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Youth Rugby - Juniors' Match Reports 2008/09

Sun 19 Apr 09: Sidcup U15s 38 - Westcombe Park U15s 'B' 12

The best performance of the season in Sunday morning’s bright sunshine.

The key difference from earlier games was a great performance by the pack, which didn’t miss a beat when replacements came on in the second half. Committed and working collectively from the start, they set the psychological tone which carried the whole team through the inevitable periods of pressure when they might have stumbled in previous games. A very tight scrum, and strong work in the loose, produced quick and clean ball which allowed the backs time and space. A great effort by the forwards.

This late arriving reporter saw an early try for Sidcup in the distance. Reece Bradbury was the scorer, under a pile of bodies. Next Sidcup returned WP’s kick off to their 22, and applied pressure which went unrewarded, and just as WP had worked themselves up field and launched an attack an undercooked chip ahead by their centre was gathered by Reece and he passed to left wing Jordan Dabnor who proceeded to beat the full back, sprint down the down the left touchline and then round under the posts for an excellent try, converted by Danny Watson. 12-0 and Sidcup were playing well, particularly in the scrum and ruck. WP upped their effort from the kick off and were awarded a penalty 10 metres out for a Sidcup body flopped over the ball in the ruck. The WP scrum half spotted the Sidcup defence clustered in front of him, tapped and moved the ball quickly to the left where the centre forced his way over for a try which went unconverted. 12-5. There was a danger of the momentum shifting, and in the past it would have done, but as WP attacked Sidcup’s midfield defence was quick and aggressive and WP’s handling faltered with the lack of time and space. Jordan Dabnor hacked on one spilled ball, and Sidcup were able to put intense pressure on the WP line. In the past such a position would have been wasted, but the ball was moved to Ben Warnock moving left, who stepped the cover and then offloaded in the tackle to Jordan on the wing for a dot down. Unconverted, for 17-5 at half time.

Sidcup started the second half strongly, again working off a strong scrum, with Max Driscoll making good runs from No 8, in one case linking well with Nick Weighill only for a forward pass in the opposition 22 to bring the attack up short. The game was much more open, and WP had adjusted their tactics. Instead of moving the ball and risking a fumble or tackle and turnover in midfield, their fly half was kicking very sensibly into the Sidcup half. Finally it was Sidcup’s turn for a midfield knock on, and a very deep WP kick to Sidcup’s try line led to some scrappy play, with the ball bobbling around before WP touched down for a try under the posts. The conversion took the score to 17-12, and a degree of nervousness on the touchline that having played so well, Sidcup may lapse into bad habits under pressure.

Foolish parents! At this moment the Barbarian spirit descended. The first clue was when Matt Armstrong fielded a WP kick and ran it back a long way with his characteristic spins and pauses. Next, at a Sidcup line out on half way, James Head threw long and the ball bounced beyond the last man, sitting up perfectly for Nick Weighill, sweeping round from scrum half, to race through WP’s midfield, angling towards the left corner. As the cover closed he kicked ahead into the 22, gathered and ran in to score. Danny converted. 24-12.

Soon after the ball reached Ben Warnock at outside centre, around half way and with the WP defence apparently drifting across comfortably. A few shuffles, a subtle change of pace, a dip of the shoulder, a surge outside the full back and Ben was off in full flight, the cover beaten, racing for the right hand corner for the try of this or any other season. And then….oh no, as the line was crossed, the ball was spilled, and the wonder try was no more than a “what if”? It was heart warming to hear the coaching staff offering Ben their full support from the touchline.

Soon after there was a Sidcup scrum on WP’s 10 metre line. The coaches called a backs move. Max picked up from Number 8, ran round the cover and under the posts for a try. Danny conversion. 31-12 And then redemption for Ben. Again he got the ball in an unpromising position, and again he ghosted through gaps and into the clear in WP’s half. But again with glory beckoning the ball slipped – but this time shot backwards and straight into the arms of Matt Armstrong in support, who didn’t even have to break stride, and weaved through the cover to score at the posts. Danny converted. Final score: 38-12

A great performance, but the referee Chris Jones had some strong advice for the boys on their attitude. The coaches named Ben Warnock man of the match.

NM - 23 Apr 09

Sun 8 Mar 09: Bromley U15s 69 - Sidcup U15s 0

Ouch.

