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| Rugby 2nd XV Team 'Blog' |
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P9 W5 L4 D0 For 136 Agn 134 Match 9 EAGLE HOUSE v MOULSFORD II 10th November Away Moulsford 36 Eagle House 7 (Try: Alex Mitchell Con: Sam Auger) Squad: 1. Sean Neat 2. Felix Medlock 3. Ryan Chan 4. Michael Dennison 5. James Vonchek 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Alex Mitchell (Captain) 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Felix Fowler 11. Justin Parvess 12. Sam Auger 13. Joshua Blosse 14. Afolarin Shasore 15. Karim Sheikh 16. Michael Wright After almost a month without a game the timing of this fixture has proved a little awkward as many of the players seemed to have moved on mentally to the soccer season and the fireworks! The team faced a strong and well-organised Moulsford side who outplayed them in most areas and were worthy winners. I was a little disappointed in the first half to see some poor attempts at tackles let down a defence that has been courageous throughout the season. You went some way to amend this in the second half and I was pleased to see you register a score, but it is not easy to come back against a side that defended well and had terrific pace on the break. The final tragedy occurred when, after a sustained period of pressure enabled our back line to charge down an attempted tryline clearance, the reboundl cruelly eluded all your players to fall perfectly in space to one of their speedy centre who raced clear to set up the final try. You had coped well over the season losing the hard working Saxon, Robert and Joab to the first team, but when Jin was promoted it left you one piece short of the jigsaw and this was exposed today.
Alex makes another break Nevertheless, there has been much to be proud of in your performances this season and I have really enjoyed working with this side. We will discuss this and present awards at a little 'Fizzy Pop & Chocs' Session on Thursday at 10.30 in the Art Room. Crunchies etc will be presented. Any player who played 3 games or more is invited. Man of the Match - Alex Mitchell Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Karim Sheikh Match 8 EAGLE HOUSE v CALDICOTT III 17th October Away Caldicott III 25 Eagle House 10 Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Sean Neat 3. Ryan Chan 4. Michael Dennison 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Felix Medlock 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Harry Gaff 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Felix Fowler 11. Justin Parvess 12. Nikolai Malyguine 13. William Price 14. Afolarin Shasore 15. Karim Sheikh What a terrific match this was. With a large crowd gathered, on a glorious sunny autumn day, both teams played some of the most exciting rugby I have seen at any level for some time. Again, the Eagle House team had to be cobbled together at the last minute due to illness and injury. Afolarin was draughted into the 1st XV, while Michael Wright and Will Price were both off games. We were able to welcome back Huw Braithwaite and Tom Johnson, while Felix Fowler moved infield to play his first game as a fly-half. Felix's acceleration was a huge asset and the superb interplay of the backline in the first half was breathtaking. I can only presume that Felix, Karim and Nikolai had worked some of these moves out themselves, because they were clearly rehearsed and performed at great pace. The first took their team from their own 5 metre line and after those three players and Huw had all made ground, Tom was given some room to run on the half-way line. He was hauled down on the twenty-two, but after great support play from Harry and Jonny, Nikolai made an excellent decision to cut blind and feed Justin to power over in the corner.
Under seige - guess who's competing for the ball? Felix made several more breaks and Cameron too was able to show his pace, with a lightning attack up the right flank. Once again Jonny's support play was critical, picking up the loose ball at pace and carrying on the attack. Further incisive back play saw Justin finish another excellent move. He had a little more to do this time, keeping his balance on the touchline to break through the full back's strong challenge near the line. To take a well-drilled and determined Caldicott defence apart in this manner was quite an achievement. However, although Eagle House led 10 - 0 at half time, they had survived a few tense moments when the home fly-half and then their flanker failed to notice clear three man overlap situations, cutting back into our strong fringe defence. In the second half the Caldicott fly-half took control and, playing a traditional English game, he kicked the ball to the corners and behind your defenders. His team mates chased down and harried your defence to good effect and you struggled to get out of the 22. You were constantly having to turn and compete from weak positions. The only way to counter this is to starve the opposition of ball or to put enormous pressure on the fly-half. However, after the tough game on Saturday, the forwards struggled to impose and you conceded five very similar looking tries. You perhaps didn't get the rub of the green on the odd occasion, but the Caldicott team had adapted their play well and they were good value for their win. It should also be recognised that Caldicott, for logistical reasons, have been happy to play us with their third team for about 10 years now and I have yet to see a game that wasn't a good, meaningful contest.
