Hastings & Bexhill RFC Minis continued their autumn festival programme on Sunday, travelling to Worthing for a demanding day of rugby against strong opposition from across Sussex.

After hosting around 500 young players at their own festival last weekend, H&B Minis took to the road with teams from U7 through to U11. With unusually small squads in several age groups, it proved a test not only of skill but of stamina, with some H&B youngsters playing every minute of five or six matches.

The U7s continued their impressive start to festival rugby following their first tournament experience last weekend. After the long journey to Worthing, the players produced a tremendous effort, with coaches particularly pleased to see the work being done on the training pitch beginning to translate into matches. It was another important step forward for the group and a performance that left their coaches extremely proud of the progress being made.

H&B's U8s arrived at Worthing with just one substitute to cover two teams, but a lack of numbers certainly didn't result in a lack of energy. Building on their performances at the home festival, the youngsters demonstrated some excellent support running, tagging and teamwork, while there were plenty of tries as they tested themselves against some impressive West Sussex opposition.

The festival also finished with a special opportunity for the H&B girls, who took part in a mixed all-girls fixture. Angel, Corinne and Daisy all crossed for tries, while Luna impressed with some excellent tagging and running lines. The U8s now turn their attention to next weekend's festival at Eastbourne.

There was another huge workload for the U9s, with the Norman and Saxon teams completing six tough matches with only one substitute available per game. Despite the demanding schedule, the players maintained their effort right through to the final whistle.

There were some superb tackles against considerably bigger opponents, while the development of the team's decision-making was evident in their willingness to pass before contact and keep the ball alive. Their work around turnover possession is also beginning to pay dividends, with both sides increasingly recognising opportunities to win the ball back and turn defence into attack. And despite six games of rugby, there was apparently still enough energy left for games of duck, duck, goose between fixtures.

Few groups were asked to dig deeper than the U10s. With exactly 14 players split across two teams, there were no substitutes available, leaving every H&B player to complete around five-and-a-half matches. The response was exceptional.

From the first game to the last, both teams threw themselves into tackles, rucks and mauls, produced some excellent offloads and continued to carry hard despite increasingly tired legs.
Toby produced a standout defensive display with some superb tackling, while Isobel's growing confidence with ball in hand was rewarded with two excellent tries. Fin epitomised the effort shown across the group, giving everything in his carries, tackles and work at the breakdown while still finding the energy for sprints towards the try line. It was a genuine squad effort, with every player being asked to contribute for virtually every minute of the festival.

The U11s faced similarly demanding circumstances against some high-quality opposition.
H&B challenged their players to press aggressively and deny their opponents time and space — and both teams responded brilliantly. With no substitutes available, every player completed every minute of all five matches. Despite the workload, the intensity remained high and coaches saw significant progress from the previous week's home festival.
It represented another big step forward for the U11 group, who will now prepare for their next festival at Crawley.

If last weekend's home festival showcased the scale of minis rugby at Hastings & Bexhill, Worthing demonstrated the resilience developing within its young players. Across several age groups there were barely any substitutes, yet the players continued to tackle, tag, ruck, run and support one another until their final games.

Most importantly, another weekend of festival rugby gave the youngsters the opportunity to put their training into practice, challenge themselves against unfamiliar opposition and continue developing their game.

A big thank you to Worthing RFC for hosting and to the coaches, managers, volunteers and travelling families who made another full Sunday of minis rugby possible.