Welcome to East Grinstead Rugby Round Up. If you are reading this on the website, or via Facebook, please sign up to receive this Newsletter via email, which contains loads of pictures and other content, please email m.marriott@btconnect.com and we will add you to the list.

SENIOR RUGBY
A big weekend for the club saw all three senior teams in action. First up were our 1XV who took the journey south to face Shoreham. A physical game ensued. Who would come out on top? Click here for the match report: Match report

Next up, holding the fort at Saint Hill were our 2’s, hosting league leaders Burgess Hill. On paper this should not have been a competitive game, our 2’s had other ideas however, as a very close game unfolded. Could our heros upset the odds? Click here to find out: Match report

Last but not least, our Ladies had a daunting trip to Seaford who have been destroying all before them and sit at the top of the table. How did our brave warriors fare?: Match report

Well done to all our players, we are proud of each one of you. Lets go again...

This Saturday, our 1XV face a tricky looking home fixture against Brighton 2’s who have been in fantastic form over the last few weeks and sit one place below us in the table. This is certainly the biggest game of the year so far and all your support on the touchline would be appreciated! Our 2’s are also at home making it a fantastic day at the club as they welcome Worthing on pitch 2. There are still spaces left at the pre-match lunch too, so please see the article below if you are interested.

JUNIOR RUGBY
Sunday 18th – And We’re Off! As Oasis might have put it (while trying not to slip on black ice), “It’s good to be back!” After battling the rain, Storm Goretti: advertised as a blockbuster, delivered as a polite weather cameo topped off with the Southern Water–approved drought, junior rugby finally kicked off for the first time in 2026. With the pitches at HQ having spent the last week ricocheting between Arctic tundra and indoor swimming pool, we were extremely thankful that every age group had an away fixture lined up just down the road at Edenbridge. Thanks to some neat advance planning, each of our groups teamed up with their Edenbridge counterparts for a morning of rugby in unexpectedly glorious conditions. We even got sunshine—an unfamiliar but welcome visitor. The pitches were in great shape, the players were buzzing, and we had a brilliant turnout.

After the matches, our generous hosts laid on hotdogs for all the players, and the clubhouse was full of smiles (and ketchup). Both sets of coaches were delighted with how the morning went. It was great for both sets of players to get some new perspective. A huge thank you to Edenbridge for the warm hospitality and for looking after our visiting hordes. We’ll stay in touch and look forward to welcoming them to Saint Hill later in the year.

U11s
The U11s arrived in force on Sunday, turning up with 20+ players to Edenbridge’s 14, which gave us the perfect opportunity to split into four teams for a lively round‑robin mini‑tournament. EG even lent a few players to our hosts — top teamwork before a whistle had even blown. Despite losing a few recent Sundays to frost, floods, and general meteorological mischief, the new mid‑week astro training sessions are clearly doing the trick. The improvement in restart catching was superb — confident, clean, and a real testament to how hard the players have been working. The tackling was another standout: committed, controlled, and exactly what you want to see mid-way through the season. The players weren’t shy about getting stuck in, and their technique held up brilliantly throughout the morning. Ruck speed was sharp, and although as they began to tire, there were one or two moments where everyone fancied a quick group huddle before getting into their attack or defence shape, the overall structure was impressively organised for our first run-out of 2026.

With ball in hand, the U11s looked fantastic: strong running, smart offloads, and several players hitting excellent support lines — possibly inspired by festive trips to see Harlequins over Christmas. If there’s one area to polish for next week, it’s the kick chase — ideally a little more co‑ordinated sprinting and a little less scenic touring and ball watching. Most importantly, all the players threw themselves into every game, bounced back from the odd bump, and clearly loved being back together. Huge thanks to the Edenbridge coaches, who were superb hosts and made the whole morning run brilliantly.

A cracking start for the U11s — bring on next week!

U10s
On Sunday, the U10s enjoyed a fantastic morning of rugby at Edenbridge alongside other teams from our junior section. A combined total of 60 players from the two clubs took part in a fun “bulldog” warm up, before launching into tackling, rucking and passing drills. We finished with two games with teams comprised of players from both clubs. It was an absolutely cracking morning of rugby and it was smiles all round as we headed to the clubhouse for some well-deserved hot dogs. This week we are at home to Horsham.

