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Supreme Being
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David Lemi, the Samoan bullet, scoring a great individual try for Bristol against Bath.Lemi weighs in at about 75kgs, making him one of the smallest professional players around. In a time when players the size of Matt Banahan are turning out on the wing, Lemi is one of those guys to inspire the smaller wingers out there. If you're quick, but doubt you can make it because of your size, just watch Lemi in action - and keep working on your range of skills.
Toby Curthoys
Publisher, Better Rugby Coaching www.betterrugbycoaching.com
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Forum Member
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Last Login: 18/11/2008 19:37:07
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| Toby That's an interesting post and one that touched a nerve with me, as we have a player who prefers the wing, who is committed, fit and skilful, but who, to put it bluntly, is just very small, to the point where we do not play him until we are reasonably sure we are not putting him in danger. It is a real struggle to keep him from becoming disheartened, because there is nothing he can do to change things except pray for growth! I have explained to him that we do not want to be bringing him home in a bucket  but as a parent myself, the look on his face breaks my heart. This is a problem most youth coaches face of course. Kids grow at wildly varying rates and the difference in height between our tallest and smallest players is well over a foot. We often face players who are, frankly, adults in physical terms and it can distort the game. I will tell our little guy to look at this and hope he will take heart from it. Ferret
U14s Backs Coach
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If he is fast, you might consider playing him at full back. This will decrease his risk of being wiped out in a big tackle as he will have kicking options. Also he will still be able to get some wing action by coming around to create overlaps.
I coach some kids at u15 and we have a small quick guy and we play him at fullback for those reasons.
The Governor
CMU Tartans Rugby
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with the kick from 22 option being reduced, i think a full back will need to be bigger than ever, and able to run a ball back to his forwards under these adjusted rules.
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i feel its wrong to leave a boy out because hes small. if you speak to his dad and explain your concerns then it should be left to them to decide.
of course it depends on the boys replacement, if hes a better team option.
little-uns will find a way... so the mrs assures me
my son is 6.1 ish(changing all the time) he is one of the tallest and so is forced to play 2nd row. it is a small pack for his age group. they are still a good level team and beat the big-uns with speed and movement. now lifting is allowed, the big-uns advantage has been evened out.
he also played for the year above at school, a lot of the time against county level players.
ive seen him out played but ive never seen him be wiped out', battered, beaten or intimidated.
we/he/ his coaches, look how we can cope with what we cant change and so far its worked out.
we dont have much choice. if we recruit taller players then my son will get moved to flanker, where is is suited,and another boy would miss out due to size.
im proud of my son but i dont mean to 'big him up' here. rather to show that little-uns can find a way.
better to have a bloody nose than to have that feeling of rejection imo.
ps
the biggest boy at our club struggles to get in our seconds and only wants to play on the wing. he is a bad attitude lummox and i would swap him for your game' small boy at anytime
a touch preachy i know but i hope it would make you reconsider
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Forum Member
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| Thanks - some interesting thoughts there. At full back ... he is quick, and a good kicker, but as our last line of defence against a charging lock or centre ... He has had blood injuries before so I guess that makes us all the more cautious. Maybe I was a bit unclear, it's not that we don't play him. He gets his share of game time, and scores tries, but in a cup game, or where we have unfamiliar opponents, we are wary of putting him out there in the starting 15, so he often won't get on until the second half. Of course even though we try hard to make sure everyone gets fair game time, being in the starting line up is a matter of pride for these lads. Cheers
U14s Backs Coach
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| The smallest player for us is the 9. He has the best technique and the most ferocious tackle in the team. He is fearless has the heart of a lion will tackle anything he has to. It sets an example to the whole team and he often lifts them when the biggest opposition is felled. It can also have a demoralising effect on the opposition. Size has no protection from getting hurt in my opinion. Good technique, confidence and being fit is what protects you. If he's up for it then that's what counts. Neil Back was left out of the England team because the coach of the time though he was too small and look what he went on to achieve.
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Supreme Being
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weathergirls (25/09/2008)
i feel its wrong to leave a boy out because hes small. if you speak to his dad and explain your concerns then it should be left to them to decide.
But that still doesn;t absolve you as coach of your responsibilites towards them wrt safety etc. Just cos his dad says its OK for him to jump off the church tower after a game doesn;t mean you'll let him etc. same if you believe it is physically dangerous for him to play against player(s) significantly larger than him.
>im proud of my son but i dont mean to 'big him up' here. rather to show that little-uns
6 foot 1 inch is little? :-)
didds
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| I have to agree with Didds. I accept that a small player can make a big contribution, and it has a great effect on the team as a whole to see a little guy bringing down the big guns. I also accept that rugby is a contact sport, etc, etc, but ultimately he is in our care and we owe it to him, and his parents, not to put him in unnecessary danger. If he gets squashed by a player eighteen inches taller and three times his weight (no exaggeration) I couldn't live with that, and we as coaches would have some difficult questions to answer. It is a very tricky situation. He is good, he wants to play, and we are here to provide that opportunity. He will usually get to play once we have "read" the game and the opposition. It is a bit demeaning for him to have to wait on the touchline, I know. It is a fine line we have to tread. But safety overrides everything else. I don't just say this from a liability point of view. Players are people too (props excepted of course ). I can't be reckless with their safety and that's just that. I do appreciate everyone's views. This probably isn't the way Toby expected this post to develop!! Cheers - Ferret
U14s Backs Coach
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