Welcome back to the Rochford Hundred Round-Up! After a few months away, we're back with the first edition of the 2026/27 season, bringing you news and updates from across the club. Whether it’s match results, player achievements, or upcoming events, this is your one-stop place to stay in the loop with everything at Rochford Hundred RFC.

After a well-earned summer break, it has been fantastic to see our Minis back on the pitches and getting stuck into another season of rugby!
September has been all about getting the children back into the routine of training, rebuilding fitness and developing their skills.
It has been great to see so many familiar faces returning, as well as welcoming new players and families to the Rochford Hundred Minis family.

Our first fixtures of the 2026/27 season took place on Sunday 27th September, with our Minis back in action across the local area.
Our U7s, U8s, U9s and U10s welcomed SWF to Alpha Capital Rugby Park for their first fixtures of the season, with some fantastic matches on display.
Our U11s and U12s headed away to local rivals Westcliff for their opening fixtures, with some amazing matches played in true local derby spirit.

- Matt Valentine, Minis Chairman

U12 Girls

The girls have been working hard throughout pre-season, focusing on maintaining their fitness levels and preparing for the season ahead.

Since the season began, the team has been focusing on attack and defence drills, continuing to develop their skills, understanding of the game and teamwork. With games being cancelled due to RFU guidance and the hard ground conditions, the girls have been able to use the extra time to work on tackling and contact sessions now that the ground is becoming softer. This has helped to build their confidence and prepare them for match days.

The U12s girls are now looking forward to their first girls’ match on 4th October, which will be a home game against Brentwood. They are super excited for game day to arrive and to finally put all their hard work into action.
It would be fantastic to have plenty of support from the sidelines, so please come along and cheer the girls on as they take to the pitch for their first match!

- Anneliese Maher – U12s Girls Coach

U13s

A busy summer for the Under 13s, with just three weeks off after the end of Minis before going straight into pre-season training, getting ready for the big step up into youth rugby!

Lots of dedication from the boys, improving their fitness and stamina in preparation for the challenges of a bigger pitch and longer game time.
The backs have concentrated on getting some plays together to shift the ball into space and get around the opposing defence, whilst the forwards have been working on the scrum and the ability of our first-year players to push, making it a big step up in the game.

We had a pre-season friendly with Canvey, with a Friday night game under the lights. Unfortunately, due to the hard ground, we were unable to play contact, but in the spirit of wanting to play, a game of touch and joint training session was enjoyed by all. A great way to put the summer training into practice.

Sunday 27th September saw our first youth game against a strong Romford team. A little slow out of the blocks saw us concede some early tries, which put us behind. Once we found our groove, we started to recover, and all the boys put in an amazing shift and got some scores on the board. The final whistle saw a 40–20 scoreline to Romford, but the boys played exceptionally well, with all the hard work of the summer paying off.

Looking forward to the season ahead, we have a full fixture list where we can work on improving all areas of our game from the lessons learnt against Romford, particularly applying pressure in defence and not giving the opposition space.

- Tom Bradbury – U13s Coach

U15s

The new season is underway, and the boys have made a fantastic start with two highly competitive fixtures.
Our first outing saw us travel to Blackheath on 13th September, where we played on their impressive 4G pitch. It was a fast, physical and entertaining contest, with Rochford narrowly losing 33–26 on the final play of the game.

After a weekend off, we returned to action on 27th September against a strong Canvey side in a friendly. With both teams competing in League 1 this season, it was a great test, and the lads showed real character, coming back from nine points down to secure a well-earned 33–26 victory.

A special mention goes to our two new debutants, who have both made an outstanding impact in their first games. It’s brilliant to welcome new faces into the Rochford Hundred family, and they have already shown what they can bring to the team.

October brings more exciting rugby as we welcome Chelmsford to the Alpha Capital Rugby Park before kicking off our League 1 campaign at home against Maldon.

The last few weeks have provided the perfect warm-up for the competitive season ahead, and the squad is looking forward to the challenges to come.

- Nick Cook - U15s Coach

Following a solid pre-season, the Harts are ready to hit the ground running as they step into a new league, Essex Counties 3. The campaign will bring an exciting mix of familiar rivals from last season alongside some fresh opposition, promising a tough and competitive run-out every week.

The team also welcomes our new coach, Barney, who joins with a wealth of coaching experience across Essex.

The squad is in good spirits and keen to get stuck into the season, with an opening fixture win away at Witham on Saturday, 26th September showing what the boys are capable of.

The Harts’ next fixture is at home to Kelvedon & Feering, who also won their first fixture, so it promises to be a great game.

- Nick Dolman, Harts Manager

Unfortunately, due to the RFU postponing the start of this year’s competitive season, I don’t yet have any match results or game reflections to share. However, what I can say is that the Vixens have continued to push themselves throughout training, and we are continuing to grow both in strength and numbers.

It was fantastic to take part in Wooden Spoon Vets Fest ’26 on Saturday 26th September, where I represented Wooden Spoon Essex Men alongside seven of our Vixens players, who represented Wooden Spoon Essex Women. It was a brilliant opportunity to get out on the pitch, enjoy some rugby and be part of a fantastic event supporting Wooden Spoon Charity.

On 11th October, the Vixens will finally take to the field for their first competitive fixture of the season in NC2, where they will face Hackney. I’m sure this will be a fiercely contested and exciting match, and certainly one not to be missed!

We’re looking forward to finally getting the season underway and seeing all the hard work from training translate onto the pitch. The Vixens have put in a huge amount of effort during pre-season, and I can’t wait to see what they can achieve together this season.

- Danny Ryan, Vixens Head Coach

It’s been a busy summer at Rochford Hundred RFC as we prepare for the season ahead.

Following the departure of Kevin Harman, I’d like to place on record our thanks for all his hard work and commitment to the club.

We are delighted to welcome Chris Green back to Magnolia Road for his third spell as Head Coach. Chris brings a wealth of experience and remains one of the most successful coaches in the club’s history. We are excited to have him back and hope he can help bring more success to Rochford Hundred this season.
Chris has already strengthened the squad with the arrival of our overseas players, Ben Alexander, who joins us from Christchurch, New Zealand, and Cameron Harte, who arrives from Montreal, Canada. We look forward to seeing both make a positive impact on and off the field.

As you will know, the RFU’s delayed start to the season due to the hot weather has created a congested fixture schedule. We now have four postponed matches to fit into the calendar, meaning there will be little respite and a busy run of rugby well into October.
The recent dry conditions have also left pitches particularly hard. Please continue to exercise caution and follow RFU guidance regarding playing conditions and pitch usage.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to seeing you at Magnolia Road throughout the season.

Roch!

- Steve Maguire, Club Chairman