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| Rugby Under 9 Team 'Blog' |
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Wednesday 14 November vs Cranleigh (Round 2) On a bitterly cold afternoon we arrived at Cranleigh looking for revenge for our loss earlier in the season. It was however a very disappointing first half with the boys taking a long time to switch on and actually get into the game. We let in two fairly soft tries, with poor tackling and disorganization being our downfall. Cranleigh totally dominated the first half and had it not been for some good last ditch tackles we would have gone further down. Ben Barnard , Hassan Rubbani and Brendon Parvess were the cornerstones of this defence and kept us in this game. A break away try by Rubbani (totally against the run of play it must be said) gave the half-time score line a look of respectability. H-T 5-15 A very stern half-time talk seemed to do the trick and the second half was vastly improved. The forwards started rucking and mauling beautifully and this provided Lucas Bamber with some ball with which to work his magic with. Hal Quinn and Oscar Turton were doing very well in the loose and Sven Winkler was winning some great ball in the mauls. The backline started to move the ball and we created a few opportunities, unfortunately errors in the last third of the field cost us dearly and we couldn’t capitalize on our pressure. Cranleigh scored another two tries and there was no way back from here. With the pressure off we played some of our best rugby of the day with our wings Rob Phillips and Max Hammond making some good runs. Alvaro Rivas again played well and Matthew Hodge made an immediate impact when he came onto the field. We finished the game the stronger side and scored a consolation try right at the death. If I am to be honest I must say I am slightly disappointed with the way we finished the season, especially after seeing the way this bunch of boys can perform. However I am a very excited to see what these boys will achieve in the future, we have got some very talented youngsters here and hopefully they will use their under 9 year as a springboard to much greater achievements in the future. F-T 10-25 A special thank-you must go to Mrs Bamber, Mrs Quinn and Mrs Phillips for taking us to Cranleigh and back with very little prior notice.
Saturday 12 November vs Moulsford Fresh back from half-term and into a very difficult fixture against Moulsford, who are traditionally a very strong rugby school. When they arrived I had a look at their team and my heart sank, as some of their boys were very big indeed. I was however quite pleased that none of our boys seemed fazed by this in the least, confidence was at an optimum. For this game we welcomed Sven Winkler and Zac Stephens back but unfortunately lost Oscar Turton and Harry Rees to injuries. The big Moulsford boys immediately made their presence felt with two barging runs that led to tries. 10-0 down with only five minutes played. I think the boys were a little shell shocked by what had happened, but it was also time to show our mettle. From here on in we put in huge tackles time and time again with Ben Barnard again excelling, however all the boys were very brave and courageous in the tackle on a day we could not afford to have any passengers. A strong tackle led to Moulsford spilling the ball forward and it was from the resulting pick-up that Hassan Rubbani scored our first try. Sven Winkler and Alvaro Rivas were again brilliant in the loose, driving as if their lives depended on it. Zac Stephens was also very good, winning us ball and running straight and hard. A special mention must be made of Hal Quinn, who finally showed what he can do, he was all over the park, running and tackling ferociously and generally just scaring the life out of the bigger Moulsford boys. H-T 15-5 We came out for the second half knowing what had to be done, but unfortunately let in a soft try which was going to make the job of getting back into the game very difficult indeed. Again the heads could have dropped, but again we showed what we were made of and another good team effort led to another Rubbani try. We never looked back and dominated the game from here on in. Lucas Bamber, back in at scrumhalf kept the backs going and Ben Barnard controlled the backline well. Brendon Parvess ran straight and hard and made inroads against the Moulsford defence. Hassan Rubbani was brilliant on attack again and came close to scoring again on a few occasions. Michael Gimson and Max Hammond were superb on the wings, tackling everything that came their way and beating their opposite numbers at will. We scored another try on the stroke of full time and I am convinced if the game had gone on another four or five minutes we would have stolen it. It was not to be, but a day to be remembered all the same, as the boys showed great determination and team spirit. I was a very proud man indeed. F-T 15-20 Cruncher of the match: Ben Barnard Men of the match: Hal Quinn and Hassan Rubbani A special thank-you must go to Matthew Hodge who was in charge of oranges and water bottles, and for this he receives the special accolade of Manager of the match. Wednesday 17 October vs Caldicott This was to be the last game before half