Rugby

Rugby V Brambletye
1st Lost 20-35 (RC)
2nd Won 40-15 (GdM)
U11 Lost 25-45 (CS)
U10 Won 7-3 (TG)

We went to Brambletye missing a couple of players but buoyed by some good practice sessions building up to this match. We started slowly, with Brambletye showing a little bit more grit than our boys. Despite going in 3-1 down at half time, the boys' heads did not drop. They were going down hill in the second half and we took full advantage!

Harvey was backed up by every single players on the pitch, every one making the key tackles and running hard with the ball. William popping up to score his first try and Teddy powering through to score were some of the highlights of the second half. However, due to a fantastic TEAM effort we did not even concede a try in the second period. I was very proud to see the boys showing progress and awesome teamwork! On to the next game and well done boys!

U9 Won 65-15 (JS)

On a windy winter Saturday, we hosted what was a thrilling game of rugby against our local rivals.

Brambletye won the toss and decided that Ashdown should start the game off. From the first whistle, we fired our way through like a bullet. We were excellent at retaining the ball and “pooping” it off to one another. Ashdown found a gap in between the Brambletye defence and secured the first try of the game.

We did switch off slightly, gifting Brambletye a try, but we responded immediately with our high attacking work rate and quick feet. There were too many outstanding moments in the game for me to go through everyone, but the one that stood out for me was Rafe B-B's incredibly quick dodging through Brambletye’s whole team. He managed to squeeze his way through to score a try.

Ashdown won the game 65-15. We dominated in all areas of the pitch. I must say, this was the best rugby I have witnessed at this level. The determination and encouragement from both players and parents were excellent to be a part of. I do have to congratulate all of the players below for the massive team effort today. Well done boys!

Squad: Torsten, Rafe, Felix, Charlie, Bertie H, Rufus and William D

U9 Triangular Rugby v Rose Hill and Skippers Hill

Today we hosted are first Triangular of the term. Ashdown started off facing Rose Hill, and what a game it was. There was action from both sides but neither side was easy to break down. For the amount of try’s there were, in what was only a 15 minute match, was very impressive.

We made some fabulous tackles but still need to improve on spreading out abit more. Ashdown was 25-20 up with 20 seconds to go and unfortunately with just scoring a try, we fell apart from the restart to gift Rose Hill the draw. Very nice rugby all round though.

Ashdown hard a little break for 15 minutes to recover and get prepared for the next game. We faced Skipper’s Hill last, whom just came off the pitch losing narrowly to Rose Hill. From the off, we were on the back foot after conceding within the first 30 seconds. Ashdown responded well with good passing combinations but yet again, very bunched together. The game was coming to an end with Ashdown 20-15 up. With 1 minute to go, the Skipper’s boys were pressing forward. All we had to do was sit tight and defend. Yet again, a gap appeared and they counted on it to make the game a draw.

Very pleased with the boys today as a whole and I’m also very happy to see the parents shouting and being supportive on the touchline. Good effort today boys. Next game against our local neighbours Brambletye on Saturday.

U8s Tag Rugby

Squad: Albie F(C), Bertie D, Andrey K, Jasper L, Stephanie M and Katia F.

The U8s tag team faced teams from both Rosehill and Skippers Hill on Thursday afternoon, in what was a highly competitive set of matches.

Ashdown’s first match was against Rosehill, and it proved to be a thriller. Bertie and Albie immediately announced themselves by wriggling through the opposition’s defence to score a number of tries each. With each score came an almost immediate response down the other end of the pitch. This pattern continued until Ashdown managed to stretch their lead during the final moments of the game. Final score: 5-3 to Ashdown.

Ashdown’s second match was against Skippers Hill, who proved to be a very strong side. Katia and Stephanie immediately settled into the rhythm of the game, announcing themselves as excellent defenders. Following the girls’ lead, our defensive line was impeccable; but The opposition were simply too strong. Final score: 4-2 to Skippers Hill.

The next two games were against two different teams from Rosehill; with the first game being the tougher of the too. Andrey made some winding runs which resulted
in stunning tries in the corner of the pitch. Rosehill weren’t able to reply, leaving the final score at: 5-0 to Ashdown.

