A good win for the A's

Bishop’s Stortford U14 A’s MATCH REPORT
DATE OPPOSITION LOCATION Result
30th October 2016 Finchley A Home Win 34 - 7

Tries – 6no Conversions – 2no Penalties - 0 Drop kicks - 0
Ellis x 2
Harry A
Nathan M
Paul M
Francis Matt

Foreword[/b]: Beautiful misty morning perfect for rugby and set nicely after great victory by B’s. It was a big game for the A’s to make amends for the recent clash with Finchley B’s where it was clear their selection policy showed a lack of understanding of the alphabet. It made it all the more comical when their head coach went to great lengths to make it known prior to the game that they are missing some key players on the day.
The game: The score is slightly flattering in that it felt a much closer game than an almost 30 point victory. Finchley are a good side and their forwards in particular were very well drilled, particularly around rucks and malls. They were very quick to the breakdown and played with a real sense of understanding of what to do in that situation. As a team though we countered this with some good aggression and systematically broke them down, which is reflected in the manner in how we scored our points over the course of the whole game. This is a testament to the team staying focussed throughout the game and a general understanding that points are not going to fall into their laps. With the exception of the first try which was an excellent bit of individual play, most points came from hard graft and sustained pressure.

The Good - Speed in defence - both our back row and back line were once again exceptional in hurrying the opposition when they have the ball in hand. Asserting this type of pressure on the opposition forces mistakes apart from stopping them to implement creative play. Most pleasing of all was that we could see some real signs of maturity in the forwards and the manner in which they carried the ball forward. Short bursts, offloading, etc and in the process making really good ground. It should not be underestimated how tiring and demoralising it is for the opposition to constantly bring down big strong forwards. Add to that the fact we didn’t lose a single of our own ball in scrums as well as putting them under enormous pressure on their ball. So job well done by the team’s engine room boys. There continues to be an exceptional spirit in the team which is most evident in the dressing room. Spirit was awesome today. We looked after each other and communicated plays and generally looked like a team that knows what they were doing, as commented by opposition parents. Pressure on tactical kicking. Spotting weaknesses in the opposition.
The Bad – Too slow to the breakdown! There were times when we stood back whilst our team mate was on the ground trying to retain the ball. It is essential that we get in there irrespective of whether you’re a back or a forward. Moving the ball down the back line needs to be done at pace, both through the hands as well as accepting the ball whilst moving forward, not standing still. Line out defence, protect the receiver. We did not use tactical kicking as affectively as I’ve seen us done. It’s important that this tactic is communicated to players around you as it’s essential that a kick is placed well and with thought, and then followed up with vigour. We did score one try from a very good kick and follow up but the point still stands.

The Ugly – Louis Ramsey’s team song and both Nathan B & Connor’s hair.