After a positive opening few minutes by Sidcup, good retention through several phases by forwards and backs, it all fell apart…and then got worse. Well played to Bromley, the repeated charges of their inside centre created openings in the defence which were exploited with fast off loading and good broken field running – particularly in the second half.

For Sidcup, a day in which missed tackles were happening all over the place and were ruthlessly punished, and turnovers from spilled ball in contact and dropped passes gave Bromley even more opportunities to launch their inside centre, and recycle ball quickly for another attack.

Sun 1 Mar 09: Beckenham U15s 23 - Sidcup U15s 5

H/T: 0-18.

We lost 23 - 5 we had a lot of pressure in the last 15 minutes and were unlucky not to score a couple of more tries. Max scored the try from a 5 metre scrum; they were going to do a move but he saw a gap and picked and went blind!
Final score: 5-23

Sun 15 Feb 09: Vigo U15s 5 - Sidcup U15s 14

Oh dear. A dull Sunday morning and rather a dull performance by Sidcup against their determined hosts. Vigo only had 14 players – lacking a blindside winger – at the start and then only 13 when their tight head prop was sent off expressing himself too clearly and too directly to the referee (who was excellent throughout). Even the Vigo coach had remarked to a home supporter: “We should match ‘em up front, but their backs look a lot faster and they’ve got a man over.” Spot on. If only the Sidcup boys had put this simple game plan into effect they would have had a much more enjoyable morning. As it was they huffed and puffed as they exchanged possession with the Vigo pack. When the ball finally emerged from laborious mauls and rucks, there was either a head down charge to another maul or ruck – where an inconclusive break down would lead to an opposition scrum, or the ball was so sloooooow in coming to the backs that they either cut back to the forwards for safety or coughed up possession behind the gain line. As a result the first half expired with little real action and Sidcup’s man advantage entirely academic. H/T: 0-0.

The two man disadvantage would have crippled many sides but Vigo totally ignored it, drove to the Sidcup 22, and from an uncontested scrum their inside centre made a thrust, set up a ruck and the ball was quickly moved to the blindside where their outside centre cruised outside the Sidcup cover to dot down 15 metres from the posts. Determination, quick ball and quick thinking had made a mockery of superior numbers.

However, Sidcup at least responded with determination and a raised work rate. They enjoyed a wealth of possession in a series of drives into Vigo’s half, but slow ball and dreadful handling stifled any threat of scoring. From one such turnover, Vigo attempted a clearing kick from a scrum on their 22, but touch was missed and Matt Armstrong at fullback embarked on a twisting run back into Vigo’s 22. The ref awarded a penalty to Sidcup at the breakdown, and from the tap a determined Jake Verlander was over for the try, converted by Danny Watson. Not long afterwards Max Driscoll picked up at a scrum and drove into the Vigo half, where – hallelujah – quick ball from the ruck was moved to lock Andrew Holmes running a devastating line at pace inside the fly half channel and he had clear run in for the final try. Danny completed the scoring with the conversion. One great moment of rugby highlighted all the misdirected effort of the rest of the game.

At least Sidcup forced the victory that they should have earned much more easily if they had played more intelligently. Well played to Vigo, defying the odds for much of the game, with their No. 7 covering a lot of ground in defence and attack.
Final score: 14-5.

Sun 8 Feb 09: Folkestone U15s 52 - Sidcup U15s 5

A perfect, crisp winter morning in much milder conditions than might have been expected. Sidcup lined up as follows: Weighill; Warnock, Bradbury, Mottram, Bissett; Watson, Thomas; Driscoll (capt); Verlander, Bailey, Holmes, Holsgrove; Nehru, Head, Cato. Subs were Armstrong (came on H1) and Carter on from H/T).

Sidcup made a bright start and put a lot of pressure on Folkestone in their 22 for the first 5 minutes. But in what became the pattern for much of the game Folkestone’s hungry and physical forwards turned over ball taken into contact by Sidcup, and their fly half kicked deep into Sidcup’s 22 where Alfie did well to gather the ball but was isolated without support and inevitably penalised for holding on. A quick tap by Folkestone and one of their forwards dived over for a try, well converted by their full back. Very quickly after the restart Folkestone’s physical play took them back to the Sidcup 22 and their fly half ran at the gap between Danny and Charlie, who both hesitated as he kidded he was passing, but he nipped between them, sending his centre in for a try under the posts. Again converted. Sidcup again pressed from the kick off, but Folkestone’s forwards turned over the ball and kicked for position, eventually scoring from a scrum 5m out from Sidcup’s line.

