Boroughmuir RFC 21 BSRFC U15B 7

From Richard Sanders.

Inspired by the A-team performance, the boys took to the field with an admirable confidence. Early encounters were even with the Stortford defence working hard to stop the well drilled Scots. Boroughmuir eventually broke the deadlock scoring then converting for the extra two points. Stortford responded positively, piling on pressure and looking sure to go on to score with some strong offensive rucking and good handling. A certain try was denied when the ref (correctly) stopped the game for a serious Boroughmuir injury. Following a long pause, the game was moved to a second pitch to continue.

Re-starting with a scrum on the twenty-two which the ref had bizarrely awarded to our hosts (despite the ball being in Stortford hands at the stoppage), Stortford continued to press and did not have long to wait to reap rewards. Good handling and support play led to a sharp sequence of passes through our centres Ben and Luke and the ball finally spun out to Ali M. The pacey winger evaded several tackles and the touchline to break clear and score under the posts to leave Ben a straight-forward conversion to level the scores.

The game continued to be end-to-end, with both defences working hard – “ruck-machine” Jules making it his sole purpose to clear every breakdown - even if it meant coming in from the side once or twice! Front-rowers Dylan and Luca were always on hand to stop runners with well-timed tackles, working together to disrupt the oppositions attacks. Prop Ali O, in a man-of-the-match performance, was a constant threat, crashing through tackles and breaking the line – much to the enjoyment of his cheering teammates on the touchline. With Stortford in the ascendancy a brief lapse of concentration and a quickly taken penalty by Boroughmuir saw them break through and complete the final score of a long first-half.

The second half kicked-off in a similar style with determined defensive performances when under pressure on our own try line and moments of powerful attacking play. Boroughmuir, determined not to let visitors from south of the border leave with two wins, were able to find a way through after being held up on several occasions and stretched their lead to 21-7. The game was paused again just as Stortford were building pressure and our momentum faded. We restarted (with the ball correctly in our possession this time!) ten metres from the home try-line and the obvious call of “Give it to Ali O”. His “raging bull” run from deep looked certain to deliver a second try but he fell just short of the line, quick thinking from Tom N saw him fall on the ball and in one movement reach forward to place the ball down over the line. Try! Unfortunately, the man in fluorescent yellow and pink judged it a double movement (with no tackle??) and the flankers late score was ruled out.

At the final whistle both teams knew they had played a great game of rugby. The Stortford lads were rightly proud of their performance against a very strong home side which, due to different age group regulations in Scotland, contained some sixteen-year-olds as well as bench players who had faced our A-team.

Bouroughmuir’s selection of Ali O for the man-of-the-match award was greeted with cheers from both sides – a popular winner and a brilliant individual performance.

A win would have been nice, but it was an appropriate end to another successful season. Everyone involved with the development of this squad of boys could not be prouder. The levels of commitment, character and team spirit have been exceptional; it is clear to see how proud you are to play for your club and for each other!

Very best wishes,
Richard and Ben