The final match was much tougher, and Jasper Lee prevented Rosehill from scoring a number of would-be-decisive tries. Sadly, despite Jasper's brave defending and more tries from Albie and Bertie, we weren’t quite strong enough to win the game. Final score: 4-3 to Rosehill.

Well played today boys and girls; two wins out of four is a top effort!

W.T.

Rugby v Worth
Lost 25 - 30

The 1st XII had a fantastic match against Worth. This was a close, hard fought battle in wet conditions: a true prep school classic. We got the better of them in the first half and took a 15-5 lead into half time, however their team talk must have worked as they came back fighting after the break. The game was poised at 25-25 and would have remained so were it not for an unlucky last minute break away try. The whole team were superb in attack today, we have now found our shape and are rattling through the phases neatly. Special mention must go to Rocco Codrington this afternoon: he is turning into an aggressive ball winner at the breakdown and was a menace to the opposition all match. We now regroup for Brambletye at the weekend.

Rugby vs Cumnor House

Squad: Albert F (C), Bertie D, Jasper L and Andrey K.

The U8s arrived at Cumnor on a gloomy Wednesday afternoon to play three mini matches of tag rugby against Cumnor House.

We had a quick warm up and then it was straight into the first match, which was against some tough opponents. We started off brilliantly, with Albie and Bertie making several scorching runs around the opposition’s defence. Once our support runners got themselves into the game, these moves were quickly converted into tries. With each try that Ashdown scored, Cumnor seemed to reply almost immediately with their own tries. This pattern of impressive offensive play continued for the entirety of the ten minute game, leaving the scores tied at 5-5 when the final whistle blew.

After a quick team talk and a drink, it was straight onto the next game, which was against another group of Cumnor opponents. Andrey and Jasper defended ferociously, ripping tags off at every opportunity that arose. We organised our defensive line well and made it very difficult for our opponents to score. Full time score: 5-2 to Ashdown.

We took to the pitch in high spirits for our final game of the day. Andrey, Bertie, Albie and Jasper all managed to get onto the score sheet during the day, with a number of wonderful dives to finish the moves off. Our organisation was once again excellent and our support running went up another level, meaning the game ended with Ashdown winning 6-3.

A very impressive set of results; well played boys!

W.T.

U9 Rugby v Cumnor House
Won 35-20

The boys gave it there all today in tough conditions. The pitch was very wet and muddy, which the children loved tackling in.

The game in itself was very dominant from Ashdown by some lovely phases being played. Are tackling was strong and effective and are frethe e range of passing was lovely to watch. Cumnor applied the pressure at times, but we fort out for the victory

Well done Chaps

Rugby V Skippers Hill
U11’s Drew 30-30 (CS)

What a fantastic game of rugby!

Despite scoring an early try, we were a little slow off the mark and Skipper’s had some very fast runners. We were 15-5 down within 10 minutes and staring down the barrel of a big loss. However, our structure was good. We were rucking and passing well and for the most part, our tackling was a bit better. If we could get control of the ball and impose our structure on the game, I was confident that we would be able to compete. The boys found their composure, controlled the breakdown and the score started to take care of itself. By halftime it was 20-20.

In the second half, we continued to control the ball and took a clear lead. 30-20 with 4 minutes to go. After our sixth try, we were asked to kickoff. Monty made a good connection, the ball sailed high... Unfortunately, the Skipper’s Hill captain caught it at full sprint and was straight through for a try. 1 try in it with 3 minutes to go. Skipper’s were then awarded a scrum. They went blind to one of their speedsters who strolled through the defence and the match was tied. Undaunted, we threw ourselves into one final attack. In the final play of the game, Miles made a great run but was tackled into touch just short of the line.

A great team performance. Such an improvement from last week. Congrats to Miles on a multiple try scoring man of the match performance and to Boris for his first try of the season.