At this stage the boys were struggling to retain possession or get quick ball due to Folkestone’s competition at the break down, and they were also increasingly vexed by some of the refereeing decisions. Everyone enjoys a flowing game, but apparent knock on’s and forward passes weren’t allowed to interrupt Folkestone’s flow. The offside line seemed to be rather fluid, and there’s obviously a coastal exemption to the ELV about 5m gaps from the hindmost foot at scrums.

Folkestone were playing much more direct and effective rugby, and kept up their pressure, turning over the ball and moving it wide for their right wing to score, then after a line out their scrum half picked up from a ruck and set up a drive resulting in their fifth try of the half. At 0-33, Sidcup kicked off and from a midfield ruck the backs split. James Thomas moved the ball to Nick Weighill on the blindside. Nick dummied to kick, took on the hesitating defender on the outside, was tackled but set the ball back. Matt Armstrong scooped it up from full back and accelerated around the cover from about 35m out to score under the posts. The less said about Charlie’s missed conversion the better. H/T:5-33

Sidcup’s hopes of a fresh start in H2 were dashed as Folkestone scored again early on. A maul on Sidcup’s 10m line saw Folkestone move the ball right, their fly half making a half break to put the right wing away who broke tackles to score under the posts. However the boys were much more competitive after this, and set up some good positions. On one occasion Nick burst into midfield from the blindside wing following a line out won by Sidcup, but the promising move foundered with a knock on. On another occasion Folkestone had a scrum on Sidcup’s 22, but James hacked the loose ball down field where Charlie carried on the move, kicking ahead to Folkestone’s posts where their right wing scooped up the ball, passed to his fly half just as Charlie tackled him. Folkestone then scored an excellent counter attacking try as their fly half showed composure to beat some onrushing Sidcup tacklers, pass to a centre who off loaded to their speedy flanker who ran in the score. A late try by Folkestone completed the scoring.
Final score: 5-52

Heads never dropped. The line out was a good source of possession. There were some harsh lessons from Folkestone in the importance of body angles, aggression and impact at rucks and mauls.

Sun 1 Feb 09: Sidcup U15s 10 - Old Elthamians U15s 15

It was icy cold, and with snow swirling by the end, although playing conditions were good and this was an enjoyable and competitive game between two well matched sides. Sidcup scored early on. Having used forward drives and a strong run back to the blindside by one of the centres, Sidcup won a line out just 5 metres from OEs’ line and Jake Verlander went over for the try. The conversion was missed. After attacks by both sides, OEs worked the ball close to Sidcup’s line and their lock drove over from a ruck. No conversion. H/T: 5-5.

The second half was more open, but OEs began to assert themselves more up front as their fly half put their forwards into Sidcup’s half through astute line kicking. Both sides were trying to move the ball, but the defences generally had the upper hand. OEs’ then took the lead with two tries from their No 8 – the first a blind side break from a ruck about 30m from a line out; and the second a pick up from an attacking scrum, again a strong run from about 25m. Both tries were scored down the blindside. Neither was converted, so Sidcup entered the final 10 minutes 5-15 down. Raising themselves, forwards and backs upped the work rate and attacked the OEs’ line. A drive by Sidcup broke down but Nick Weighill collected the ball about 35m out and cut through from centre. Beating several defenders and heading towards the far corner flag, Nick was brought down just short of the line. Jake Verlander was up in support, collected the ball and went over for his second try. Charlie missed the conversion.
Final score: 10-15.

A good performance and commitment from the whole team throughout. It was good to see ball being recycled quickly and attacks balanced between forward charges and threequarter moves. Andrew Holmes made his debut in the second half: well done and welcome to Andrew. On a less happy note Henry Pyle hurt his shoulder during the first half and was replaced by Ben Warnock. Unfortunately Henry broke his collar bone will be out for eight weeks. Bad luck Henry, but well played.

Sun 7 Dec 08: Sidcup U15s 27 - Vigo U15s 15

A perfect, crisp winter morning greeted the first meeting between these two teams.

