learnt that landing on the ball following a tackle is painful. I am pitiful at downing pints of cider and ultimately, it is ok to be someone that others can feel proud of.

Of course, I am happy that I got over the line I am ecstatic that my husband and, in particular, my children got to witness this achievement. But I do not deserve all of the credit. It was a team effort and next time we will walk away with the victory that we all deserve.

Although if there is a chance for a team hug again in the future, count me in!!