U10’s Won 7-4 (TG)

Rugby V Vinehall
U13 Won 60-30 (RC, GdM)

The Under 13a had a good match against Vinehall. We took an early lead but had to weather some pressure when Vinehall came back in the second half. We absorbed this pressure and finished strongly, eventually winning 60-30. Tries came from Dahiru, Jean, Hamish and Aanu. Well done to all the boys.

U12 Won 40-10

Rugby V Cottesmore
1st Won 15-10 (RC/GDM)
The 1st XII had a fantastic match against Cottesmore. This was a proper prep school contest with both teams fully committed and fighting hard. We took an early lead from a great individual try by Hamish who was superb all afternoon. The opposition fought back and put us under pressure, however we suddenly found our rucking form and as a result were able to get quick ball for our backs who put the game to bed. Congratulations to all the boys on an outstanding team performance, and to Dahiru and Hamish for a hat-trick each.

2nd Won 15-10(JD)
U11 Lost 10-40 (CS)
U10 Lost 6-7 (TG)

The Under 10s took on Cottesmore on a cold Saturday afternoon. We knew it would be a close game after a 4-4 draw at Cottesmore last term.

Both teams started well, tackling hard and looking to make the breakthrough. Cottesmore took first blood, scoring with a strong drive over the line. However, Ashdown never gave up and we worked hard to run straight and with support. The lead swung back and forth, Harvey and George scoring the tries for us. Sadly, in the last couple of minutes Cottesmore managed to break away and scored the winning try. It was a great game to be a part of, all the boys (from both sides) gave 100% and the result could of gone either way. Thanks to all the parents for their support. On to next week against Skippers Hill.

U9 Lost 3-6 ( JS)

On a gloomy winter’s day, we travelled over to Cottesmore for our first competitive game of the season. With the conditions not being great, it made it very difficult for both sides to gain any sort of momentum or flow to the game.

We started off strongly by making our tackles early. We pressed high up the pitch and as soon as the scrum-half released the ball, we were very aggressive by holding on to the ball carrier in order to stop any progression by them. The game was end to end with superb runs being made by both sides.

Sadly the game finished 6-3 to Cottesmore. However, putting the result to one side, I was very impressed by the team's performance as a whole. I think to go into the next game we need to think about when the first receiver gets the ball. Do they pass or run with it? An expression I like to use with the boys to try and help them understand is “Get out of the mashed potato”. This means that if the first receiver gets the ball, and they want to run with it, don’t run back into where all the opposition are. Two out of our three tries came because of this. Anyhow, well-done today chaps. Keep battling!

Rugby V St. Ronan’s
1st Lost 5-55 (RC)
The Under 13a had a difficult match against an exceptionally strong St Ronan's side. We kept going and improved our performance in the second half but credit must be given to the opposition who are unbeaten in all matches so far. Well done to Tom on his official debut as captain and Vlad whom we are delighted to welcome back to the school. Both boys put full effort in throughout.

2nd Drew 20-20 (GdM/HDM)

Those supporters huddled on the sidelines before kick-off might have anticipated rugby of a similar quality to the weather, which is to say: grim. Ashdown and their opponents, St. Ronan’s, made a mockery of such pessimism, though, scoring four tries apiece and treating the hardy onlookers to some smashing rugby. Neither side was ever more than a try ahead, with a superb Ashdown team display counterbalancing the individual speed and power of St. Ronan’s. Given how well everyone played, I feel uneasy about singling any one out for praise, but Martin certainly showed wonderful potential with his incisive, swerving runs.

Try-wise, Miró scored once, Freddie twice, and, when a clever switch of play at an attacking Ashdown scrum released Massimo, he swooped into the corner, scoring what looked like the winning try with a few minutes remaining. The St. Ronan’s attack that followed encapsulated all that is appealing about rugby. Several direct surges and some slick handling saw them create a three-on-one overlap, which looked destined to result in the equalising try, before Massimo’s heroic covering tackling stopped them just short. The next phase saw the ball held up over the line. Wave after wave of St. Ronan’s runners broke against the Ashdown defence until, with just thirty seconds left, their scrum half somehow squirmed free from a double tackle and slid in to score in the corner.
In short, the game was as good as the weather was bad.