With just 17 available and injured captain Max, Josh and Joe watching on the touchline, Sidcup started with great purpose. The forwards chased Danny Watson’s kick off and regained possession, driving on from a series of rucks and mauls towards Vigo’s touch line. A drive from close range by Elliott Nehru was thwarted by robust Vigo defence, but fellow prop Michael Cato retained possession and rolled over the line forcing the ball down for a try after a few minutes of play. Danny Watson’s excellent conversion made it 7-0 to Sidcup.

Unfortunately Elliott had taken a crack on the head in the ruck preceding the try, and a bump the size of a cricket ball appeared on his forehead. Worryingly he collapsed for a moment as he approached the touchline. Two mums, Isobel and Jo stepped forward with one of the Vigo dads, and looked after Elliott until the ambulance arrived and took him off to hospital. Elliot was fully awake and able to walk to the ambulance with assistance.

When play resumed Vigo stormed back, using astute long kicks and driving forward play to score a try which went unconverted. 7-5. Sidcup’s reshuffled forwards were able to retain and drive forward possession, with Danny’s neat kicks turning the Vigo forwards and allowing Sidcup’s back row and threequarters to pressure the Vigo full back and wingers and force turnovers or lineouts. A bright start by Sidcup continued as Sam Carter took a quick penalty from 10 metres and passed to Charlie Mottram, who crossed the line but was held up. Sidcup then scored their second from a line out in the Vigo 22. Nick Weighill at scrum half span the ball out to Danny at fly half, Danny threw a miss pass to flanker Reece Bradbury making the extra man in the centre. The Vigo tacklers caught Reece but he flipped the ball to Charlie at inside centre, who was looping him. Charlie accelerated through the dog leg in the Vigo line, straightened to draw the tackler, and looped a pass over the Vigo full back who’d stepped up. Left winger Henry caught the pass and burst through the covering tackle to score in the far corner. A great try. Danny was close with his conversion attempt. 12-5 to Sidcup. Again the forwards and backs raised themselves to hold off Vigo’s forwards and hard running from their scrum half. Working the ball back into Vigo’s half through pick and goes, Nick Weighill at scrum half gathered the ball from the base of a ruck and burst down the blind side cutting inside the full back and covering defenders to score. H/T: 17-5.

The second half was more even as play loosened up and players tired. Vigo upped their effort, and their fast and strong fullback ran a lot of ball back .Play was backwards and forwards between the 22s. From a penalty on the right in Vigo’s 22, Jordan Dabnor tapped and set off like Prince Obolensky across the face of Vigo’s defence, swerving round the far end to touch down in the opposite corner. Quick thinking, great pace and determination…and his Dad now has to pay out on his bet! 22-5. Vigo stepped up their effort once more and worked their way close to Sidcup’s line. From a series of rucks and mauls they drove over from close range for a try, and returned to the Sidcup line after a series of penalties against Sidcup – one leading to a yellow card for Reece. The Vigo scrum half tapped from 5 metres and slipped the ball to his loose head prop who dropped over the line to score. 22-15. Sidcup had the final score, as Jordan drove over wide out on the left from a tapped penalty. Charlie was just short with the conversion attempt. Final score: 27-15.

A very good performance and great commitment from the whole team, defending and tackling right to the end. The coaches named Jordan Dabnor man of the match, he had a great game playing out of position and scoring two tries, and Paul declared the whole team had played really well. I thought it was a terrific effort by the forwards, particularly after Elliot’s departure. Every one of the 8 had their moment, but I thought Tony did really well in only his third or fourth game, and James Head was always battling for the ball in the rucks and mauls. Thanks to Vigo for a very competitive game.

NM - 9 Dec 08

Sun 23 Nov 08: Blackheath U15s 0 - Sidcup U15s 5

The bleak pitch in the far corner of Blackheath’s Well Hall ground was beset by torrential rain and a driving, biting wind, while brooding tower blocks loomed out of the slate gray sky. In retrospect, the weather gods had set the scene for the depressing events that forced the match to be abandoned in the second half.

The game itself seems almost irrelevant given the way it ended. However good handling by both teams in poor conditions had ensured a keen and competitive contest. Sidcup’s forwards drove hard when they were in possession, with Danny Watson kicking the ball behind Blackheath, sensibly using the conditions and giving his forwards a target. Blackheath were trying to secure clean ball to move wide along their threequarters, which they did successfully until moves foundered on solid Sidcup tackling or were fumbled by the right wing. Sidcup’s try came as Blackheath were defending from a set piece near their line, won the ball and fired a clearing kick upfield. Sidcup full back Matt Armstrong gathered the kick on the Blackheath 10 metre line and then set off up the blindside in a mazy run, spinning out of tackles until he broke clear and dived over near the corner flag for a great individual try.

