Wednesday, 14th March
Brambletye U13 Rugby Sevens
U13 A 4th in group
Rugby v Skippers Hill
U13 B Drew 30-30
A very enjoyable match this afternoon and a hard-fought draw for the U13 Bs. Both teams looked to run the ball and play flowed from end to end. Our tackling was poor in the first ten minutes and Skippers Hill scored three tries to lead 15-0. Eventually we started to spread the ball wide and look for space and Hamish scored a fine try on the left wing. Skippers scored another, but we hit back before half-time with two more tries, by Nikita and Oliver, who both had to work hard to reach the line ahead of the cover defence. Another try for our visitors meant that we trailed 15-25 at half-time.
In the second half we tackled better, rucked well and put the opposition under more pressure when they had the ball. When we attacked wide we looked dangerous. Tries to Kent and Hamish tied the scores at 25-25. Skippers broke away to score with just a few minutes left. We attacked wide with the last play of the game and Hamish raced away down the left-wing to score with full-time on the clock. It was a very good fightback by the whole team and therefore difficult to single out individuals. All the boys should be proud of their efforts today, particularly in the second half. A special thanks to Mr G de Moraville, who refereed beautifully and allowed play to flow. MH
Under 11 Won 45-5
The boys managed another win today but, to be honest, it was a little bit of a mismatch. Skippers Hill had a couple of strong players and all of their team relished the contact, but owing to the poor weather and clay based pitches, they have found it hard to do any contact training. As a result, they were very green around the break down and there were too many tackles missed. However, they never gave up and certainly left us with a number of questions that will need to be answered sharpish.
On Saturday we face a very strong Sunningdale side. If we fall off tackles and lose defensive shape like we did at times today, we will be in for a torrid time. We must be prepared for a real battle. It would be great to finish the season with a huge team performance. CS
Under 10 Won 20-10
We played Skippers Hill on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The boys were well up for a victory and they did not disappoint! We started strongly, hitting the ruck hard and winning lots of ball. We began to pass the ball nicely and Daniel managed to break through and score the first try. After that, we dominated the break down and managed to get our second try just before half time with Wilf intercepting close to the line and dotting it down.
After half time we continued to dominate the game with Miles weaving his way through for two tries. Skippers Hill scored two tries as the game came to an end but we left the field happy with our performance. Well done to all the boys! TG
Rugby v Copthorne
Under 9 Lost 13 tries to 19
Today we played our first game in what feels like forever because of the weather conditions. We made the short trip to Copthorne, the team eager for the match.
The game was played in three quarters, with 10 minutes of play for each quarter.The first quarter we started the strongest with our low tackling and spatial awareness on point for most of the first half. Copthorne had some big tough players which caused us a lot of problems physically, but we managed to prevent a few tries. Harvey’s lightning pace and quick movement scored us 5 tries. But, it was a overall team effort and the first quarter finished 5-4 to Ashdown.
In the second quarter a few things were mixed around. The idea for this half was to pressurise Copthorne straight from the off and to move the ball a lot quicker when in possession. In some areas we were very effective with this. We passed the ball down the line excellently which opened up the space numerous times for Kit, Teddy & William F to grab themselves a try each. Sadly, the only point that let us lose 8 tries was giving away possession. Yes, our passing was excellent but at times it wasn’t fast enough to get to the next player and was intercepted by the other team a lot of the time. But, some superb play from both sides. Second quarter finished 8-3 to Copthorne.
Now for our final 10 minutes. The last quarter was very much end to end stuff with both teams losing the ball very cheaply. Saying that, our movement and supporting runs were a lot sharper and effective in this half. With us scoring 5 tries, yet again, we couldn’t hold on to the lead at all and let slip 7 tries to Copthorne. Even though this quarter we lost, the rugby aspect was a lot better to watch with some lovely play being made.
All the boys should be very pleased with their efforts today and we’ll be looking forward to our final game of the season against Sunningdale on Saturday. Well done gents! JS
Under 8 Lost 14 tries to 15
The U8s travelled to Copthorne on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. The match started at a quick pace, with Torsten and Charlie both scoring early tries. Our passing and support running was extremely pleasing to watch. Copthorne played the game at a similar pace, turning the game into a try fest. At half time, the scores were level at 7-7.
During the second half, Captain Charlie organised our defensive line well, making it much more difficult for Copthorne to break the gain line. Felix scores a couple of awesome tries just when it seemed like the game was slipping away from us. The two Williams made countless tag tackles, ensuring that we were able to keep Copthorne in their own half as much as possible. During the last minute of the game, Archie scored an awesome try in the corner to draw the scores level. Sadly for us, Copthorne managed to score one last try in the dying seconds of the game. Final score: Copthorne 15, Ashdown 14.
We may have lost today, but the rugby that we played was of a quality much higher than expected at that age. Well played today boys! WT