| 19th January 2011 - U13 Rugby v Pennthorpe School |
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Receiving the kick off from the start gave Shoreham College a chance to put the recent training into practice; Forwards gaining ground and setting the ball up for the Backs to run with is an essential aspect of the game. Shoreham College performed well and I was pleased to see many of the Forwards applying their size and strength in the rucks and mauls to keep possession; Oliver Davis-Smith (Captain), Charlie Boyle (Pack Leader), Jamie Lai-Morrice and Luke Griffiths all have a vast wealth of experience in digging out the ball, so that Ethan Crosweller could pass to Finley Bigg and get the ball moving to the boys with pace. Henry Thornton made some super breaks through the opposition line and was supported well by William Ballard in tackles, who both found themselves with the ball and the try line in sight but couldn't quite finish with a try. Applied pressure and good communication in the first fifteen minutes gave Finley Bigg the chance he was so desperately looking for and he put Shoreham up by five points; although a difficult kick from the touchline was out of range for Oliver Davis-Smith to convert for the extra two points.
This spell of running rugby was the best of the game as concentration soon began to lapse and this allowed Pennthorpe to find space on the outside to score twice before the end of the second half.
The war of attrition continued between both sets of Forwards in the second half and the ball was becoming less available for our Backs to run with in attacking situations. Other players in the team were really starting to shine through; Isaac Swan playing his debut match for the Shoreham at Full-Back made countless try saving tackles and was prominent with the ball in hand, Harry Rummery made a great run down the far touchline, Gus Simon was getting stuck into tackling and I was pleased with Alex Kirby and Raffaelle Rummery-Milne who both dug deep and started to take the ball on more frequently in the Forwards. Again Pennthorpe exposed the space on the outside and three more tries followed in quick succession to seal the game at Shoreham College 5 Pennthorpe School 29.
This Under 13 team has huge potential to and there were many moments where the Shoreham College players pulled together and played good rugby and if we can concentrate on playing a whole game like we did in the first half, they will be successful in the next six matches. Well done to Jonathon Isaac on his debut for the School and Ben Thasarather on the wing who has potential to leave most players behind with his pace.
Focus for the next match: Develop tackling technique, more alert to quick transitions between attacking and defensive formations and increase the amount of running rugby.
Man of the Match: Oliver Davis-Smith – all-round presence on the pitch, good leadership and an excellent ball carrier. Isaac Swan – faultless tackling, great awareness and positional play for a newcomer to rugby. |