NM - 9 Dec 08

Sun 9 Nov 08: Sidcup U15s 0 - Old Gravesendians U15s 46

Stretched resources saw Sidcup start another game with just 16 players, and several had to play out of position – notably Joe and Sam at prop and Charlie at No 8 in Max’s absence.

Old Gravesendians built momentum from a stronger scrum at the start and by exploiting Sidcup mistakes. The first try came from an OG’s kick behind Sidcup after they won a series of rucks, the bounce eluding the defence and OG’s touching down. Try converted. The next OG’s try came when Sidcup lost a scrum against the head and from a ruck OG’s moved the ball along the line and cut through from 20m out. Try converted. The third try came following an OG’s scrum on half way. The ball was moved crisply across the OG backs to their full back entering the line wide out, who then arced round the Sidcup defenders to score in the corner. A third conversion. James Thomas hobbled off and Ben Warnock switched to scrum half with Wingman coming on at right wing. The excellent OG’s fly half then looped round the outside of the Sidcup cover to score in the far corner, but missed the conversion. From an attacking scrum in Sidcup’s 22, he then executed a double miss move with his centres, floating the ball over the Sidcup defender’s finger tips to the OG’s left wing who scored in the corner. In between a signature Matt Armstrong tackle saved a try but left Matt limping from a dead leg. H/T: 0-31.

Firm words from the coaches and a bit of reorganisation saw a much better showing from Sidcup in the second half. Jake switched to No. 8 and Charlie moved back to inside centre. After OG’s scored a try by their No. 6, exploiting a spilled ball on half way, there were a series of good plays by Sidcup. Some more sensible kicking from our own half, behind OG’s defence and then some driving runs by the pack, saw Sidcup build pressure close to OG’s line, but fail to convert this into tries. OG’s broke out and from a (now uncontested) scrum on the Sidcup 22, their No. 8 picked up and ran in. OG’s rounded off the scoring when their outside centre capitalised on a turnover, the ball having been stripped from Sidcup hands as an attack broke down, to score in the left hand corner. Final score: 0-46

Much better and more focussed in the second half, the boys kept working and making tackles and trying to attack until the very end.

NM - 13 Nov 08

Sun 19 Oct 08: Gravesend U15s 0 - Sidcup U15s 36

Game three, and the team’s first win of the season and six tries against a willing Gravesend who struggled to compete physically with Sidcup for possession. Eighteen players were available, with Michael Cato and Jordan Dabnor back from injury, and Danny Watson fit again. The team lined up as follows from 1 to 15: Elliott, James H, Michael; Jake, Tony; Joe, Reece, Max (capt); Nick, Danny; Henry, Charlie, Jordan, Ben; Matt. Alfie came on for an injured Jordan in the first half; James T came on at scrum half; and Josh came on for Michael. There were some positional substitutions in the second half, with the highlight being Danny at hooker late in the game.

In the unusual position of having a lot of ball, Sidcup were a bit rusty at the start in moving it from forwards to backs. There was a lot of dynamic running from individual forwards throughout, with Elliott, Jake, Max and Joe to the fore. Early on there were a few handling errors (shock perhaps?), some crabbing across the pitch when the ball was moved wide and some sluggish passing which limited the space for the wingers. However the kinks began to be worked out, and some astute kicks by Danny put the ball deep into the corner of the Gravesend 22, and gave the team a target to focus on. Sidcup were then able to bring the power of the forwards to bear from closer in. After some close calls on the line and good work at the breakdown by Jake (who is this Clyde of whom they speak?), Max scored with a No 8 pick up and drive from a 5m scrum. Max scored again soon after in the same way. An injury to a Gravesend front row forward meant the scrums were uncontested for the rest of the game. After another period of pressure on the Gravesend line the ball was moved wide by James Thomas from a ruck and Reece Bradbury took the pass to crash over from close range. All three tries were unconverted, so it was 15-0 to Sidcup at half time.

