Cooke Mini Rugby is the best!!!
Cooke RFC Minis Come Together for a Brilliant Day at the Aviva Mini Rugby Festival
Cooke RFC were proudly represented this morning at the Aviva Mini Rugby Festival hosted by Ballynahinch RFC, where a newly formed squad of six P5s and five P6s joined forces to compete as a 2015 team for the very first time.
Cooke Mini Rugby is the best
Unlike the usual Ulster setup, which groups players by school year, this festival followed the all-Ireland format based on birth year. That meant our Cooke team featured players from two different year groups — and despite it being their first time playing together, they clicked straight away and delivered an impressive team performance throughout the day.
The event itself was a fantastic celebration of mini rugby, with around 30 squads from approximately 25 clubs across Ulster taking part. The pitches were full of colour, energy, and great rugby, creating a brilliant atmosphere — even if the weather was cold!
Our Cooke team faced strong opposition in four entertaining matches against Ards, CIYMS, Ballynahinch, and Ballymoney. The boys showed real grit and teamwork, putting in strong tackles, linking up beautifully in attack, and scoring some well-earned tries. A highlight of the day was the debut of our new “seagull” formation — a V-shaped attacking setup — which the players used to great effect, creating space and keeping the opposition on their toes.
P6 coach Big Chris was full of praise for the team:
“This was the first time these boys played together as one group, and they really stepped up. The effort, attitude, and team spirit were top class — they should be proud of themselves.”
P5 coach Paul Marshall, who also took on impartial refereeing duties for several other games, added:
“It was great to see both age groups combining so well. They listened, they learned, and they gave it their all — and the seagull formation definitely ruffled a few feathers!”
A big thank you to Ballynahinch RFC for hosting such a well-run and welcoming festival, and to the organisers and sponsors who generously provided food hampers to keep the squad fuelled at lunchtime — they were much appreciated!
And finally, thanks as always to our brilliant Cooke parents for their support on a chilly morning.
Well done to all of our 2015 squad — a fantastic team effort and a really promising first outing together!
Cooke Mini Rugby is the best!!!