U7s
With a squad of 20 players consisting of Albie W, Austin, Finley, Grayson, Henry, Ivy, Jacob, Leo, Louis, Luca, Luka, Oliver, Ollie, Roman, Sam, Stan, Thea, Will and Zach, this weekend the U7s enjoyed a short trip to our good friends at Edenbridge RFC - a big thank you to them as they hosted a great morning. Any concerns about rust over the winter break were quickly dispelled. The East Grinstead U7s were at their brilliant best, great attitude, great skill and as always, great fun.

We don’t keep scores at this age and the focus is developing our skills and game knowledge, but each one of our matches were filled with tries…possibly 6-7 per game highlighting our attack is firing on all cylinders! We are all really excited for the remainder of the season with fixtures and festivals coming thick and fast. After a couple of weeks back at EGRFC, our next fixture is Lewes RFC away on the 8th Feb. We can’t wait…

U5/6s – Mud, Mayhem & Mini‑Rugby Magic
While the entire junior section rolled into Edenbridge RFC on Sunday morning like a small‑scale rugby invasion, the U5/6s arrived with maximum enthusiasm and minimum chill, absolutely buzzing to get stuck in after the winter break. This was our first session of the new year, and the kids were practically vibrating with excitement — possibly from the cold, but mostly from being back on a real pitch. We had a mighty turnout of 23 players and 7 coaches, which, when mixed with the Edenbridge crew, gave us enough numbers to split into a proper U5 group and U6 group. A luxury usually reserved for international squads… or so we tell ourselves.

To get things going, we smashed through a warm‑up featuring hill sprints, the bean game, and animal walks — because nothing says “rugby readiness” like 20 small humans galloping across a field pretending to be gorillas. Then it was on to escape and evasion drills, and the coaches were delighted to see the famous goose steps and stutter steps — painstakingly practised last year — actually appearing in bulldog. Always satisfying when the moves look less like accidental footwork and more like rugby technique.

Handling drills came next. The U6s focused on passing on the move with the kind of precision usually reserved for professional warm‑ups.
The U5s worked on target‑hitting from increasingly heroic distances. Both groups showed off some genuinely impressive skills, preventing at least three coaches from loudly claiming credit on the spot.

With hotdogs now occupying 90% of brain space, we wrapped up with the eternal favourite: Rob the Nest. Edenbridge play a slightly exotic variant of the rules, but once our players recalibrated, we stormed back for an EG victory with 14 eggs collected. A record? Not officially. Will we say it is anyway? Absolutely.

Great sportsmanship followed as we handed out the weekly awards:
Freddie (U5s) – Effort Award
Zachery (U6s) – Skills Award

Huge congrats to both! Players and coaches had an absolute blast. Since we’re normally stuck on astro, getting the chance to wear studs and embrace proper mud was a real treat — finally, rugby as nature intended. A massive thank you to Edenbridge for hosting us. We loved it, and we’re already looking forward to the return fixture!

INTERMEDIATE RUGBY
U14 boys
Hastings and Bexhill 15 - 48 East Grinstead (Sunday 11th).
With all home fixtures cancelled due to the water issues, and much of the training disrupted by the cold snap of late, EG U14s made the long journey to Hastings and Bexhill in search of some rugby action, a hot shower and fully functioning toilet! Always an enjoyable fixture for both teams, we were keen to get the New Year underway with a win. Injury and last minute illness had robbed us of players in key positions with the coaches scrabbling to rebuild the team sheet and try a few players in unfamiliar roles. The pitch condition was good and the skies promised to remain dry and, but for a biting cross wind, the conditions were near perfect.

EG found themselves with an early penalty in the opposition red zone and the boys knew they had to make the most of it. Hastings were by far and away the larger side and without our own baby rhinos in the squad, we quickly realised our strengths lay with our pace and we needed to get the ball out wide. Up stepped No.8 George Shepherd who fooled them with a crash ball only to break out wide pulling in the defence before throwing a fantastic offload to Bertie Mitchell who powered over in the corner to open the scoreboard in EG’s favour.

