Normal Service Has Been Resumed

After a poor performance last week against Cobham, it was ‘back to basics’ at training on Wednesday night.

The forwards did some old-school work on the scrummaging machine until their timing was spot-on and by the end of the session, were flinging that massive lump of iron and concrete around like a rag doll in jaws of a puppy. We also made some tweaks to our lineout and introduced a rolling maul option off Alexander to add to our attacking variations off the front. The backs worked tirelessly on their various slow-ball and quick-ball options until we were pretty sure they would be running through the moves in their sleep that night!

On Sunday we had Basingstoke away. We hadn’t played Basingstoke for many years due to the RFU new rules of play debacle so we were very much going into unknown territory with this fixture. All we knew was that Basingstoke RFC had just beaten a very strong Trojans teams in the Hampshire Cup and that they we were to expect a tough game. Indeed upon arrival, the sheer size of some of the Basingstoke boys had even our seasoned pack looking about nervously. These were not going to be boys we could just bully off the park, we would have to be at our best and play proper rugby.

In the warm-up, the discussion was all about implementing our structures and playing our rugby. The score was not going to be relevant, but what we challenged the boys to do was take what they had done on the training paddock and execute it in the match situation. Everyone knew their role, while discipline, energy, support, commitment and communication were going to the be non-negotiable, but could we make it work under match conditions? We would soon find out.

As it turned out, the boys were fantastic. Coaches and parents were treated to a 60 – minute montage of everything that is good about Bracknell U14a rugby. Our set pieces were effective and we won the lion’s share of the ball at both scrums and lineouts, giving as a wide range of attacking platforms. The tight loose was especially pleasing as we were able to consistently recycle without overloading the breakdown and were thus able to use our big forwards as runners to generate forward momentum and suck in the opposition defenders which created space in the wide channels which our outside backs were able to exploit to deadly affect.

The magic started upfront with our two debutant hookers, Matt van Heerde and Adam Hawkes, both having excellent games in the tight and tight-loose. Props Fergus Hill and James Walford dominated bigger, heavier opponents and provided a solid platform upfront. James had a great game in the loose and is really developing his contribution to the team in loose-play. Fergus was excellent on defence on the edges of the ruck and put in some bone-jarring tackles on their big forwards when they took the ball up in the narrow channels as well as scoring a classic prop ‘route one’ try.

Second-row grunt came from the Twin Towers, Kyle Bruwer and Alexander Robinson. Alexander was also outstanding in the lineouts and worked hard around the pitch throughout the game, while Kyle was very effective in cleaning out the big Basingstoke forwards out at the breakdown and ran some great lines off the ball carriers. These two fit and powerful boys always give 100%, never get subbed, injured or complain and just keep on delivering for us week-in and week-out. They are proper old-school rugby forwards and we are very lucky have them in our second row!

The loose trio was massively effective and while Ieuan was his normal invisible self, slowing down opposition ball and effecting turnovers while securing our own ball at the breakdown, Ben Clark and Kane O’Leary were rampant, thundering up the pitch one with ball in hand, and the other on his shoulder in support. While it was the backs that got the bulk of the tries, it was Kane and Ben that established our forward momentum, forcing Basingstoke to commit defenders close in and leaving acres of space out wide for the backs to attack.

Jamie Brown was super-efficient at the base of the scrum and consistently cleared the ball quickly and accurately regardless of whether it was from a scrum, a ruck or a lineout. His service was superb and when he wasn’t able to clear the ball, he took the ball up and reset it perfectly every time. Jamie is so efficient that his efforts too often go unnoticed, but never unappreciated! Jamie’s service and the efforts of the forwards enabled fly half Matthew Dalrymple to achieve complete control of the game and by taking the ball flat and hard, he was able to consistently commit defenders and put the men outside of him into space. His varied use of the wide and short balls kept the defence guessing and created opportunities for his backline that were gratefully accepted.

Tom Day played a blinder at twelve. When the ball was slow, he would hit the line hard off Matt’s shoulder and either bust through, scoring three tries in the process, or set up a ruck giving us quick phase ball that we could then continue the attack off, but when the ball was quick, he got it through the hands with speed and accuracy, allowing the outside backs time and space to attack the outside channels. Further contributions came from Matty Bowers with an excellent try to finish off a sweeping backline move and from Sam Clough who looped round to take the ball off JJ and create a well-worked overlap and a try for himself, but it was JJ Paling who was exceptional at fullback and made full use of the ball and space he got to cross the try-line three times for a hat trick.

Ewan Castle played a very solid game on the wing, attacking the outside channel to great effect and defending his channel well. Fraser Wood replaced Matthew Bowers on the wing in the second half and did well, carrying effectively and defending with iron-willed determination.

The final analysis showed JJ Paling and Tom Day with three tries a piece, while Sam Clough, Fergus Hill and Matthew Bowers got one each. Matthew Dalrymple was successful with six conversions and the final score 57-0 to Bracknell but it was the not the score line, but rather the manner in which was achieved that was so satisfying to players, parents and coaches alike. We have definitely got our mojo back and we look forward to Camberley RFC at home this Sunday.

Many thanks go to Brian and the Basingstoke U14’s for agreeing to the fixture at short notice, particularly considering their tough win over Trojans the weekend before, to their coaches and players for the excellent spirit in which the game was played, to Paul for blowing a superb game with the whistle, and to Basingstoke RFC, it officials and volunteers, for hosting us so graciously on our first visit to Hampshire in many seasons.

Kind regards,
Andy