Another weekend of sunshine, and pitches nicely drying out saw a strong Celtic contingent fill the clubhouse to cheer on Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Some finished the day happy, others left reflecting that a third title in a row for Ireland is now a distant hope. I will be in Rome this weekend hoping they can still do it!

On the road good fortune was also not with the men’s first team as they lost 68 – 19 against Weybridge Vandals who moved to 2 points off the top of the table, and the women lost away at Havant.

There are no men's games this weekend, but the women's team will be hosting Barnes on Sunday, with a 3pm ko.

The club and kitchen will be open for an exciting day of Super Saturday Six Nations rugby. Will Wales be resurgent against England? Can Ireland bounce back? And who will win the battle of the backs in France v Scotland?

We are setting up Walking Rugby at Hove this summer. Walking Rugby is available for all abilities and is a mixed gender version of the sport. It was created to provide a pathway into rugby for those new to the sport and a way for those injured or retired from contact versions of the game, to continue playing. Training will initially be on Wednesday evenings and we are hoping to enter a team into the newly formed Sussex Walking Rugby league. If you are interested in playing, please register your interest with Manjinder Nagra by sending your name and telephone number to walkingrugby@hoverugby.club so that she can add you to the WhatsApp group.

We have some success for some of our current and former players to celebrate this week. Former girls player Tyla Shirley has continued her progression through the ranks of English rugby. Now playing for Harlequins and having played for the England U20s last year she has been selected for the Red Roses Six Nations Training Squad. Also, congratulations to Lucia Dickinson who has made it into the Ireland Girls U18 Six Nations Squad for this year’s tournament which will be played at Wellington College over the Easter holidays. Lucia started playing at Hove at 14 and in the past year has been working hard playing for Newman College, being part of the RFU Player Development Pathway and heading over to Dublin. I’m sure you will all join me in wishing both of all the best and hopefully we will soon be able to put their jerseys up on the wall with our other international players.

Looking ahead to next Saturday 22nd of March, we will be hosting a double header at the Rec! The men's 1st team take on Old Rutlishians and the women's 1st team face Blackheath. Lunch details will be shared in the coming days but be sure to book in early as this is shaping up to be a busy day!

Which does lead nicely to this week’s sponsor shoutout, with a big thank you to Stuart White and CCM for sponsoring the Girls Under 18s for the 2024/25 season! CCM is a multi award-winning independent garage group offering car repair, MOT, and unique services at four locations in Surrey and Sussex. With over 30+ years' experience CCM are reliable, efficient, and offer excellent customer experience. Check them out at https://ccmhelp.co.uk/

Geraldine