term and we were looking to finish off on a high. The game started quickly with Caldicott throwing everything they had into attack. Our defence however was up to the onslaught and the boys were quickly starting to find their rhythm. Our first try was a breakaway and it must be said it was against the run of play, but this was just the thing to get us started as we dominated the game from here on in. Max Hammond started as hooker, a position he hadn’t played before, and led from the front, winning valuable ball time and time again. He was ably assisted by Alvaro Rivas and Hal Quinn who was starting to show glimpses of what he is really capable of. The hard work by these three allowed our talented backline to work its magic and we scored two more excellent tries before the break. H-T 15-5 The second half started with Caldicott trying to get themselves back into the game. However some brilliant defensive work by Ben Barnard and Brendon Parvess prevented Caldicott getting anywhere near our line. Harry Rees was at his best at scrumhalf, making some very good breaks and setting up some good phases, while Lucas Bamber and Michael Gimson were always up in support.Hassan Rubbani was, as always, hungry for the ball and again made some brilliant runs into opposition territory, and it was from these breaks that we scored our last two tries. Rob Phillips and Matthew Hodge made some very good Runs and Rob in particular pulled off a few spectacular tackles. In the end we were far too strong for Caldicott and ended up winning quite comfortably. F-T 25-10 Saturday 13 October v Papplewick Last week was a great result but we knew there would be tougher challenges ahead, starting with Papplewick today. It was also something of a crunch match as some of the boys play club rugby with their boys. May the best team win. Eagle House had the kick off and drove the ball up the middle, unfortunately though we were adjudged offside. They took a tap kick and gave it to a rather large boy in their team who broke two tackles and jogged in to score. Unfortunately for Papplewick this was just the wake up call we needed. Immediately form the kick off we went on the attack and never let up. The passing was top notch, as was the rucking and mauling. I lost track of the amount of times we stole the ball off Papplewick. Again Hal Quinn was instrumental in this and was ably supported by Alvaro De Anta and Zac Stephens. The passing in the backs was superb with the ball being passed from man to man and overlaps continually being created. An excellent half for us after a slightly nervous start. H-T 15-5 The second half was by far our best half of the season. This was mainly due to the fact that the support play was very, very good. Whenever one of the boys ran into trouble or got tackled there was someone there to assist him or pick up the ball and carry it up. Sven Winkler was very good in this regard and so was Max Hammond. The backs were all finding gaps and putting each other into space. Lucas Bamber in particular has a great eye for the gap and this coupled with his sniping runs makes him very dangerous. Harry Rees provided great service from the base of the scrum, and constantly put his opposite number under pressure. Oscar Turton had his best game of the season and his powerful runs had the Papplewick boys very nervous indeed. Michael Gimson came off the bench and immediately made an impact, putting in a few huge tackles. Hassan Rubbani was brilliant again, creating all sorts of problems for the poor Papplewick boys who seemed to be chasing shadows half the time. Brendon Parvess must be mentioned for some excellent all-round play today.He made numerous breaks, slipping through gaps that didn’t exist and also tackling superbly. Brendon capped a fine display with a somewhat unconventional but well worked try. I had a very tough decision for man of the match as well as cruncher of the match today, as I don’t like to give individual praise when a team has played as well as we did today. However I felt Ben Barnard shone today. His fighting spirit was plain to see in his tackling and the fact that he was all over the park, wanting to be involved at every opportunity. His pass for Brendon’s try, although not quite perfectly timed, showed the kind of team spirit I am trying to develop in the team. A great team performance boys, congratulations! F-T 25-10
Saturday 06 October v Windlesham House After coming close in our first two encounters, we knew it was time to tighten things up and start playing a more expansive game. We worked hard on our passing and on not taking unnecessary contact all week, and as the Windlesham game approached, it was time to put this into practice. Poor Windlesham House never had a chance. From the moment the game started we were on all out attack, running hard at them and passing the ball better than we have the entire season. We scored five very good tries in the first half, but at the risk of sounding unsatisfied, I still felt if we were a little bit quicker to pass the ball to a player in a better position, we could probably have doubled that. H-T 25-0 The second half was a much tighter affair with the Windlesham boys finding their feet. There was some great rucking by the side, in particular Hal Quinn and Sven Winkler