The second half started with Charlie (at flanker) driving the Gravesend forward who caught the kick off back into touch in his own 22. As the second half developed the flow of Sidcup possession increased, but although individual bursts made impressive ground the drives sometimes went a yard too far and Gravesend were able to create a maul or ruck. Whilst possession wasn’t lost in these situations, it was slowed down – much to the frustration of the Sidcup coaches, who were “encouraging” the boys to move it wider. After a frustrating series of penalties and scrums against Sidcup which gave Gravesend the chance to clear or to retain possession, Nick (playing at centre) scored with an arcing run outside the cover to the right hand corner. Danny converted. From a lineout Jake drove on and Max was able to complete his hat trick by running in from 10 metres. Danny converted. The scoring concluded with an excellent try by Ben Warnock from the right wing, taking Nick’s pass and then cutting back and weaving past the covering tacklers to score. Danny converted again. The half concluded with a series of injuries to two Gravesend players, all of whom had fought hard throughout.

Well done to the boys, a deserved win. And congratulations to Max as captain, leading from the front and scoring a hat trick.

NM - 22 Oct 08

Sun 12 Oct 08: Sidcup U15s 0 - Dartfordians U15s 62

The second game of the season. Better, even glorious weather this week but the same outcome as last – a depressing score line, but effort and tackling commitment from start to finish against a powerful and well drilled team. In contrast to similar games last season, the boys never capitulated, always kept working for each other, and were pushing for that elusive first try right to the end.

Just fifteen fully fit players lined up at the start, against Darts full squad, playing for the first time this season. And many of their wives and children, er I mean parents and siblings, had come to cheer the big lads on.

Darts were able to exert a lot of pressure in the scrum and at the breakdown, often working an overlap for their left wing or an opening for their inside centre. Some of Darts tries came from Sidcup mistakes – missed touch kicks for instance - which can be ironed out in training. The tackling was consistently robust throughout, but Darts support play meant Sidcup sometimes ended up running out of bodies to make the last tackle.When Sidcup players did make individual driving runs, these often made good ground, but the ball would get slowed down or lost altogether in contact, and one thing to learn from Darts is closer support and earlier offloads to shift the point of attack. One good break away by Sidcup towards the end of the game saw Nick clear down the right and he was only stopped from scoring when Darts gave away a penalty for a high tackle.

Another strong and committed performance by the whole team, right to the end, in adverse circumstances. Henry came on as sub even though he’d hurt his leg in the warm up, came off after tweaking it again when making a tackle into touch, and volunteered to come back on again later. Tony had just turned up to check out training with a view to joining and ended up playing in the second half. And Alfie battled on despite injuring his left leg. Matt Armstrong was once again a rock at the back, making key tackles and saving an early try by stopping a Darts player grounding the ball as he tried to get closer to the posts! Excellent team spirit all round, and it will pay off one day soon.

NM - 16 Oct 08

Sun 5 Oct 08: Sidcup U15s 0 - Tonbridge Juddians U15s 45

The first game of the season. The weather was wet and gloomy. And events off the field hadn’t gone well in the build up. Player departures at the start of the season; several injuries– but well done to Michael, Jordan, Joe and John for braving the weather to support the team; and just sixteen players available, with four new players appearing in their first game for the team.

On the face of it a heavy loss. But the score doesn’t tell the full story. TJ’s were physically bigger up front and well organised. But Sidcup played their most committed first half in years, tackling aggressively, standing up to a powerful opposition scrum and driving forward in the loose when they got the chance. At half time TJs were 17-0 up from three tries, two converted by their inside centre. The difference at this stage had been powerful finishing close to the Sidcup line. Sidcup had established some attacking positions in the opposition 22 but had not been able to set up clear scoring opportunities. At half time Sam Carter went off with a shoulder injury and Charlie switched from centre to hooker, with James Head going to loose head. Alfie came on for his first game on the left wing and got in a strong tackle on his opposite number. Sam returned in the second half, and did well playing out of position in the front row.

In some ways the second half was more encouraging, with Sidcup’s own ruck ball looking much more secure. However TJs used the conditions better after the break: either hacking loose ball deep into the Sidcup half or using their number 12’s powerful boot to set up line outs in the Sidcup 22. The forward pressure began to tell and TJ’s scored four tries during the second half, all converted.

Overall a strong and committed performance by the whole team, right to the end. Matt Armstrong’s tackling at full back and Reece Bradbury’s work in the loose stood out. Well done to the coaches, and well done to the boys, particularly the debutants. Plenty to build on.

NM - 16 Oct 08