Last year, Brighty took his then U9’s team to the Rosslyn Park Festival and came back raving about how good it was. So naturallym this year we wanted to enter all our minis section into this festival, and it certainly didn’t disappoint, writes Head Coach Matt Whittle.

Not only was it a well-attended and well-run festival, but it also had a competitive element to it that is not typically seen on the minis circuit these days. Teams were awarded a point each if they demonstrated the core rugby values (TREDS) in each game. On top of that, a bonus point could be awarded for the team that played the best rugby, demonstrating solid defensive positioning, well executed tackling, using the width of the pitch, and utilising all players in the team. The kids revelled in the competitive nature of the event, and I am proud to say that all the kids behaved impeccably, demonstrated rugby’s core values in abundance, and were an absolute credit to Warlingham RFC.

Our U9’s entered three teams and were the only U9 team to score maximum TREDS points, across all games in their age group. One of our u9’s teams even scored a maximum 10 points (5 for TREDS and 5 for playing the better rugby) winning all of their matches. One of only two teams to have achieved this, out of the 107 teams that entered.

The collective scores across all three Warly U9’s teams were added together and averaged out, and I am delighted to report that Warly U9’s were crowned CHAMPIONS of the 2026 Rosslyn Park Rangers festival.

Usually, we would be quick to call out the good work of some of the kids in the team, however every single one of them delivered what was asked of them, to go out and play rugby with a smile on their face and demonstrate rugby’s core values. I am proud of the way each and every one of them carried themselves on Sunday.

I would also like to call out the hard work that ALL the U9’s coaching team have put in to ensure the success of this impressive squad. The coaches have worked tirelessly to deliver a brand and style of rugby that we want the kids to play, and Sunday’s performances really did exemplify that. The coaches should take a great deal of pride in seeing their hard work come to fruition and the roles they play in the development of these kids is down to their tenacity and dedication. Thank you.

We had a wonderful day out at Rosslyn Park and very much look forward to retaining our crown in 2027.