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For
more information on the Nomads TORONTO NOMADS ANNOUNCE
NEW The Nomads are pleased to announce their senior men’s team head coach is Drew MacPherson, who will lead the club into the 2008 season. A two-time Rugby Ontario Coach-of-the-Year, MacPherson has already begun to direct operations for the Nomads after signing with the club earlier in February. A longtime member and coach of the Aurora Barbarians, Drew won the double in 2007 as he coached the Barbs to the league and McCormick Cup titles. Parting ways with Barbarians after 16 years, Drew leaves Ontario’s top club on good terms. “The decision to leave the Barbs was a difficult one,” stated MacPherson about the move. “But as I now live in the city, my young son can now come to practice, an attraction that is priceless for me. The Barbs understand. “The Barbs have many great coaches and Bart Hennessy will continue the great job he has been doing for the last few years”. A member of the club when they were still known as the Toronto Barbarians, Drew was part of the coaching team that saw the club successfully transition themselves north of the city when they merged with the Aurora RFC earlier this decade. Although a very successful amalgamation, it meant much more travel for Drew. Drew’s impeccable record as a coach, and his current position as the Director of community Rugby, meant that his services were in very high demand. “We are incredibly lucky and grateful to have brought Drew aboard,” stated Adam Mernick, the Nomads Director of Rugby. “We have had some great components to this club over my many years year, but we never had someone with the ability and commitment to Canadian rugby, which Drew brings. “We sincerely believe he is the missing ingredient that will take the Nomads to the next level.” The Toronto Nomads have a closely linked history with the Barbarians: both clubs were formed on the same September evening in 1950, when the modern era of Ontario Rugby was founded. The Nomads senior men currently run three teams and play in Rugby Ontario’s Marshall Premiership. Two rather unspectacular seasons in the top league for the senior men have given the appearance of house not entirely in order. But the truth is the Nomads’ foundation is solid. With age-grade teams at the under-18, under-16 and under-14 levels for boys along with minis, the Nomads have already possess an established feeder system. With Drew’s successful coaching career speaking for itself, the Nomads are hopeful that a similar rugby culture to the Barbarians can be integrated amongst the Nomads’ various sides. “I am really looking forward to this new challenge,” added MacPherson. “I hope to continue the hard work done by the Nomads executive in recent years. “My view on rugby has always been, if it’s not fun to watch and play, I don’t want to coach it. The secret of success for any club is development and sharing a common goal and ethos among all age-grades from senior players to under-8s. I hope to help develop this in any way I can. “I am looking forward to my new position and to the season ahead”. The Nomads senior men have already begun pre-season training under the dome at St. Michael's College School, near Bathurst Street and St. Clair Avenue West, Saturdays from 1:00pm-3:00pm.
---------------------------------------------------------- THE TORONTO NOMADS SENIOR MEN Three Teams: The Nomads run three senior men’s teams with all teams currently playing in the Ontario Rugby Union's (ORU) Marshall Division. For newcomers to rugby, the three teams are broken down like this: the 1st team is the most competitive playing the most competitive teams from other clubs in our league. The 1sts generally play on Saturday afternoons at 3pm, although there are occasional Sunday and weeknight games for all the sides.
The 2nd team is a combination of guys trying to play well enough to crack the 1st team, athletic guys with only a bit of rugby experience and still learning the game. There is also some older players who are still skilled and fit enough, but who perhaps have 'outgrown' the 1st team. The 2nds generally play on Saturday afternoons at 1:30pm, finishing just before the 1sts kick off; seven of the better 2nd team players then furnish the substitutes bench for the 1sts. The 3rd team is perhaps the most fun team in the senior men's squad. It consists of beginners, social players, players 'past their prime', players who can't always make training, new players and players coming off injury. The 3rds kick off at noon and finish at 1:30pm. Again, the more competitive 3rd team players reserve for the 2nds, while the more social ones open a beer and sit back for an entertaining afternoon of watching rugby.
Although rugby consists of 15 players on the field, it take far more than 45 active players to run 3 men's teams. It takes at least 60, as the selection committee must deal with the inevitable reality of players unavailable for games due to work, holidays or other reasons, and of course injuries. But should the Nomads have more than enough - say 75+ senior men at training and 60 available on weekends - it is only a matter of reviving the 4th team. The Nomads got four men's teams out several times in 2006. Up until 1998, the Nomad senior men ran four teams each weekend. The time for a full 4ths' team revival is nearing... League Games from May to September: One of the best perks of the Marshall Division is that all three men's teams play home and away together. Aother great perk is that 10 of 14 league games are played at Fletcher's Fields.
The rugby season in Toronto starts with outdoor training and pre-season games in April. The league starts in mid-May and continues until the end of September. There is a further four-round post-season Cup in October. In addition, there are occasional friendlies (meaning non-league games that do not affect standings) against other clubs or incoming touring teams. One advantage to Ontario rugby is firm grounds that are great for running and training is in daylight from 6:30-8:30pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays. It rarely rains at either training or games. How to Play Rugby for the Nomad Senior Men: To qualify to play for the Nomads senior men's teams it is a simple formula: pay your subs (registration fees)! There is no tryout - by running as many teams as we can, all players who are in good standing get onto the field. There is a selection committee who meet each Tuesday to determine who plays for which team on the weekend. That committee consists of coaches, captains and the playing committee (the Club Captains and the Vice-President of Playing). To earn selection to higher teams, it will a combination of the following criteria listed in order of importance:
1
- fully paid up in subs The first criteria is a must: the club spends a lot of money keeping the 11+ senior and junior teams running and only half of that cost is covered by subs, the rest is through fundraising. The Nomads cannot carry any passengers as a far as subs go - IF YOU DON'T PAY, YOU DON'T PLAY. For the higher teams, attendance at training is a must. If you cannot make the training commitments, that's what the lower teams are for. Rugby is a team sport, so it is better to have a slightly less skilled player who is there to practice with the team than to have a more skilled player who cannot train on Tuesdays & Thursday evenings. Current playing form refers to such measures as fitness, skill and desire exhibited at both training and games, It is essential to build a winning team. Past game performance is ranked last so that players know that if they have given it their all at games and in training but have had a bad game, that will not necessarily be a strike against them. Conversely, if a player has had a single exceptional game, that may not be enough to elevate them to a higher team the next week. Consistent performances is the desired trait.
Having Fun is a Priority: But no matter what the objective on the field (by the way, it is winning!) the Nomads value the social aspect of rugby. Generally any away game more than an couple of hours from Toronto warrants a bus trip. Easter tour and pre-season friendlies are usual examples. The Keenan Division will allow the Nomad men several chances for road trips with away games around Ontario such as London and Guelph.
Home Games & Training Fields: Our home games are at Fletcher's Fields, the home of Ontario Rugby, about a 30 minute drive from downtown Toronto. But downtown is where we train; getting to Fletcher's takes a rather long time on weeknights, so we use various fields within the city core. For exact dates and locations, check the training page. Playing Equipment : The essential equipment to play rugby is rather simple: rugby boots (cleats), mouthguard, shorts and socks. The team jerseys are provided by the club on game day. Socks and shorts of the proper Nomad colours will be made available for sale. The Nomads wear navy blue shorts and the socks are blue & white hoops (horizontal stripes). If you need more information on boots and other gear, check out the Frequently Asked Questions page. Any
further questions, contact us at torontonomads@gmail.com We look forward to welcoming you to the Nomads this year! Overseas players should have a look at the information on our recruitment page. CONTACTS:
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