Last Updated on 13 May 2026 by Colette
This post is written in collaboration with adidas
The rugby union season is pretty much done and dusted for us now with Ben’s team having won their group league making them “Junior Colts League Champions” in the North West Colts League but losing out in the cup final for the Alan James U17 Trophy at the Lancashire Colts Cup Finals.
This weekend just gone, some of the older lads in Ben’s team who are already 17, were able to play up with the 3rd team for the first time before celebrating the end of the season back at the Club with a £5 charity shop challenge (£5 maximum spend on your outfit – yes there are pictures, no I’m not sharing them with you here!).
The end of this season marks Ben’s third full season – and that time has flown by. From finding him a club in the January of Year 9 to him now heading into one final year of Colts before open play – I don’t know where the time has gone! As he turns 17 this summer, he will continue to play U18s with his club but their coach is also encouraging them to take the opportunity to play up with the seniors if they get the chance (though with Ben working most Saturdays I’m not sure how often that will be for him!)
As I stood in the sunshine (a rare experience if you are a Rugby Union Mum) watching the last game of the season with some of the other parents, before a really lovely afternoon back at the club and found myself aware of just how much I now enjoy being a part of it. When the kids were little, we staunchly avoided committing to regular weekend activities as we knew they would impact our days out and weekends away – and yes, having training on a Friday night (or more recently a Thursday) and games on a Sunday has made a big difference to how often we go away (weekend trips to York are few and far between now) but that would have happened anyway as the kids grew up and forged their own social lives etc.
When Ben first started to play, Dave and I would take it in turns to take him to games on a Sunday so that one of us could stay at home with the girls (and to be honest I was often glad when it was my turn to stay at home) but as the girls have got older, Dave and I have started to go to matches together, leaving the girls to relax at home. Sunday is pretty much completely taken up by rugby (especially if it’s an away game) as the Colts games don’t start till lunch time so we basically spend the morning waiting to go and the late afternoon warming up again!
Three and a bit seasons in and I finally understand enough of the game to really follow it – don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of times I don’t have a clue what’s happening, but it’s definitely easier now than it was when I first started watching. Shout out to those patient parents on the side-lines who help me out with regularly explaining what’s happening!
Before Ben started to play, my Dad’s friend Steve told me that finding him his club was one the of the most important decisions I’d make for him and whilst I did feel the pressure to get it right, I thought he was probably over egging it a bit but in all honesty, I do now see where he’s coming from – it’s about more than just sticking on a pair of rugby boots and some rugby shorts and getting muddy every week! It’s about the support and camaraderie – some of these lads have been playing together since they were in the infants, others (like Ben) have joined the team much later but they are a cracking bunch of lads.
Despite coming to the game much later than a lot of his team, Ben has stuck at it – turning up to training every week, keeping his head up when he wasn’t getting picked for games with an “I’m not good enough yet” attitude and laughing when the game got called off just as he was about to finally get some game time. Ben has always been able to laugh at himself but there’s no denying that playing a game like rugby is character-building. From regular jibes about him not being able to catch (definitely something he needs to work on!) to us taking the mick and cheering him on for being top water boy when he runs the bottles on during a game – the sportsmanship, resilience, and teamwork the game demands help shape confidence, discipline, and a real sense of belonging both on and off the pitch.
Ben has really come on this season and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next season brings for him . . . and if he finally scores a try, I’ll definitely cry!
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