The excitement was palpable as Heath RFC travelled to Horsham RFC last Saturday for the first competitive fixture since early March. Even though Ready4Rugby rules make the game a shadow of its former self, it was nonetheless a committed squad of over 20 players who made the journey to represent the red and black of Heath on a rugby pitch in a competitive series of short touch rugby games, in line with current RFU protocols.

There were some significant debuts for a number of last year’s colts who have progressed through to the senior ranks and these players showed the speed they bring to the growing senior squad and the new skills they have learned after three months training with the seniors. Teaming the newcomers with experienced players, Heath put out two squads – one made up of backs and the other forwards – who took on the opposition with gusto, showing that the players’ competitive juices have not been lost and enjoying the opportunity to play in front of a small, socially distanced yet loud number of supporters from each club.

The Club is trying to put further local fixtures in place over the coming weeks.