Blitz defence The home crowd were full of praise for the performance of both teams and I think you have a lot to be proud of in that performance. In choosing the man of the match, every week it is difficult to look beyond Jonny Baldry and Harry Gaff . . . they work so hard for every second of every match and they are so brave. Nikolai was also very influential. However, I have never seen such exciting running from a back line and Felix consistently provided the spark. Man of the Match - Felix Fowler Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Alex Mitchell
Match 7 EAGLE HOUSE v PAPPLEWICK II 13th October Away
Papplewick II 39 Eagle House 0 Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Sean Neat 3. Ryan Chan 4. Michael Dennison 5. Alex Mitchell 6. William Price 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Harry Gaff 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Edward Beedham 11. Felix Medlock 12. Nikolai Malyguine 13. Felix Fowler 14. Afolarin Shasore 15. Karim Sheikh After a terrific performance on Wednesday it was a shame that we had to turn up to play at Papplewick, who always field strong, well-organised teams, with what amounted to a scratch side. The two players who scored five tries were absent along with the fly-half. Felix Medlock was delayed coming back from Marlborough and so we played the first half with only fourteen men. I was absent in the Lake District at a wedding . . . the appointed deputy was in bed with flu and so the preparation was far from ideal.
Outnumbered at the ruck Alex Mitchell reports: 'Not a good performance resulting in a heavy loss. Our forwards were hesitant at rucks where Papplewick were very effective in winning possession. They were also very quick to feed the ball to their huge winger who was very difficult to stop and scored a number of tries. Afolarin really worked hard to control him and tackled him several times, but if the opponent got the ball in space his pace and power were formidable. We rallied a little in the second half with Felix, Josh and Will making good breaks. However, we made critical mistakes when we threatened their line and missed some crucial tackles. Overall, we were beaten by the better side.'
Oh Dear! Too big . . . too fast . . . and too strong There were a few plus points: Josh had his best game for the team and we uncovered a feisty new blindside flanker in the 'savage' Will Price, hitherto seen as a poet, painter and thespian. Welcome to the 'dark side' Will. Man of the Match - Josh Blosse Crunchie (best tackle) Award - William Price
Match 6 EAGLE HOUSE v BEACON II 10th October Eagle House 41 Beacon 7 [Tries: Daniel Hong (3), Justin Parvess (2), Alex Mitchell, Harry Gaff. Cons: Josh Blosse (3)] Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Felix Medlock 3. Ryan Chan 4. Michael Dennison 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Daniel Hong 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Michael Wright 11. Justin Parvess 12. Nikolai Malyguine 13. Felix Fowler 14. Afolarin Shasore 15. Karim Sheikh 16. William Price
The centre chases a deep clearance Team selection for this match was very difficult. Obviously, I was delighted with the performance on Saturday and would have fielded the same squad. However the 1st XV have struggled so far this season and some experimentation was necessary. So, congratulations to Sam and Robert on their promotion while we welcomed back Afolarin along with Felix Fowler and Nikolai Malyguine. Unfortunately, this meant that we had no places available in the back line for Tom and Huw. Those players had served us well this season and it was disappointing not to be able to include them. However, I hope they had a good outing for the 3rd XV and cover themselves with glory. I still consider them as members of the squad. The Beacon match started very evenly with both sides looking very efficient on the ball and space being difficult to find. Both defences worked hard to close down the spaces but when the Eagle House forwards were able to recycle quick ball, they had players with the pace to really make the opposition pay. Stirling work from the back row who have been so influential this season, created two opportunities which Daniel, the new captain, finished strongly.
Late support for the teak tough openside flanker You then seemed to cruise for a spell and Beacon came back at you strongly. Their strong core of players, really fought hard to get back into the match and you seemed to find it difficult at this point to step up the pace. Harry (it hurts to criticise such a courageous and hard-working player - but I will!) spurned a two on one situation which would have presented Justin with a walkover try, nobody backed up Afolarin's break out run, and suddenly Beacon were the ones who were driving into the rucks and turning over ball. A well taken penalty move kicked you back into gear, Daniel scoring his third try virtually unopposed. From the ensuing kick off, Alex powered on to the ball and was up to full pace by the time the first tackler reached him; he hit the gap and sprinted away to score with a flourish under the posts.
