BSRFC V Chelmsford

As always when we visit Chelmsford it was a sunny morning and we received a warm welcome from our hosts... and then there was the mud!

Tornadoes
The lads had been looking forward to this match against the current Essex County Champions as they had not had a run out since December due to the weather and player rotation. It was great to welcome Thomas Gamble back to the team who had missed the last few training sessions due to illness, Thomas more than made up for his time away though with some great runs and good offloads. The ever present Murray, Will and Ryan were up to their normal antics of crashing through the opposition as fast as they could whilst Teddy and Eddie used slightly more nimble footwork to jinx round the defence. Both Archie and Dominic were superb on the wings making sure they hit the ball at speed and squeezing through the smallest of gaps. Man of the match could have been easily awarded to the whole team but in the end Teddy Pope narrowly claimed it.

Results:
Match one CRFC 4 BSRFC 7
Match two CRFC 7 BSRFC 7
Match three CRFC 5 BSRFC 8

Hurricanes
The Hurricanes really stepped it up a gear this week with the whole team making improvements in parts of their game. What they have been covering in training recently about run-commit-pass is starting to show and they added to this by making sure they stayed away from touch lines and kept their running lines straight. Defence is something we will be looking at working on next week as it showed areas which can be improved. Man of the match was again a close decision but was awarded to George O’Hara.

Results:
Match one CRFC 6 BSRFC 6
Match two CRFC 5 BSRFC 5
Match three CRFC 7 BSRFC 6

Typhoons
The Typhoons played exceptionally well as a team in Chelmsford. We emphasised a focus on tagging, fighting hard for each other/support play, communication, breathing techniques for recovery and thinking. Tagging was plentiful and of a very high quality which is really encouraging. There was a number of occasions when we turned the opposition over after tagging 7 times. The boys played 3 layers of defence at times with some players dropping back, which had the opposition running in circles and unable to break through our defence. They showed good situational awareness and changed the point of attack when channels were closed by the opposition. Support play was outstanding with multiple receivers available in attack. On two occasions the boys turned the opposition over on our try line and worked the ball the length of the field to score on both occasions. We played two wingers with the others filling the line between. They held the line well in defence and attack. Three hard fought wins out of three as reflected in the final scores, was well deserved. The boys showed exceptional stamina in rapid restart games. Restarts so fast that the opposition could not match our boy’s intensity. It was by far and away the best performance by this team of boys to date. This performance should be a significant boost to their confidence.
Man of the match for the Typhoons was awarded to Josh Day.

Results:
Match one CRFC ? BSRFC ? (Score to follow)
Match two CRFC 4 BSRFC 5
Match three CRFC 6 BSRFC 7

Harriers
The Harriers showed great stamina with 3 almost back to back games. Not just physically, but they maintained their enthusiasm throughout and managed to largely keep concentration to the end which is often lacking.
Tagging was brilliant, and was commented on several times by Chelmsford coaches. Turnover after 7 tags was almost routine by the end, as our boys were very good at smothering the ball carrier and eliminating options. Some very good individual running, particularly running at and thru the opposition rather than sideways. The best move didn't create a try but involved running hard at and thru the opposition with 4 great passes, all under pressure and all perfectly executed.
Man of the match for the Harriers was awarded to Eddie Ebbles.

Results:
Match one CRFC 4 BSRFC 2
Match two CRFC 5 BSRFC6
Match three CRFC 3 BSRFC 4

Overall it was a great morning and a big thanks to Chelmsford U8’s for providing an organised and enjoyable session.