The regular rugby season may have finished for most people in Cardiff and the Vale, but the Capital Rugby team are now beginning their busiest month of the year.
There will be almost sixty school visits in June, and that's not including the fantastic Tag Festivals.
The visit on Tuesday by Capital Rugby director, John Huw Williams, to St. Monica's Church in Wales Primary School, in Cathays, was a fine example of the kind of work the team will be doing until the end of the season. We arrived at just after eleven am, in time to catch the children after they had spent the morning swimming.
John said,
"I am actually visiting St. Monica's school four times this month, so we can really make an impact on their learning. Its great having so many schools in the Capital Rugby scheme, but when we get to visit the one school regularly in a short space of time, you can really see the difference in the children's play.
"What's more, because they have been swimming this morning, they have already warmed up so it won't take too long for the children to get up to speed."
After a good warm-up the children were ready for the action - which consisted off six or seven variations on running with the ball and passing to team-mates. At each stage the children were organised in to different sized teams for the activities, sometimes in pairs, fours or individually.
John explains,
"One of the most successful ways of teaching children, helping them to learn, is by slowly building up the activities. From a basic starting point, we add new tricks, pieces of skill and additional exercises until what they are doing is like a proper training session. The one consistent message I am getting across today, is that in rugby, like any sport, the ability to pass, is the most important skill."
Sure enough, the children at St. Monica's school did learn how to pass quickly and effectively. Probably because they were equally adept at the second most important rule, listening.