Crunchie Winner Heroes of the 2nd XV Beacon were playing for pride now, but they showed real commitment in adversity and, early in the second half they were able to mount a period of pressure in the home 22. Twice they drove for the line and riding heavy tackles the second surge earned them the score. However, the pace of the blue backline was starting to gain confidence in their passing and their fast running began to stretch the visitors defence. Nikolai's choices of when to run and when to pass were particular good. Space opened up and great runs from Will, Nikolai and Felix F. followed by good passing, led to three further tries, two from Justin and one from Harry. The final score was a bit harsh on the Beacon players, as they played with skill, organisation and courage. The one thing it is difficult to counter is pace, and the Eagle House team clearly had the advantage in that department. Man of the Match - Nikolai Malyguine Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Harry Gaff
Match 5 READING II V EAGLE HOUSE 6th October Reading 0 Eagle House 20 (Tries: Robert Hwang, Cameron Henderson, Daniel Hong 2) Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Robert Hwang 3. Michael Dennison 4. Daniel Hong 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Felix Medlock 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Saxon Coop 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Michael Wright 11. Justin Parvess 12. Sam Auger 13. William Price 14. Tom Johnson 15. Karim Sheikh 16. Huw Braithwaite.
The winger at full pace down the touch line For me, this was the best game of the season so far. You were missing a number of key players in Saxon and Harry, and facing a big and strong all-round team who defended brilliantly and posed a series of threats through their powerful runners and their clever kicking game. There were so many excuses available for losing, but the character of this side has grown steadily since the start of the season and it was most rewarding to see you stand up and deal with the opposition attack before launching your own threats. A game which is still poised at 0 - 0 at half time usually indicates two very well-matched and competent sides. The defences really gave nothing away all day, and it was only through team work of the highest order that you were able to get your noses in front on the scoreboard. The courage of your cobbled together back row of Jonny, Daniel and Felix (+Max) was inspiring and the work rate of Robert,Alex and Michael D did much to bring about the victory. Ryan returned to the side and worked really hard with Josh against a big powerful front row. Although the back line stuttered in the first half despite strong runs from Sam and Justin, their defence was much improved. Karim dealt with the long kicks brilliantly making excellent decisions, and Huw and Will made some important tackles.
Scrum Half gets the ball along the line In the second half the forwards combined brilliantly to put Robert through for the important first score. Then your half-backs became much more influential with Cameron scoring the second try and Michael W creating lots of space to run into before linking well with his wingers. As the attack became more fluid the Reading defence were unable to focus so easily on where the threat was coming from and Daniel was able to find the space to build up his pace and score two further tries which made this very hard-fought match look much easier on the scoreboard than it was on the pitch. Indeed, t he final try was an absolute delight with virtually every player in the side being involved as the ball was taken on by the forwards then by the backs. It was recycled beautifully to put Tom in space and when the ensuing ruck was won Daniel found that there were no more defenders left as he strolled in for the final score. On a day when England were playing a semi-final, there was an exceptionally large and enthusiastic crowd to watch you, and many commented on the spirit and courage of the side and their willingness to work for each other. This was as great a compliment as you can receive and it's something that you should aim to expand on this now you have seen the rewards it can bring. Man of the Match - Jonny Baldry Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Cameron
Match 4 EAGLE HOUSE V WINDLESHAM HOUSE II 26th September Eagle House 15 Windlesham House 0 (Tries: Robert Hwang, Daniel Hong, Saxon Coop) Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Robert Hwang 3. Michael Dennison 4. Daniel Hong 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Saxon Coop 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Michael Wright 11. Justin Parvess 12. Sam Auger 13. William Price 14. Tom Johnson 15. Karim Sheikh 16. Huw Braithwaite.
