Blaze Touch

18/06/2026

🔥 BLAZE TOUCH – WEEKEND ROUND‑UP (BURTON ON TRENT) 🔥

Thank you to everyone who travelled to Burton on Trent this weekend for the England Touch Development and Elite Series. It was a full on two days, but the Blaze spirit showed up in every game, every huddle, and every moment on and off the pitch.

Saturday – Tough, Gritty, Full of Heart
Saturday threw everything at us, injuries, tight games, and unfortunately no wins. But what stood out was how everyone pulled together. The communication, the encouragement, the resilience… that’s Blaze. Even when the results didn’t fall our way, the attitude never dropped.

Saturday MVP – Hannah

Saturday Players’ Player – Seren

Both fully deserved for stepping up when the team needed it most.

Sunday – A Strong Comeback
Sunday was a completely different story. We found our rhythm, tightened our structure, and came away with:

2 wins

2 draws

2 losses

We faced Chester in both our first and last games. The opener ended in a draw, but by the final match Chester were running on depleted numbers and both teams were running on tired legs. This time we managed to push through and take the win. A brilliant way to finish the day.

Sunday MVP – Seren
She was almost a clean sweep of votes — calm under pressure, patient in the middle, and topped it off with a brilliant diving score in the final match. Seren, your performances across both days were outstanding and the votes show exactly how much your teammates value what you bring.

Sunday Players’ Player – Bob

⭐ Well Done, Blaze
Every single player showed determination, teamwork, and true Blaze spirit. Injuries, heat, long days, tough opposition, you handled it all and still found moments of brilliance.

Proud weekend. Proud team. Proud club🔥

17/06/2026

🔥 BLAZE TOUCH – TUESDAY ROUND‑UP 🔥

Thank you to everyone who came down for this week’s social session and brought the energy with you. Even with the rain making an appearance, spirits stayed high and honestly, it was still warm enough that a bit of drizzle just added to the fun. Blaze doesn’t melt. We just get faster and the rain really helps with the diving conditions.

I’ll admit I’ve been terrible at getting the posts out recently, so here’s a quick catch‑up too.

Last Week – 3‑Man Drive Focus
Last Tuesday we worked on practising our driving skills up the pitch using a 3‑man drive. Once we put it into our games, the difference was huge. The pace lifted, the flow improved, and we had some brilliant scores where the momentum carried the team straight through the defence. Proper Blaze touch at its best.

➡️ This Week – Line Attack & Line Defence
This week we shifted our attention to line attack and line defence, with a focus on learning the 32 short and 32 long attack moves.

Then we combined everything from the last two weeks, drives, structure, and line plays and it really showed. We were able to get up the pitch with purpose and create genuine attacking opportunities on the line. The progress across the group is clear.

⭐ Highlights & Thanks
Matt was back on the pitch stretching his legs after many months recovering from his ACL surgery. Amazing to see you moving again and easing back into it.

Jules, as always, thank you for looking after us, and being the heart of Blaze Touch.

📅 Same Time Next Week
Tuesday – 6:30pm – Malbank Playing Fields
Bring your boots, bring your water, bring the Blaze energy.

09/06/2026

🔥 BLAZE TOUCH – LAST TUESDAY ROUND‑UP 🔥

Thank you to everyone who came down last Tuesday and brought the energy with you. The vibes were brilliant from the first whistle to the last, and it was great to see so many people out enjoying an evening of touch.

What a contrast the weather was compared to the week before. Gone were the blazing temperatures and sunburn risks, instead we had a much cooler evening that kept everyone moving. And somehow, despite the forecast threatening otherwise, the rain held off right until the final minutes. A small miracle for a British summer.

💍 A Huge Congratulations to Kirsty & Alex!
We were absolutely thrilled to celebrate the newlyweds. The cakes you brought were very well received, demolished might be the more accurate word. Thank you both for sharing a bit of your celebration with the Blaze family.

🎂 And a Quiet Birthday… for Now
It was also Denver's birthday, though he kept it quiet so as not to steal the spotlight from Kirsty and Alex. But when the last few of us were packing up and spotted the extra bag of cakes, the secret didn’t last long. We gave him a birthday sing song on the pitch, and we’re all secretly hoping a few of those cakes survived the week so we can give him a second round of birthday wishes this week.

🔥 Weekend Tournament Shout‑Out – England NTS & DTS
A massive well done to everyone who played at the weekend. It wasn’t a weekend full of wins, but it was full of effort, resilience, and proper Blaze spirit. The team worked hard, supported each other, and made the best of a tough competitive couple of days, something we definitely achieved.

Our MVPs and Players’ Players from the weekend:
Saturday MVP: Ollie
Saturday PP: Rebs

Sunday MVP: Rich
Sunday PP: Chelsea

Huge congratulations to all of you for stepping up and representing Blaze with pride.

⚡ Tonight is Touch!
Make sure your boots are ready, your water bottle is filled, and come join us at Malbank Playing Fields for another great session.

28/05/2026

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🔥 BLAZE TOUCH – TUESDAY HEATWAVE ROUND‑UP 🔥

Tuesday’s session was a scorcher ... literally. With the May heatwave in full swing and only one sub per team, everyone dug deep and absolutely smashed it. The work rate was unreal, the effort was constant, and the teamwork held strong even when the legs started to feel like molten lava.