Hastings kicked off and EG charged back at them. Unfortunately a series of penalties against the G’s saw them get driven back down the field by clever kicks to touch. EG fought hard against the size difference, more than holding their own but eventually Hastings, only 5m out, managed to use their bulk to break over our line to even the score. As the game restarted EG kept the pressure on in attack using their speed and agility. William Pond, in his new role as Flanker, was having a superb game as he wriggled and danced his way over the line only to be held up according to the referee. The Hastings clearance kick did not find its mark however and G’s were back in the attack, the ball eventually finding its way to Billy Hodge who bundled his way over for G’s second try. The next 2 scores came from Bertie Mitchell who, again, showed his immense speed and strength to finish off well worked team tries following another fantastic break from Billy Hodge. Fly half Rory Collins finding his target in the strong cross winds to convert the try. As the half time break approached EG were finding their rhythm and taking control of the game but Hastings were not beaten yet and continued to threaten our line resulting in a score through their forwards.

Into the second half and, with our usual crash ball carriers missing, others found themselves having to step up and none more so than George Laker who was having the game of his life! Some fantastic forwards pod play and quick turnover found George driving for the Hastings line with a look of sheer determination which was rewarded with his first league score for the club which was much celebrated by all the team. Bertie Mitchell then stepped up and slotted it between the posts for the full 7 points. Both sides were in full attack mode whenever they had the ball now and it was great to watch. EG’s defence was superb with even our slightest players swarming the big lads to bring them down. A surprise turnover and some fantastic hands from the team released Sidney Shaw into some space. He had half a pitch to cover and several players to beat but he was off, tearing down the wing and handing off attempts to haul him down before he found himself at the try line and over for his first score for the Club this season which was, again, much celebrated.

A few back and forth forays from both teams into each others halves saw EG push up to the Hastings 22 where George Laker found himself presented with an uncontested ball from a ruck in open play. Quick to react, he picked up the ball and thundered towards the line to the cheers from the side lines. Hastings players rushed to bring him down but he continued to power on, his momentum carrying him over the line with an outstretched arm as Hastings swarmed to stop another score. Try to EG and much more cheering as Rory Collins popped it through the uprights. EG were pulling ahead now but Hastings kept in the fight and were not deterred with a score of their own shortly after.

With only a few minutes left on the clock, both teams were keen to keep up the attack but it was EG who would end the day with the final word. A break from Cam Wayt and a well-timed offload found the ball in the hands of Bertie Mitchell again. With a slither of space and several players still to beat he raced away, once again showcasing his formidable speed and strength as he cruised round the entire defence, and popped the ball under the post for Rory Collins to take the final points, ending the game and cementing a emphatic win.

Coaches and parents all agreed this had been a truly great day out! Not just because of the win (and the hot running water) but also due the way so many of the boys stepped up! Cam Wayt (usually a back) played about 4 different roles in the forwards and was immense. William Pond (usually wing or full back) played a blinder at flanker and looked like a seasoned pro! Mason Packham and George Shepherd were everywhere at once, chopping down tree trunk size legs and felling their giants whenever they dared to try and run at us. Scrum halves Dylan Ashley and Braeden Minter kept the quick balls coming and Rory Collins did an outstanding job at fly half, directing the play and creating opportunities including a few line breaks of his own.

Other special mentions go to AJ and Noah for their first full appearances for the club in league games and for George Laker and Rory Collins who were selected as best Forward and Back by Hastings.

Final score 48-15 in a match we all felt demonstrated the best of what rugby is all about from both sides and we wish Hastings all the best for the rest of the season.

U13 Reds
East Grinstead U13s Red team played their first match of 2026 against a well-drilled Seaford side, with the sun making a welcome appearance. East Grinstead started strongly and competed well in the first half, showing good energy and intent. A few lapses in concentration and some missed early tackles allowed Seaford to score a handful of soft tries, but the response was positive and Fynn was rewarded with a well-taken try before the break. Daniel captained the side and led well throughout, while there were encouraging attacking moments as the ball was moved wide across the backs. Standout performances came from Harley with strong running and rucking, Jack with powerful ball carries, and Jesse James who worked tirelessly in both attack and defence. Both Lucas’s also impressed, with Lucas C making several blistering runs and Lucas F producing important tackles.

As the match moved into the second half, fitness began to tell. With East Grinstead having been unable to train for a few weeks, the lack of conditioning started to show, allowing Seaford to increase the tempo and take advantage, pulling away on the scoreboard. The second half was also disrupted by injuries, with Luc, Luke and Tyler all forced off, and Lucas Carey coming off after taking a knock to the nose that left him bloodied. Despite the scoreline, East Grinstead continued to show great character and were rewarded late on when Alex scored a well-deserved consolation try five minutes from the end. The team kept their chins up and worked hard until the final whistle. While Seaford ultimately ran away with the match, there were plenty of positives for East Grinstead Reds to take from their first match of the year. With training resuming and fitness improving, this match provides a solid platform to build on for the rest of the season.