This was another game that must have been very enjoyable for you to play in, for the opposition were of a good standard and competed well throughout the match, but they were unable to sustain possession in your half and so you were able to spend most of the game probing for a score. The team work throughout the side is getting better and better with each game . . . this is why good schools play rugby, because it is the ultimate 'team game'. It is a pleasure to see players working so hard to enable their team mates to capitalise on the effort, and the sense of satisfaction in successfully working together is immense. After a very good start, Justin dived over the Windlesham line to claim a try, but I couldn't see the grounding and the score was not given. Nevertheless, Saxon used a pick up from the subsequent scrum as a platform to start a rolling maul. This was driven powerfully to the line where Robert Hwang, ever aware, broke away to touch down.
The hooker is about to break from the driving maul for the first score of the game Your forwards certainly had the edge in the ruck and maul, with good numbers in support of the runner and Jonny, Saxon and Robert working very hard in the mauls to secure possession. Things were a little less flowing in the backs, where the ball seemed to take a long time to get to Sam at 1st Centre and he was put under great pressure. He did really well in the first half to ensure some go forward. Things improved as the game went on and we saw good runs from virtually every one of your backs, and you showed that you can play with pace and precision. Great play from Jonny secured ball for Daniel to break away from a ruck and run with real purpose for the line. At this level, no one would be keen to tackle him once he is flying. He beat three players and, although the full back did bring him down with a very brave tackle, he had the presence of mind to reach out over the line and apply the pressure for a second touchdown.
A well-oiled blitz defence A third try came from a five metre scrum, when Saxon went in low and rode the first tackle to successfully reach the line. In the short second half you got over the line a few more times and you were a little unlucky not to claim a fourth try, particularly when Josh made his great break and powered for the line. Unable to hold his power, the Windlesham maul collapsed and Josh, still on his feet, would surely have scored. However, the safety of all the players is the first consideration and so the whistle blew and a scrum was awarded. Saxon was only just forced into 'touch in goal' after a good run. Windlesham fought powerfully in the last minutes but could not establish a fooothold in the Eagle House half. So a good game and a successful performance. Well done! I was very proud of the team spirit and the level of performance - particularly your understanding and application of the various duties of your individual positions. You do need to use your 'flyers' a bit more often, once space has been created. Tom and Justin are very good finishers and the were under used today. Man of the Match - Robert Hwang Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Sam Auger
The back line prepare for another attack
Match 3 EAGLE HOUSE V ORATORY II 22nd September Eagle House 14 Oratory 10 (Tries: Justin Parvess 2 Cons: Saxon Coop 2) Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Robert Huang 3. Michael Dennison 4. Daniel Hong 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Saxon Coop 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Michael Wright 11. Justin Parvess 12. Sam Auger 13. Karim Sheikh 14. Tom Johnson 15. William Price 16. Huw Braithwaite. The promotion of Joab Phillips and Afolarin Shasore to the 1st XV and the arrival of Michael Wright and Sam Auger in return meant a reshuffle in the side was necessary. Robert Hwang's consistently good performances for the 3rd XV also needed to be recognised. This saw Edward and Ryan playing for the 3rd XV today and I'm sure they contributed well in their side's successful performance. I am very pleased that you learned from the midweek match. You were really positive from the kick off, with Alex taking the ball well and driving hard at the opposition. Great support from Saxon and Daniel punched holes in a panicky defence and you kept the pressure up, eventually sending Justin free the collect another try in the corner. The long conversion was beautifully struck by Saxon.
Time after time your powerful running and good rucking set up good positions and in the early stages Oratory were prone to joining rucks from the wrong side and disrupting play. A set of well-organised rucks set up Michael who gave a long floated miss pass that Justin coming from a deep position, had to really reach for. He juggled the ball for a while, but having collected it, he was through on goal to score under the posts. Again Saxon converted. At this point you looked like you were going to run away with the game. A much improved defensive performance from the backs contained the running threat of the opposition, and Harry was mopping up any player who chose to cut back. You seemed in control until Justin flapped at a potential interception, and his opposite wing snatched his chance, running through three ineffectual tackles to score. You then came under a period of sustained pressure, with the very determined Oratory players repeatedly driving for the line. You must have had at least ten 5 metre scrums or line outs to defend in this period. This is when you see the heart of a side . . . when your try line is under consistent pressure. There was some heroic work here, particularly from the back row forwards who were outstanding. Tom Johnson also showed his courage, putting in two vital tackles to prevent certain tries. At the very end the visitors did finally break the defence again, finding a gap in the centre, but the two conversions proved the difference between these well-matched sides.
