Sidcup U9s at the Foxbury Festival: a new age has begun

Like England we found ourselves in 'the group of death' with 4 of the best sides in the tournament to run out against. Unfortunately like England we showed passion and commitment but did not get the rewards.

First up were Westcombe Park. They proved to be a good, well drilled side, that quickly exploited any weaknesses is our defence scoring a few easy tries. As we entered the second half though Sidcup dug deep and our tackling improved. Tries from Taine and Ollie L us a creditable score line but it was not enough to take the victory. (2-5)

Next up were Colfes; always a tough task taking on a school based club, and ultimately their organisation got the better of us. Our tackling improved with Phoebe and Oliver L showing that determination and focus make up for lack of outright size as they flattened everyone who dared go near them. With 2 defensive phases going to more than 10 tackles, and a try from Ollie L we could hold our heads high even though we lost the game. (1-3)

Local rivals Old Darts showed how a massive squad gives a club the option to pick a true 'A team' whilst attending another festival and running home training at the same time. They were relentless and a credit to their coaching team. Again Sidcup gave it their all, but a lack of organisation in our defence created too many gaps for their fast wingers to exploit. A couple of late tries from Charlie and Jake gave us some consolation. (2-6)

After 3 bruising games we were not relishing the final game against our hosts OE's. Like Colfes, OE's play together on a regular basis and it showed from the start. Their players were big, fast and strong. That combined with a level of organisation and understanding of the game that defies their age, meant that we were going to have an up hill struggle. We didn't get over whelmed though and put up a good fight. Taine carved through their defence to give a well deserved score, but even with Ross tackling everyone in front of him our defence couldn't hold up the OE's attack. (1-7)

So not the start that we wanted. Our opponents deserved their wins, but the score lines often flattered them and did not reflect our determination and effort. All the squad should be proud of themselves getting through a tough first festival. There's a lot of work to do to get us up to scratch, but then again the transition to contact rugby was never going to be easy, and unfortunately we found that out the hard way today. Tomorrow though is another day, and we'll be back with a vengeance for our next festival!

Neil