U11 Won 30-15 (CS)
Horrific conditions did not dampen the spirits for our first match of the season. Saint Ronan’s opted to receive the kickoff which proved to be a good choice as the player who caught the ball ran in for a try! Oh dear!

Thankfully, this acted as a wake up call and we soon found some rhythm and shape. Tries from Miles, Daniel and Hunter put us 15-10 up at half time.

The game continued to be very even in the second half with both sides playing well in attack, although all the players have work to do on their tackling.

Shortly before the end Ashdown scored a couple of tries, one a gem of a team try in such grim conditions. The ball went down the line at real pace and with precision, leaving Miles with a walk in.

Today there some very pleasing individual performances but we were very short of cohesion. We must focus on working more as a team and getting our structure correct.

MVP: Monty- some fantastic tackling and lead from the front in a real Captain’s performance.

Rugby Practice Matches V Cottesmore
1st X11 Drew 4-4 (RC)
2nd X11 Won 30-20 (Gdm)
U11 Lost 1-6 (CS)
U10 Drew 4-4 (TG)
U9 Lost 10-40 (JS)

Rugby Practice Matches V Brambletye

1^stX11 Lost 20-40 (RC)

U11 Lost 1-6 (CS)

U10 Won 4-3(TG)

U9 Lost 5-30 (JS)

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.

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.

Saturday, 24th February 

Rugby v Brambletye

Under 13A Won 25-10  
The U13A enjoyed a superb victory over local rivals Brambletye. It was a scrappy, hard-fought match typical of a local derby. Both teams started nervously but we managed to score first and get the upper hand. We went 3-1 up and spent a long period in the second half defending this lead with the opposition edging closer and closer to our try line. Late tries from Lachlan, Jack and Charlie put the game to bed. The whole team are deserving of huge congratulations for a committed, physical game: prep school rugby at its best.   RC

Under 13B Lost 10-45  
A tough match for the U13B on a bitterly cold day at Brambletye.  We played a lot better than the scoreline suggests.  Brambletye had some big runners who galloped away for a number of tries and some indifferent tackling on our part allowed our hosts to score some tries too easily.  We scored two excellent tries by our wingers, Hamish and Dahiru.  Hamish made several superb runs and could easily have scored two or three more.  Juan was our outstanding player.  He made some fine runs with the ball and made a huge number of tackles.  Will had a very good game, working hard in attack and defence.  Kent and Kieran also played well in the backs, along with Dahiru.  In the forwards Remy tackled well, while Nikita, Hari and Luis all showed some good touches and battled hard.  Rocco came on at half-time and got stuck in.  A pleasing effort from the boys!  MH

Under 11A Won 45-10 
Having lost 35-10 against Brambletye at the beginning of the season, I was worried that there would be a certain amount of trepidation going into this game. It is a testament to this group of players that they approached it with an air of quiet confidence and determination.

The first half was characterised by plenty of effort and endeavour but very little in the way of finesse. Put simply, whenever we managed to put together a few phases and looked dangerous, at the crucial moment everything would come unstuck.

Quiet words were had at half time...

The boys were encouraged to implement the game plan in as uncomplicated a way as possible.

The second half showed greater cohesion: fewer dropped passes, more dynamic rucking and much more rigid structure. Entirely courtesy of the ability and focus of the boys, we took control and played brilliantly. It is no exaggeration to say that what I witnessed in the second half was one of the most promising and exciting displays of rugby I’ve seen at Ashdown in the last 13 years.

As you will doubtless have noticed, I have mentioned no names thus far and deliberately so; this was a truly wonderful team performance and an emotional moment for a very soppy coach!!  CS

Under 11B Lost 25-35

Under 10 Lost 0-35 

Under 9 Drew 45-45
What a glorious sunny day for some rugby. Paul, our captain today, won the toss and we started the game with possession, scoring our first try within the first 10 seconds. Our passing and movement was brilliant and we were 3-0 up within the first eight minutes with Harvey scoring all 3. After the third try we sat back for some reason and absorbed the pressure from Brambletye. They countered our decision and we gave four cheap tries away going into the second half.