Scrum-half in the thick of it! You need to turn your pressure into points by making sure your two on one positions result in a score. You are unlikely to be able to contain any decent side for the full 50 minutes but if you can accumulate points the other side will lose heart and the game becomes a lot easier. I was pleased with all our new players today. I thought they all brought important qualities to the side, and in many ways this was your best and most even performance. Many thanks to our guests today who contributed to this excellent contest and showed great spirit to finish in the ascendency after being outplayed early on. Man of the Match - Harry Gaff Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Tom Johnson
Match 2 CRANLEIGH V EAGLE HOUSE (Away) 19th September Cranleigh 17 Eagle House 0 Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Ryan Chan 3. Michael Dennison 4. Daniel Hong 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Saxon Coop 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Edward Beedham 11. Justin Parvess 12. William Price 13. Huw Braithwaite 14. Tom Johnson 15. Joab Phillips 16. Karim Sheikh.
I would like all our players to remember this match throughout the season, because it was a good contest between two evenly matched teams that was lost in the first minute of play. A sequence of early errors handed the home side the initiative and the belief that they could win and you were unable to regain that initiative despite your hard work. A second long distance away match in a week no doubt takes some of the blame, but starting like this makes the afternoon seem very long. Saxon took the ball from the kick-off, a good clean catch in space by one of our key players, and instead of driving his team forward he carried it backwards to our 22 metre line, inviting the opposition forward. A hesitant pack in retreat lost the ruck and a panicky back line missed two straighforward tackles to concede the softest of tries.
Although the forwards got back into the game to gain parity of possession up front, our backs played poorly - always receiving the ball standing still and not nearly quick enough to put pressure on their opponents. This often left Justin and Tom having to mark two players and if Joab hadn't been brave and alert this could have been a hammering! Alofarin ill and Edward having to leave the field quite early through injury may have disrupted your organisation - but too many basics of the game are being ignored. I thought the back row players had a very good game, working really hard, especially Jonny who did all he could to get you going forward. You were a little unlucky to concede the final try which came immediately after the unpleasant 'biting' incident which clearly affected you. It was an unfortunate moment at the end of an otherwise well-run and good-spirited contest. The home side were just as disgusted about the incident as you were and it will be addressed. I suspect the 1st XV will need to reshuffle their side a little before the Oratory match and I will have to accommodate this and ensure a balance to the side. We will need to do some 'keeping possession in contact' training in the forwards and some tackling with the backs. There are two days of hard work to get yourselves back on track. Man of the Match - Jonny Baldry Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Joab Phillips
Match 1 DRAGON V EAGLE HOUSE (Away) 15th September 2.30 pm Dragon 0 Eagle House 29 (Tries: Justin Parvess 2, Afolarin Shasore, Harry Gaff, Saxon Coop. Cons: Saxon Coop 2) Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Ryan Chan 3. Michael Dennison 4. Daniel Hong 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Saxon Coop 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Edward Beedham 11. Justin Parvess 12. Afolarin Shasore 13. Huw Braithwaite 14. William Price 15. Joab Phillips 16. Karim Sheikh So many of the demands I was making of you before the match were fulfilled today, when you were all able to make significant contributions to the success of your side. It was a very successful all-round team performance and, although Dragon were not able to threaten very often, I think they would have troubled you a lot more if you had not kept them under constant pressure. The foundation of your success came from dominating possession at scrum and line out. That is why we have spent so much of our limited time on those areas. Getting the scrum going forward and securing good possession at the line out gives you control of the ball and the game. There were some impressive contributions from our new boys in the forwards with Daniel very prominant in loose play and Michael winning good possession. Ryan's hooking and throwing in were much improved, while Josh and Alex got us going forward a number of times and the back row of Saxon, Harry and Jonny were constantly nagging to win possession.
