Weight Restrictions
It is department policy to restrict weight limits for house
rugby matches for safety reasons and in the interest of
competition. For school fixtures, with the exception of the St
Michael's Rugby 7's competition (year 8), there are no weight
restrictions.
Rugby is a physically demanding sport while also requiring a
great deal of technical skill, both of which fall hand in hand.
Pupils arrive at Victoria College with varied exposure to rugby and
even while at school, because of rugby's nature, the range of
technical and physical prowess can widen further.
Generally, pupils who have played rugby at their previous school
will have an acceptable level of technical knowledge in addition to
the required physical tolerance. This puts them in good stead for
school team selection, thus widening the ability gap further still
from those who have not received as much exposure to the sport.
House sport at Victoria College is an integral part of our
'sport for all' policy, enabling greater access to competitive
matches to a wider range of pupils. Inevitably, due to form class
size, a number of pupils will be selected for their house rugby
team who have not had the same competitive exposure to the sport.
This is either because of the physical demands, that they are still
developing technically, or a combination of the two. House rugby
will involve up to 50 pupils. In contrast, school rugby caters for
a maximum of 25-30, with up to 15 pupils playing for the school 'A'
team.
Taking these numbers into account, it is not viable for the PE
Department to ignore implementing some form of restriction on
selection at house level. Good practice guidelines set by the RFU
(which are followed by leading UK under 13 rugby competition the
Rosslyn Park Sevens in addition to the local St Michael's Sevens
competition) suggest imposing weight limits. In doing so, games not
only remain more competitive, but all pupils have the chance to
enjoy competitive rugby in a safe environment without the anxiety
of playing against more physically imposing and/or technically
superior opponents.
It is the departments aim to ensure that as many pupils, of
varying ability, have the opportunity to play and enjoy competitive
rugby. By imposing weight limits at house competition level the
apprehension that many pupils have due to the sports physical
nature is removed.
The weight limits for house matches are as follows:
|
Year 7
|
Year 8
|
Year 9
|
Year 10
|
Senior
|
|
50.8 kg
|
57.2 kg
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
|
(8 stone)
|
(9 stone)
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
N.B. The weight limit for the St Michael's Sevens 2012
(year 8) is 61kg (9.6 stone).
Any further queries should be directed to Mr R
Picot (MiC rugby) and/or Mr M Smith (Director of Sport).
