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| Rugby Colts A Team 'Blog' |
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Wellington Tournament(away) Wednesday 5th December. What a great way to finish our rugby season. Wellington College had invited thirty-six under 11 sides from as far away as the south coast and the Welsh borders. It had been a filthy night, with high winds and a great deal of rain and a lot of the Wellington preparations had literally been blown away. However, despite the rain, wind and dark skies, I was so impressed with the day. The results were not quite as good as they should have been, partly because of the lack of useful practice and partly because we did not play as a team, certainly in the last game. WE finished third in our group by one point, or to to put it another way, had we scored one more try we would have been in the semi-finals. The first game against Chesham Prep was a challenge physically, but our tackling against wave after wave of larger and stronger boys was on the whole whole-hearted. We did concede four tries, and it was a fair result. Abberley Hall had looked very good in their first game, but we took a pleasing win, playing together, driving forward and clearing out with skill and a great deal of effort. The backs came from deep and 12-7 was perhaps a fair result. Against a weakened Cheam side, we cruised to a comfortable 21-0 win. ANd so it was down to the last game, a win or a draw and we were through to the afternoon. Unfortunately, we seemed to run out of puff and from that our basics rather fell apart. Our backs rather watched the game, either too deep in defence or horrendously flat in attack. Even so to lose by the single score was a good effort. So we came away with not a lot(apart from the beef burgers and fruit shoots), but the morning was a super way to finish the season. The Georges, William, Thor and Wiliam and Daniel shpuld feel especially pleased with the way that they contributed during the morning. The basics of a good side are there and we showed a couple of weeks ago, just before the football season started, that there has been some great improvement in the team over the season. When the boys listen and practice with the self-discipline required, they are a good bunch to coach, and I hope that they can see that progress can be made with hard work. My thanks for the day must go the referees and tournament organisers - it is never an easy task, and often thankless. And finally as Mr Theocaris is returning to warmer climes, I do hope the boys feel grateful to him for all his energy, enthusiasm and technical help, and recognise that the greater enjoyment that they have had recently is to a very large extent down to him. For certain, next term's 'gappie' will have to work hard to show the same commitment.
I was dreading having to come back at 1700 in the dark and write this blog, so much so that I was awake at 0515 this morning in a cold sweat and wondering what had been going wrong. The first ten minutes of the game this afternoon was the realization of that apprehension as well conceded four quick tries with little heart and little effort. Something happened after that and we did not concede another score in the first half. There were glimpses that we could compete and after Mr Theocaris' half time talk, the boys were told to be more confident in their own ability and to try things. Suddenly, after a lucky bounce from the Kick off, Oliver Cook had fallen over the line and there was more of a drive and we competed on level terms in the loose and in the set (although I am not sure that you can drive the opposition back more than a metre in the scrum at this level). The boys started to drive over loose ball and clear out the fringers and those hanging off-side, and the backs all started to see that they are better than they thought they were. Contact was committed, Adam and Julius made inroads in the centre, George (eat some more burgers before next season) made a couple of dinky little breaks, Hamza and Karl run elusively, and William started to orchestrate better at nine. However it was the forwards that put it together best, with Oliver popping up all over the place and popping up the ball to supporting players. Thor, Richard and George were thuderous (or do I mean thunderous?), but the heart and greater effort all round the pitch (and a try saving cruncher towards the end) of Will typified the whole team's effort after the disastrous start. We were 0-28 down after ten and 14-28 at the end. That says something special happened. If half colours could be given then all twelve would be given them for their commitment and effort this afternoon. Well done to you all. So that is it. The full side rugby is over, but it was a great way to finish. I hope that you have all learned that the coaching must be approached in the same way that matches have to be. some of the sessions recently with Mr Theo have been good and we took that impetus into the second half of the game today. Think about this game next season, and remember how good it feels to come of the pitch knowing that you all did something special. You can do it, but it needs hard work and then the results are very rewarding. Thank you for finishing so well - I was very proud. v Danes Hill won!! 42 - 21 (?) After some rather disappointing outings, we started the game well, playing with a greater intensity and a greater utilization of