Cameron used the ball well, and although our backs have had only limited attention so far, the show potential. It is something of a luxury at this level to have two very fast and strong wingers like Justin and Afolarin and it is a compliment to your flowing rugby today that three of your tries came from wingers scoring in the corner. All the other backs: Edward, Huw, William and Karim were able to run well today and Joab did his finest impression of Jason Robinson at full back, snuffing out their mast dangerous attack with a vital tackle and running back their kicks at pace. It must have been a great game for you to play in, because although you had the bulk of the possession, Dragon were a competent side and they tackled bravely. They also had some dangerous runners and handled the ball well so nothing could be taken for granted until the very end. You have had a taste of success. Enjoy this day and move on next week to work on your weaknesses - losing the ball in contact - being slow up as a line to tackle the opposing backs. Man of the Match - Daniel Hong Chrunchie (best tackle) Award - Joab Phillips
Training Match EAGLE HOUSE V ALDRO (Home) 12th September Squad: 1. Joshua Blosse 2. Ryan Chan 3. Michael Dennison 4. Daniel Hong 5. Alex Mitchell 6. Harry Gaff 7. Jonathan Baldry 8. Saxon Coop 9. Cameron Henderson 10. Edward Beedham 11. Justin Parvess 12. Huw Braithwaite 13. Karim Sheikh 14. Joab Phillips 15. William Price 16 Afolarin Shasore This opening match was played, in the main, as a competitive fixture but in three 15 minute sessions, giving coaches time to make substitutions and experiment with players in different positions. This Aldro team had played together for over two years now so much of their work was in fine tuning a competent outfit. For the Eagle House side there was a lot more to learn - 5 players made their debuts on a rugby field today and the others were pooled from last year's Colts A & B teams, the 3rd XV, the 2nd XV and players arriving from other schools. So the home team were very much a scratch side, but with a lot of potential. Session 1 - Eagle House 0 - Aldro 0 Despite dominating possession and playing the whole session in the Aldro half, the green defence remained solid and bravely contained the threat posed by the home attack. The Eagle House forwards had an advantage in power, but were unable to assert this as a group, due to nerves and inexperience, along with the tenacious efforts of the Aldro defence. Session 2 - Eagle House 1 - Aldro 1 An even session with both sides mounting attacks and posing threats, but solid defence keeping chances to a minimum. Two lapses of concentration in the face of assertive play from the visitors led to the first try. One strong run from the Aldro fly half between two hearted tackles brought the ball to the five metre line where he was hauled down by the Eagle House back row. The following 5 metre scrum was driven right to the posts and in a scramble on the line Aldro claimed the touch down.
The Eagle House try came when first Huw held the ball up strongly in the face of a double tackle and was then driven by his forwards to the opponents' 22 metre line. When Saxon's good break down the blind side was checked, Cameron switched the ball open where it was passed along the line for Justin to score a well-worked team try. Session 3 - Eagle House 0 - Aldro 1 Another even session, but the Aldro organistion was starting to show and both the scrum half and captain were able to make their inititive pay, especially when they pounced on a sleepy home defence when two five metre penalties were awarded. For the first only Joab was alert but his fine tackle enabled the rest to bundle the player into touch. The second time there was nobody home and the captain scored all but unopposed. A harsh lesson perhaps. However there were a lot of good things to be taken from the game. A rediculously skilful run from Afolarin showed that he will be a tremendous player in the weeks and years to come. The forwards (including three players who were completely new to the game) were able to compete at set-piece, ruck and maul against experienced players and held their own. The back row showed that they will be pushing for places in the 1st XV. So, there is a lot of work to be done before Saturday, and no doubt there will be a few changes between 1st XV, 2nd XV and 3rd XV. Whatever team you play for, try to learn as much as you can about the game so you progress quickly and get as much enjoyment from these fixtures as possible. Man of the Match - Saxon Coop Crunchie (best tackle) Award - Joab Phillips
Saturday Trial What a brilliant session! With a number of players never having played before and with a scratch team it was great to see such a competitive match with so much good play. The defence against a strong 1st team was very impressive and so many players had big ticks next to their names for courage and commitment. The difficulty now is having to leave players out. It was difficult enough leaving out those who were not invited for today's session. Now I will have to let some fine players turn out for the third team. Never mind . . . that is no disgrace. Our third team will be a good side this year.
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