Last season’s games against Houghton were brilliant – excellent committed rugby by both teams. And so it was again today – a highly entertaining and evenly matched game, with Houghton just shading it 20-15. We might have lost, but there were so many positives across the field, that would be unfair, with a few exceptions, to spotlight particular players when the full team put in a shift.

Starting with the scrum, we pushed and battled for every ball put in with good weight and purpose. Our forward line closed down, pressed and pushed on. Our passing across the field to feed the wingers was accurate and with purpose, leading to wingers breaking and scoring our first home tries of the season. The resultant conversion attempts were hit with pace, though a little off the mark! The backs did their job well – confidently gathering those loose balls and shutting down Houghton attacks.

It was great to see so many effective and solid tackles and choosing the tackle of the match was tricky. So many to choose from – Oliie from the off, then Owen getting stuck in, multiple good Luca and Benji stops, whilst Cameron’s solid blocking on the touchline was definitely a crunching stand out (especially for those nearby), if unfortunately penalised by the ref for not wrapping. However, these were shaded, only just, by Kai’s deft tap-tackle. Well done Kai!

Special mention to Freddie, who not only worked hard in the scrum, but also guested for Houghton when they went a man down. As well as the good plays, we’re also developing a fabulous team spirit – it was brilliant to see the subs clearly having fun encouraging the team.
Houghton’s coaches were similarly enthused about the match, so much so, they’ve suggested a post-season mini-tour with them. Something to definitely think about!

Thank you for cheering on the boys’ efforts, and to Houghton also who played their part in making a good rugby morning for everyone.

We go again!