the skills that we have been practising over the recent weeks. Our support play was much more team orientated, and players were making good ground, before laying the ball up or back. This is the standard that we should have been seeing about half way through the season rather than right at the end. We do not have another practice before the football starts and it would be good if we play in the same way for our last match on Saturday against Moulsford. Today, everybody offered something that was positive, Oliver Cook's first outing for the A team was committed and the forwards worked well as a unit, rolling off and actually talking to each other. The backs started well, but we tended to take too long to release the ball and our lines of running must be improved. We must run straight and hard and try to create space for the next player to use. Danes Hill are a school about the same size and the game was much more competitive than the score suggests. Good tackling and hard running from both sides is to be commended, as is the way that both sides were there to win and above all to improve their game. I hope therefore that both sides learned and enjoyed the outing. Well done, and keep going for the last game. v Caldicott lost 7-33 Caldicott were very accommodating and brought a mixture of A and B team players and this allowed both sides to benefit from the afternoon. Probably the greatest difference between the two sides was the fact that we still found it difficult to play together as a team. Too often we would make a break and as their coach said afterwards 'stuff it up the jumper' until a scrum was conceded or the ball was stripped away, whereas Caldicott would pass short or long away from the contact. This is something that we have been practising until the coaches are blue in the face and it is so disappointing that still individuals know better and put the ball under one arm and off they go. It doesn't work. When we do lay the ball back or pass before or out of contact, then we can create space and make ground forwards. Our tackling was on occasion rather half-hearted and lazy - their first three tries were scored through seven missed tackles and I feel sorry for those who work so hard for the benefit of the team. Will Beedham deserves his colours for the amount of work that he has put in this term and this afternoon. Richard Morgan is another who always gives of his all. It was good to welcome back Will K and again Hamza worked hard around the pitch tidying up the mistakes of others. We must have similar commitment from all twelve players if we are to make progress before the last game after half-term. v Papplewick lost 0-40odd After the heroics last weekend when the match was played in a good spirit with commitment and enthusiasm by two equally determined sides, this was rather a disappointing outing for the players and for those who came to watch. Eagle House did play as well as they could within the limitations of their coaching and of their own abilities against a side that was coached to play a hard and disciplined game. Right from the first scrum the technical deficiencies and naivety was clear to see and the loss of Richard and then Karl made the game one that the 'final' whistle fortunately ended an occasion that potentially could have resulted in a very nasty injury. It was disappointing for everybody and I hope that the Eagle House boys will not be too disheartened. Against a side that is more equal to us in ability and strength, we have seen that there is something that we can build upon and I hope that the next two fixtures will be arranged so that both sides will be able to benefit from the afternoon.
V Windlesham House match abandoned at 7-7 This was by far the most committed and determined performance for some time from this team, and although there are things that we must work on if we have another practice before our next match, little else in the way of effort could be asked for in this match. The forwards were powerful in the loose, driving forward hard and clean to secure good ball. 50-50 ball was made ours and used profitably to make ground. The forwards do need to improve the scrummaging as once again we lost too many of our own put ins. Similarly we must protect the ball better at the line-out and when driving forward. Nevertheless, it was a great performance from the front five. The backs at last showed some skill in attack and commitment in defence working the ball wide on a number of occasions. Support play must be better and we must also stay on our man and not be sucked in. I do not think that it would be fair to signal out any individual as for once there were no weak performances from anybody and everybody did their bit, although I think Richard found it a little tiring and decided to have a little rest and a trip in the ambulance, but was home again by 2030 that evening, just with a sore back and no rugby for at least a week. Thor and Karl played with A team commitment, have worked hard in the coaching sessions and have deservedly been awarded their Colts Colours. This was a wholehearted performance by Eagle House and made all the better by Windlesham House. It was great for once to have an opposing team who played the game really hard and really fairly, and listened and learned from the afternoon. It was similarly superb to hear the positive support from the touchline and the concern and good wishes for our injured players.