If you look at last week’s photo compared to this week, the difference is hilarious. Gone are the layers, jumpers and jackets… replaced by shorts, vests, and the collective look of “why is Nantwich suddenly the Sahara”.

💛 Sideline Hero: Jules
A massive thank you to Jules, our number one sideline supporter while he continues to heal. Your energy, encouragement and presence make such a difference. Not long now until we’ve got you back fully and we cannot wait to see you flying again.

🖤 Set‑Up Crew Appreciation
Huge thanks to everyone who helped set up, organise, and keep things running smoothly in the heat. Blaze doesn’t work without the people who quietly make everything happen, and we appreciate you more than you know.

Another brilliant Tuesday in the bag sweaty, sunny, and full of Blaze spirit. Roll on next week.

21/05/2026

Want to develop your all round rugby … have a little read about a few of those in NZ that have used Touch as a platform to upskill themselves …

Touch 🤝🏽 Rugby
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There’s a select group of no less than 32 women and men (I’m probably missing more) who have represented both the Touch Blacks AND the All Blacks/Black Ferns 7s and 15s.
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And that’s not touching on players who:
🟠 Were Touch Blacks squad members (like Nehe Milner-Skudder and Lima Sopoaga)
🟠 Played international rugby for other nations (like Phoenix Hunapo and Isla Norman-Bell)
🟠 Were NZ youth reps (like Ruahei Demant, Kelly Brazier and Noah Hotham)
🟠 Played rep Touch provincially (like Rieko Ioane, Braxton Sorensen-McGee, Fehi Fineanganofo, Stacey Waaka, Frank Bunce, Veisinia Fakalelu, Mils Muliaina, etc.)
🟠 Played Touch socially down at their local module
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That’s only players in Aotearoa. When you factor other nations and sports, that number increases even more.
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It’s no coincidence. The proof has been in the pudding for a long time — Touch helps build the foundations of a good footy player, irrespective of code.
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How many players here can you name? 🤔

20/05/2026

Interesting …

19/05/2026

This makes for an interesting read:-

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17ei9R7e6y/?mibextid=wwXIfr

19/05/2026

🔥 BLAZE TOUCH WOMEN – ENGLAND NATIONAL ROUND‑UP 🔥

Another Sunday, another huge shift from our women’s team, and we couldn’t be prouder of the effort, the attitude, and the Blaze spirit on show all day.

Katy once again brought the iconic Blaze ribbon, making sure we all felt part of one team from the moment we arrived. We finished 6th, falling to Oxford in the bowl final, but with a much closer score than last time, real progress and a performance to be proud of.

Here are just a few standout moments:
🧡Emma on the far wing
She played every minute of every game and was rock‑solid as always.
🧡 Rebs refereeing
She stepped up with Lloyd to ref two matches and Adam backed them from the sideline.
🧡Our Euro Stars
They joining us again and mixing into the squad, bringing calmness, knowledge and guidance to our strike players.
🧡Ffion’s length of the field tries
Weaving through the defensive line and turning on the pace for some brilliant breakaway scores.
🧡Millie’s dedication
Putting her name down between cruises, proving once again she never loses her touch, skill or commitment.

A huge shoutout to Matt, who continues to give us the perfect balance of constructive feedback and praise. Thank you for always believing in us and helping us grow 🔥

And another big thank you to Cath, our touch mum, organiser, water reminder, snack‑provider and score‑keeper. You look after every one of us and we appreciate you more than you know.

And we want to give a special thank you to Jules, the heart of Blaze. We wouldn’t be the team we are without him. His support on the sideline, his constant encouragement, and the way he captures all the best moments mean the world to us. We love having him there, always cheering, always lifting the team.

Most importantly, we are so proud of the whole team. Every player grafted, lifted each other up, and showed exactly what Blaze Touch is all about — explosive energy, electric effort, and true unity.

💛🖤 Blaze through and through 🖤💛

19/05/2026

🔥 BLAZE TOUCH MEN’S - ENGLAND NATIONAL ROUND‑UP 🔥
Our boys put in an unbelievable shift this Sunday, playing the entire day with only three subs and still delivering energy, commitment and proper Blaze heart from the first whistle to the last. They finished 15th overall, but the placement doesn’t even begin to show the graft they put in. With barely any rest, they fought for every metre, every touch, every score.

Here are some standout moments from a massive team effort:
💥Tom stepping in
He gave up his whistle for a few games, pulling on the Blaze shirt and helping the boys when they needed it most.
💥Richard’s dedication
Fresh back from holiday but fully committed, playing all day and giving everything for the team.
💥Lloyd refereeing
Lloyd pulling on his ref shirt to take charge of two games alongside Rebs, with Adam joining as honorary sideline ref to keep things running smoothly.
💥Full‑body commitment
The whole squad throwing themselves into every moment, catching balls mid‑dive, putting bodies on the line and scoring with pure determination.

A huge thank you to Matt for coaching the team, keeping spirits high and bringing the perfect mix of energy, guidance and belief.

And another big thank you to Jules, our chief organiser, sideline hype‑man and camera wizard. We wouldn’t function without him, and we love how he captures every moment that makes Blaze… Blaze.

Most importantly, we are so proud of the whole team. They worked tirelessly, supported each other and showed exactly what this club is about, explosive effort, electric energy and true unity.

💛🖤 Blaze through and through 🖤💛