Score: 65 -10
Tries - Fynn, Alex

U16s
East Grinstead 37, Wimbledon 19 (Quins’ Cup)
East Grinstead U16s produced a performance full of power, pace and panache as they ran out 37–19 winners over a strong and stubborn Wimbledon side in a Quins’ Cup game, that rattled bones and thrilled spectators in equal measure.

From the kick-off it was clear this would be a physical battle. Both teams smashed into tackles with real intent, forwards relished the close-quarters combat and neither side gave an inch at the breakdown. Wimbledon brought speed and aggression, but East Grinstead were more than happy to meet fire with fire. The deadlock was broken when George muscled his way over for the opening try, setting the tone for the afternoon. Isaac calmly added the conversion to make it 7–0, and East Grinstead were up and running. The supporters sensed this could be another successful game in the Quins’ Cup! Wimbledon hit back with a try of their own to make it 7–5, reminding everyone that this contest was far from over. But from that point on, East Grinstead’s open play & physicality began to shine. Quick ball and confident running stretched the Wimbledon defence, and gaps started to appear.

Alfie was next to pounce, finishing off a sharp attacking move to push the score to 12–5, before Ethan weaved through their defence shortly after to make it 17–5. With momentum building, East Grinstead began to cut loose. Bailey crossed following another flowing passage of play, extending the lead to 22–5, neither Wimbledon nor EG knew where Bailey was going, and Wimbledon were starting to chase shadows. The physical edge never dropped – tackles were still thunderous and rucks fiercely contested – but East Grinstead kept finding ways to move the ball. Sam added the fifth try to make it 27–5, followed quickly by Harry, both figuratively and literally, who finished clinically to take the score to 32–5.

The loudest cheer of the day came when Robert went over for the final East Grinstead try, making it 37–5 – although his enthusiastic celebration earned him a yellow card and an early sit-down to think about his actions. The crowd judged his celebration to be muted but couldn’t argue with the referee’s decision. To their credit, Wimbledon never stopped fighting and scored two late tries to bring the final score back to 37–19, a fair reflection of their resilience and physical commitment. By the end of the game EG’s #9, loose head prop and a second-row player had left the field with injuries leaving several walking wounded to finish the game.

When the whistle finally blew, East Grinstead could be proud of a performance that combined toughness up front with exciting, confident rugby in open play. A hard-hitting contest, plenty of flair, and a reminder that this U16s side can entertain as well as dominate.

FAMILY LUNCH
As you all know, we had to cancel our Family Lunch on the 10th, as we had no water at the club!! However, due to popular demand, we are putting it back on this Saturday!!

Alongside our regular pre-match meal, this week, our Family Lunch is a way to celebrate our families. Whether you are a player, staff, volunteer or supporter, we so appreciate your family who lets you do what you love to do.

We are inviting all families to join us before the on pitch action (Our 1’s and 2’s welcome Brighton and Worthing respectively). We have a range of menu options from nuggets to bolognese with children eating a main course and pudding for £6 and adults £15 (There will also be a cheese board for those with decerning palettes).

Click here for all the info and to book your family in to enjoy this treat: Lunch tickets

As an added incentive, Anyone booking in to this lunch will get free entry to the Western Night at the club in the evening!!! Double Bubble!!

We look forward to seeing you there!

KIDS RUGBY CAMP
Do you always struggle to find things to entertain the kids in the February half term? If so, this is just the answer.Our amazing senior coaches, Dan and Ryland are running this rugby camp from 9am - 3pm on the 17th to the 19th February at the club. We will run two sections, ages 5 - 8 and 9 - 13 for boys and girls.

Click here for tickets and more information: Half term camp

We look forward to seeing you there!

WESTERN NIGHT
Are you cowboy or girl at heart? Then Saturday the 24th is for you!!
Grab your tickets here: Western Night tickets

OTHER NEWS
If you have any news about any aspect of our rugby family here at East Grinstead, get involved and email m.marriott@btconnect.com. See you next week!!