V The Oratory Lost 5-56 It might seem rather foolish to look for positives from a result like this, but there really were quite a few. As one of their parents said after the game, we should be proud that we kept going through to the end of the game and we did keep going despite the apparent weaknesses. Most importantly watching from the try line(and it is a great position to see where the coaching has been insufficient), the basis of a potentially good team is there and with good coaching and a positive approach to that coaching it will begin to be realised. The game now has a couple of weeks to sort out where we were naive and technically weak. The Oratory were a good side with hard running backs who played together and made the better use of the space of which we unfortunately gave them too much. Despite the score it was not all one way traffic and we were competitive in the loose and George W at 10 showed that his selection was correct. When we did move the ball positively from greater depth we gave Karl, who tackled with great heart throughout the afternoon, as did Hamza on the other wing, the opportunity to show his pace and it to see him cruise through the covering defence. The forwards had secured good ball and linked up well with the backs. At half time, the score was 5-21, ie three scores to one. Had we remained more disciplined in our defensive alignment, the scoreline would not have been so disappointing. The backs have to mark their man, making sure that they come up as a line, because, as soon as the line wavers, then the problems occur. William B, Thor and Richard played with tremendous heart throughout the afternoon and it was good to see George AW and Patrick step up a gear until they ran out of puff. As I said there is much we can build upon over the next couple of weeks and each of the players after a good rest this weekend must work hard to build together the team the basis of which is there.
V Cranleigh (Home) lost 14-19 And still it refuses to rain, but this means that it makes for quick and open rugby. Such was the game today, and the game was as close as the score shows. Our forwards were probably better and Richard and Thor did some solid work around the pitch, and with Will on occasions secured some valuable ball. We do need to make sure that we do not shovel out rubbish at the lineout and never must we allow the opposition to steal our ball. Going forward there were occasions when we rolled and off-loaded the ball well to be able to make some good ground. The backs need to be much more positive, making much better use of the time that the quicker ball from the forwards has given us. They must be much more precise about the running and especially the tackling. They must not hang back and watch, waiting to see what the opposition are going to do. The opposition were elusive and quick runners and both their tries were the result of some very half-hearted efforts at 'tackling'. Hamza, Will and Karl were probably the exception and these three, especially, with the go-forward forwards stopped and pushed back what could have been an embarrassing scoreline. The result was probably fair, as the opposition ran harder and starighter and above all passed the ball before or out of contact more profitably, but it was a good effort to come back from 0-12, to take the lead 14-12. It was foolish then to let the oppostion score such a soft try at the end.
1. William Beedham 2. Connor Kent Payne (Pack leader) 3. Patrick Dow 4. Richard Morgan 5. Thor Winkler
9. William Kirk 10. Toby Barnard 11. Karl Akunwe 12. Julius Manton-Jones 13. Elliot Hunt 14. Hamza Rubbani 15. Isaac Herring
READ ME NOTES This is the first ‘real’ match of the season. We have to concentrate on our tackling and our lines of running. Take responsibility for what you do – you make a mistake, you have to tidy it up……. Normal lunch and then change at 1340 – not before. Meet Manor 2 at 1350 with everything.
V the Aldro LOST 0-7 The idea of a 'practice match' initially seemed rather silly, but thanks to the referee/their coach it was a very useful afternoon. Played in four quarters, we conceded a soft try through the centre in the fourth quarter after not making the best use of a great deal of possession. It was a very enjoyable game (from the touchline!) and there are a few things that need to be addressed before we take the field for the next match. This means, first and foremost, that we must make use of all the time that is allocated for coaching. Firstly, as was said at half time, we must discover a way of being proactive rather than reactive. Too many times today we waited to see what the opposition were going to do rather than push up and make them do what we wanted them to do. We must also make loose ball our ball, rather than watching to see what happens. Our lines of running must be much straighter and our passing must be more accurate - we must look, then pass and never ever throw away ball. There were some good periods of play, but each of the team must take more responsibility for his job and for his position. A loss, but there were some good performances notably by Richard(a great try saving tackle), Karl(he made the most of what little space he had), William B and Thor(they both worked hard around the pitch), so let's build upon this with Mr Taylor.
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v Moulsford lost 14-28 
