ChuckieB
Rugby Expert
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2017
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Absolutely! Older teens have a lot of energy, are as fast as adults and there's often a lot of testosterone floating around developing brains that can make management harder.
U16's being the worst age group has been my observation. The opinions are well and truly coming to the fore (and parents are still showing that level of committed opinion from the sidelines) with few players standing out as having developed sufficient leadership skills. The rugby is messy and there is much less observeable structure to phases of play which makes it even more of a challenge to ref when you have to do it all yourself and can place no reliance on the TJ's for anything else other than the very basics. It's a rarity to see a game that does not end up being dominated by the whistle.