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Message from Rugby WA Community Manager Mitch Hardy:
COACHES PLEASE NOTE:
The Three Cheers Tradition in Junior Rugby Before the Game
The following should be part of the pre-game briefing by the coach:
• Leading the three cheers is the responsibility of the team captain. All players should understand that the captain will lead them across for three cheers at full time.
• For younger players (especially where the team regularly rotates the role of captain), the coach should ask the captain to repeat back to them the traditional greeting. For example, “Wanneroo three cheers for Midland – HipHip, Hooray, HipHip, Hooray, HipHip, Hooray.” This is important because it is amazing how many junior players don’t actually know the name of the team they are playing that day!
At Full Time
• At full time the captain should call their team together near the centre of the field.
• All parents and coaches remain a respectful distance away.
• Note that if the players forget about the three cheers (as often happens in younger age groups), the coach turns to the captain and says, “John, please lead your team over for the three cheers”.
• Note that the three cheers happen immediately after the full time whistle (and before the players go off, have a drink or launch into a team song). The time for team songs is sometime after the three cheers are completed.
PROCEDURE
• As the teams approach, players start shaking hands. The team captain says, “Kalamunda three cheers for Cottesloe……….”.
• The other team captain replies, “Kalamunda three cheers for Cottesloe……”
• Then either team captain says, “And three cheers for the ref…….”.
• All players shake hands as they leave the area.
If all clubs follow the above procedure we believe it will have the following benefits:
• It puts our junior players in control – an important leadership experience.
• It ends the game in a positive and sportsmanlike manner.
• It upholds the traditions of rugby.
We would very much appreciate your co-operation in this initiative. We believe that your help in this area will help to uphold the traditions of rugby.