In the second half the game was very much end to end. Finding the space to exploit was very challenging for both sides, but we found our way a couple of times with two excellent tries from Teddy and George to get themselves on the score sheet. With the scores at 9-8 to Brambletye and with 10 seconds left on the clock... Harvey picked up the loose ball and sprinted the length of the pitch to secure a well derserved draw.

Well done today to the following players; Harvey (7), Teddy (1), George (1), Paul, Aidan, William, Kit, Demeyan, Thomas, Jonathan and Etienne   JS

Wednesday, 21st February

Rugby v Lancing Prep Hove

Under 9 Lost 30-50
The boys travelled down to Lancing Prep on a cold and murky winter's day. We started well, usually winning our tackles. Within the first phase of play Harvey scored our first try of the game. Lancing responded excellently with a superb team move to score the next. It was very much an end to end game with players from both sides determined to get a result.

Half-time approached and the score was tied at 4-4. The boys were told to run at the opposition when they had possession so as to prevent them from gaining speed.

The second half got under way and the advice at half term proved to have been taken on board! We scored two further tries and broke them down more consistently leading to a few knock ons in our favour. With the game drawing to a close and a draw looking on the cards, we sadly feel asleep at the last hurdle. We just couldn’t hold on to our tackles which led to us giving away four further tries. However, a fantastic effort from all the boys today, well done!  JS 

Thursday, 8th February

Rugby v Skippers Hill
Under 9        Lost 40-55   
The boys started well with the first few minutes of the game in a quite literal uphill battle which the boys did well to hold out. Sadly the stalemate was broken and a flurry of tries were scored at both ends of the pitch, George F-K scoring an impressive first half hat trick. At half time the score was 6-4 to Skippers Hill.

In the second half there was a fantastic try from the youngest player in the Skippers team which kicked the second half off well. Some impressive tackling from George F-K and Teddy  was sadly not enough to stop the strong Skippers ball carriers who won the game 11-8. Well done to both sides.  WB

         
Under 8        Won 45-40
The U8s faced Skippers Hill on a frosty Thursday afternoon. Skippers scored a try within 20 seconds of the match starting and it quickly became clear that this was going to be a high scoring game. Torsten swiftly made the scores level, using his fancy footwork to skip past the opposition and score in the corner. With every try we scored, we seemed to concede one working the next couple of minutes. Archie’s tenacious tagging made sure that Skippers Hill weren’t able to take the lead going into half time. Both teams went into half time with five tries on the board.

Saturday, 3rd February 

Rugby v Dorset House

U13A XV    Won 45-30
The U13A enjoyed an excellent win against Dorset House. The first half was hard-fought and looked very even; at half time the score was tied at 15-15. The second half could have gone either way but we grew and grew in confidence, eventually proving too much for the opposition. The game ended 45-30. The whole team were superb today; Charlie had another outstanding game, scoring a bag of tries. Lachlan, Jack and Zhangir also scored, and special mention must go to Ludo  who was at every ruck and maul; a true back-row forward.  RC

Under 11               Lost 10-35  
The team started well, dominating the first five minutes of the game. We kept the pressure on the Dorset House defence and, with some great rucking and passing, Ed squeezed through the defence to score our first. A quick penalty to the opposition on the five meter line resulted in their first try of the game. Disappointingly, our heads went down and they quickly scored another couple.

The second half started with some powerful tackling and rucking, especially from George. However, we could not stop their relentless attacks. Late on, we constructed a few decent phases and managed to score a last minute try from Huberto to finish the game. We will learn from this experience and start with a clean slate for our next game.  JD

            
Rugby v Brambletye
Under 10               Won 45-25
On Saturday, our U10s travelled to Brambletye to play their U10 Bs. It was wet and cold, but that did not stop our boys. We started strongly and dominated possession, but we couldn't seem to make the break. However, we continued to work hard and Ed F broke away down the wing to score the first try of the game, Brambletye scored soon after but after that we didn't give them a sniff.