who drove away any potential ball thieves with their ferocious scrapping for the ball. The backs really started to pass the ball nicely, with Harry Rees, Lucas Bamber and Brendon Parvess linking up particularly well. Hassan Rubbani was his usual self on the wing, running beautifully straight and at pace and tackling with meaning. Michael Gimson was making a few good runs from his position on the wing, as well as always supporting the play, he is definitely one of the unsung heroes of this side. Alvaro Rivas De Anta, our Spanish import, is still learning the rules but that did not stop him from putting in some bone crunching tackles, some which I could hear from where I was. Ben Barnard again put his body on the line,and scored a superb solo try, which culminated in him doing a swan dive.(I wonder where he learnt that).The best bit of the game for me came toward the end, we started with the ball in our half and it went through numerous sets of hands before a beautiful pass put Hassan through and he scored in the corner, it was a great team try .I didn’t have a man of the match today as I couldn’t choose between the boys so I gave it to all of them. The Cruncher of the match however went to Max Hammond who pulled off a couple of great tackles, most of them on their ‘big guy’. Well done Maxie. F-T 40-0
Wednesday 19 September v Cranleigh (Home)
Our first competitive match of the season, and the boys and I were raring to go. The game started at a frantic pace with both teams playing attractive running rugby. Tackles were flying in and every boy was putting his body on the line for the cause. Ben Barnard and Hassan Rubbani must be given credit for tackling fearlessly throughout the game, and both boys put in a few try saving tackles. Cranleigh did manage to break us down eventually and scored two tries in quick succession. Eagle House never gave up and came storming back into the game. After tireless scrapping for the ball by Henry Quinn, Harry Rees and Sven Winkler, the ball popped out to Brandon Parvess who broke numerous tackles to score a brilliant try in the corner. Tight defence kept both sides at bay and there was no further scoring in the first half. Half time 5-10 At half time a few changes were made with Rob Phillips coming on for his U/9A debut, and he made a few incisive runs from his position on the wing. Alvaro Rivas De Anta, our Spanish import, was also called into action and tackled as if his life depended on it. Oscar Turton was brought on to add some mobility to the pack and gained a lot of ground for us with his straight running. The second half started in much the same vein as the first, with all out attack the priority. Cranleigh stuck again (against the run of play it must be said) adding two more tries to their tally. After a few harsh words from our Captain Lucas Bamber, the boys went on the attack again and were rewarded with a try scored by Lucas himself , who dotted down after a jinking run. When Harry Rees managed to bulldoze his way over the line, the comeback seemed well and truly on, but unfortunately Cranleigh finished the stronger of the two sides and scored another two tries in the final few minutes. Special mention must be made of Michael Gimson who ran straight and passed beautifully all game and Max Hammond who after learning to join rucks from behind the ball secured us excellent ball on many occasions. Full –time 15-30. From my point of view it was an exciting game, and I can’t fault the commitment of the boys. However we need to learn to play as a side and the runners must learn to pass before getting into a contact situation. This will be addressed in training.
Wednesday 12 September v Aldro (Away) At the start of this match I was very worried that the team had not had enough time to get used to the idea of full contact rugby. It is a big step up from mini-tag and ideally I would have liked a little more time to concentrate on the finer points of the tackling game. My fears soon disappeared though as the boys threw themselves into the opposition and put their bodies on the line. As it was a practice game I used this oppurtunity to test people in different positions and try to work out a few possible combinations. The boys adapted very quickly and the talent on show was quite remarkable. Passes were going to hand and the support play was outstanding. On this kind of showing I believe we are in for a very exciting and entertaining season. The final result in this game was a 10-5 loss, however the score in no way reflected our complete dominance of this game. We were in complete control from the first whistle and the only disappointing part of the afternoon was our failure to turn dominance into points. On too many occasions boys would pick up the ball and try to barge over under the poles instead of passing to a team mate who was in a better position. This will come with playing more matches and I intend to work hard on this in training. My philosophy on rugby has always been to only take contact when necessary and that every try scored is a team try, not an individual's. We have the flair and pace to make this philosophy a reality and I am very excited about what the boys can produce this season. Watch this space!
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